Candid tip #4: Addressing and bridging the soft skill gap

Why are soft skills important in today's world?

Mar 03, 2023

Hey there!

Before we get started with the newsletter, here’s a quick message -

After being dormant for almost 3 years, we have decided to revive the Candid Career Tips newsletter and are super excited to share what we have in store!

What should you be expecting?

Starting today, we will be delivering bite-sized career tips directly to your inbox. These tips will revolve around some upskilling hacks, trends, reports, and more that you will need to gain that extra edge and build a more fulfilling career.

Now on to the newsletter!

Addressing and bridging the soft skill gap

“Soft skills can’t be taught. It’s something people are born with”.

This is a common misconception that is running in today’s market. However, the reality is - these are skills that need to be taught in the right environment, just like hard technical skills.

A recent LinkedIn-led survey concluded that 92% of recruiters and hiring managers said soft skills matter more than hard skills.

But why are these skills important?

While your hard skills are important at the beginning of your career, it’s the soft skills that take you beyond.

Your ability to work with teams, how well you communicate your thoughts, and your time & work management abilities - these are the skills that will help you unlock the more non-tech abilities like leadership, management, and more that are needed to unlock the next phase of your career.

How do you bridge this skill gap?

As a techie, it can be difficult to prioritize working on soft skills but small investments in these skills can lead to huge returns in your career.

You can start off by -

Joining extra-curricular clubs
Find a class for one of your hobbies. Learning something interesting outside work will help you build both your communication and your creativity in the long run.
Reflect on your actions
Record your calls or interviews to play it back later and understand what you’re doing right and where you can improve. This will help you narrow down and work on your lacking areas.
Reading. And more reading.
One taken-for-granted activity that will help a lot is “reading”. This not only improves your vocabulary but also enables critical thinking and analysis.
Challenge yourself
Pick up side projects or courses that will help you challenge yourself and unlock new abilities that will help hone your skills.