Soft skills: Integritry is still key

The Pandemic has left remarkable traces, though

 

 

 

 

 

Within a decade, between 2012 and 2022 the relevance of soft skills at the working place has changed substantially. And you may presume that the pandemic has its role in it. Nowadays superiors are looking for people in their teams who are easy-going when challenges pop up on the horizon (adaptability) and who are willing and able to move proactively and work with a lot of self-leadership (Conscientiousness).

10 years ago general abilities like “communication” or “Courtesy” were ranking highest and being associated as match winner for getting a really good job. Unchangedly at the top of all soft skills integrity is residing – demonstrating that trust or ethics forever matter.

These are at least the results two US-American female researchers are getting to when repeating Roble´s Soft Skills Study of 2012. Last but not least: soft skills have become more important at all.

Fletcher/Thornton, “The Top 10 Soft Skills in Business Today Compared to 2012″, in: Business and Professsional Communication Quarterly”, 2023, vol. 86 (4), 411 – 426.

From the practice:

I am curious: will social competencies finally be judged equally with classical expertise when people run for executive jobs in hearings? Will the methodology used in these types of finding and selection processes be adapted to better identify how many promising candidates deal with others nicely – with or without hierarchy, in seemingly easy, but then also in complex phases, being aware of home offices and online-Meetings? If yes, Covid-19 actually would have brought a priceless added value into recruiting. I am thinking here particularly about cognitive professionals, scientist, consultants, legal experts – just to name a few. Whether we like it or not: classical expertise does not pay off in case of executives who fail in cooperation.