Soft skills key for a successful career
Despite today’s AI-enabled, information-rich tools, the human factor has never been more important in the workplace, according to Jane Kennelly of Frog Recruitment.
“The soft skills needed to succeed in business, regardless of industry, are constantly evolving, which means that the skills required to secure a fantastic job in 2015 are not the same skills needed to succeed in 2020.”
That change affects employers too. They need to be nimble thinkers and better communicators as they adapt to new technology and manage more remote workers.
“We are filling jobs that didn’t exist a decade ago; job titles like innovation manager, data insight analyst and customer experience manager are in demand, while existing roles, like an executive assistant’s, have evolved significantly over the past decade to embody new and essential skills to support their teams and the technology they use,” says Kennelly.
“By widening your repertoire of skills you are safeguarding your future career.”
That change also involves academic qualifications, which she believes are becoming less important to today’s employers.
“Large global organisations such as Google, EY, Costco, Whole Foods, Hilton, Apple, Starbucks and IBM no longer require a degree for their roles. Our world is changing at a rapid speed with new digital technologies emerging constantly. Employers today are aware qualifications
obtained in 2015 may not necessarily be relevant for a position they may be in today.”
A recent report from the World Economic Forum found that the most in-demand occupations or specialties did not even exist 10 or even five years ago.
“Today, there’s a move for employers and career seekers to tune into their soft skills. These skills have never been a focus for university learners, despite recent research highlighting why soft skills are considered a key ingredient for a successful career. Supported by the fact that hard skills are easier and faster to learn than soft skills, we can see why businesses are leaning towards hiring 80 per cent on culture fit and 20 per cent on skills.”
Similarly, she believes mature workers need to stretch their comfort zone and keep learning but their experience and life skills do set them apart from their younger colleagues.
“Given the mature workforce is — and will be — significant in the employment mix of our businesses, this resourceful bunch, who have navigated many changes over their working lives, need to ensure they have the tools required to keep up with the play, because keeping skills
Large global organisations such as Google, EY, Costco, Whole Foods, Hilton, Apple, Starbucks and IBM no longer require a degree for their roles. Jane Kennelly, Frog Recruitment
relevant will pay dividends.
“Already adept at seeing the big picture and armed with their ‘older and wiser’ approach, the resilience mature workers possess has reached the ears of employers, who realise that retaining older workers is a savvy plan to have in place.”