Soft Skills: Setting Personal Goals

What are soft skills?

Soft skills are a combination of interpersonal people skills, social skills, and communication
skills. In the workplace and school environment, soft skills are considered a complement to hard
skills, which refer to a person's knowledge and technical expertise.

Your task:
From the list below, choose ​two soft skills​ that you would like to work on over the course of the
school year. Do NOT choose the same skills you have chosen previously.

​Common soft skills for college/career readiness:

● Self advocacy​ – Identify your needs and be able to explain them to others; ask for help when
you need it.
● Responsibility​ – You are held accountable for their actions in academic, personal and social
contexts.
● Self management​ – Self management includes all aspects of taking control of your life
including monitoring your own health, eating habits, self care, laundry, finances, etc.
● Communication​ – Listen and express yourself so you may communicate effectively with other
people both orally and in writing.
● Teamwork and collaboration​ – Work effectively with others to successfully complete
projects as part of a group.
● Critical thinking and problem solving​ – Think critically and analytically, both in the
classroom and in other aspects of her life, in order to make decisions, solve problems, etc.
● Study skills​ – Work independently, organize work, read carefully, prepare for tests, plan
ahead, use different strategies to practice and memorize, be comfortable writing in many forms.
● Comfort with technology​ – Be comfortable and proficient with online research, e-mail
communication, and various software programs like Google Slides, Sheets, etc.
● Tolerate ambiguity​ – Know that life isn’t always black and white; understand and work in a
“gray” area to be more comfortable and to understand subtleties better.
● Comfort with diversity​ – Be open to new people, different cultures, different lifestyles, and
different ways of thinking and behaving.
● Innovation and creative thinking​ – Be willing and able to “think outside the box” and apply
new approaches.
● Ability to work independently​ – Do large blocks of work on your own and keep track of your
work and responsibilities.
● Ability to follow directions​ – You need to be able to follow both simple and more complex
directions.
● Have personal goals​ – Have strong personal goals -- even if they change over time -- to help
yourself be engaged and stay on track.
 ● Be engaged​ – Participate actively in your own education, expect to work hard, and stay
involved.

What would you like to work on this year? Select two and write your thoughts below.

Skill #1​:
Why did you select this skill? Consider why it is important to you and why you think you need
to work on this skill.
I selected ​Comfort with technology​ because I have never been very good with computers.
Especially using the drives in the computer can be very difficult for me although my skills have
improved quite a bit because of Photography I feel like my skills can improve a lot. I think this is
an important skill for me to improve on because as I grow older I realise how technology is
becoming more of a normal thing in workplaces. I don't want to be behind on this and risk losing
an opportunity in life because of my lack in technology skills.

Name three ways you can work on developing this skill. Consider what you can do both inside
and outside of school.
I can ask for extra help which I already have been doing with Ms.Calson but there is still a lot to
learn I can also practice at home. Maybe even watch youtube videos if I have extra time

Skill #2​:
Why did you select this skill? Consider why it is important to you and why you think you need
to work on this skill.
I selected ​Study skills​ because I usually don’t ever study at home usually because it is really
hard for me to concentrate at home. I just had so many other things on my mind honestly
anything besides doing homework.

Name three ways you can work on developing this skill. Consider what you can do both inside
and outside of school.
At home I can start doing more work without having distractions. I can also have days planned
ahead where I wouldn't let myself do anything besides study and do homework. At school I can
stop doing my homework during study hall and saving it for home.

At the end of the year, you will reflect on your soft skills progress in your final presentation.