In this part, you'll explore and develop your own soft skills. To get started, examine the abilities that you already have.
Identify the Three Main Categories of Soft Skills
Adaptability allows you to approach changes and developments calmly. This category includes the ability to organize, learn, and practice emotional intelligence.
Social skills let you interact and work fluidly with others. They include communication, collaboration, and service orientation.
Problem-solving allows you to face societal and work challenges. Critical thinking, creativity, and decision-making are the key soft skills.
Learn From Your Past
One of the best ways to develop your soft skills is to evaluate where you currently stand with them. It lets you recognize the ones that are already well-developed, and those you want to improve.
To become aware of your soft skills, consider a past situation; for example:
Looking for a job (or a work-study program, an internship).
Selecting a training course.
Switching to another profession.
Preparing for an interview.
Or another situation.
Do you have something in mind?
Let's say you've thought about preparing for a job interview.
What do you think you'll need to succeed?
Of course, there's not just one possible set of answers. (There are certain factors beyond your control that could determine if you get the position.) Perhaps you highlighted behavioral aspects among your answers. Is there a way to demonstrate these to the recruiter? Maybe you can improve them before the interview. Some can include the ability to communicate well. For example, how to explain that time you changed job. Another could be managing your emotions if a question confuses you, or showing that you're creative by distinguishing yourself from the other candidates who have the same hard skills.
You are aware of some soft skills you feel confident in, but do you know the ones you can improve?
Rate Your Skills
You may already have several soft skills at different stages of development.
Find out where you stand by rating yourself on the OpenClassrooms benchmark skills below using a scale of 0 to 10:
Grade 0 = you feel unable to use this skill.
Grade 10 = you feel very comfortable using this skill.
Identify Your Areas for Improvement
After completing the self-assessment, you should have identified the soft skills that could use some improvement.
Let's take it one step further. Think back to situations in which you thought you failed. Do you have them in mind?
Now answer the following question: if you had to relive these situations, what soft skills would you use to get a different result?
When you face work or personal challenges, write down the soft skills that helped you (if it was a success), and the ones that could have helped you (if it was a challenge). This way, you'll learn more quickly from your experiences. It's a good idea to keep a journal with you.
Gather the Opinions of Those Around You
To go one step further, ask those in your circle to help you think about other soft skills you might have missed. For instance, ask them if they think you manage your emotions, make decisions, or organize yourself well. Could some of those soft skills have been useful in the situations you wrote about? Listening to how others see you is an excellent way to build your abilities. Choose people you trust!
Let's Recap!
It's necessary to step back from the situations you're going through to develop your soft skills. To do this, you can:
Write down what soft skills you used and what ones you could have used more after each successful or challenging event.
Assess yourself on the following nine soft skills: creativity, critical thinking, decision-making, communication, collaboration, service orientation, lifelong learning, organization, and emotional intelligence. Go back and use the 0 to 10 ratings you did earlier in the chapter.
Consult those around you to get an outside perspective.
In the following chapters, you'll explore concrete techniques to develop your soft skills: adaptability, interpersonal skills, and complex problems-solving. Let's start with adaptability.
