Welcome to session on

Soft Skills
By:Central Board for Workers Education Ministry of Labour & Employment, Govt. of India, Mysore

SOFT SKILLS: Connecting Classroom to Careers

What is soft skills?

Soft Skills - refer to the cluster of personality traits, social graces, facility with language, personal habits, friendliness, and optimism that mark people to varying degrees.
soft skills, which are defined as skills, abilities, and traits that pertain to personality, attitude, and behavior rather than to formal or technical knowledge - (Moss and Tilly 2001, p. 44).

What is Hard Skills?

Hard Skills the technical requirements of a job (assembly, labor, etc)

Differences are.
Soft Skills Are:
Skills, abilities and traits that pertain to personality, attitude, and behavior

Soft Skills Are Not:

Formal or technical knowledge

Moment of Truth: Student Survey

Student majors:

Business
Accounting, Finance, Advertising, Marketing, Management, CIS

Hotel and restaurant management Elementary education Forestry, geology Entrepreneur /own business Health professions
Dental, speech, medical, PT

Moment of Truth: Student Feedback

Students were asked to rate topics in terms of how helpful it will be in the future. Resumes and interviewing skills:

97%
(Somewhat to very helpful)

Moment of Truth: Student Feedback

Online persona management, identify theft and cyber stalking:

88%

Moment of Truth: Student Feedback

Written communication skills, email/cell/text message etiquette:

90%

Moment of Truth: Student Feedback

Team dynamics and generational differences:

89%

Moment of Truth: Student Feedback

Presentation skills:

94%

What Industry / Organisations says..

Technical skill ALONE does not make someone competitive in the job market In fact, computer literacy skills are assumed!

Todays our Human resource / workers demonstrate GAPS in:

Communication skills Team Work Interpersonal skills Problem solving,

Project/ Time management etc.,

What Recent Graduates Say

Provide balance between general knowledge and majorspecific skills (72%) Many end up in fields not closely related to major They AGREE with Employers!

Critical to success are:

Teamwork skills
Critical-thinking skills Oral & written communication skills Yet majority dont think college prepared them well (51%)

What Our Students Want

Meaningful employment Competitive advantage in todays economy Help with soft skills

Importance of soft skill

Soft skill are very important. To handle interpersonal relations To take appropriate decisions To communicate effectively
To have good impression and impact to gain professional development etc.,

Important Soft Skills are;

Strong work ethic Positive attitude Good communication skills Time management abilities Problem-solving skills Acting as a team player Interpersonal Relations & Selfconfidence Ability to accept and learn from criticism Flexibility/adaptability Working well under pressure etc.,

Common Soft skills

Strong work ethic -Are you motivated and dedicated to getting the job done, now matter what? Will you be conscientious and do your best work?
Positive attitude -Are you optimistic and upbeat? Will you generate good energy and good will

Common Soft skills

Good communication skills- Are you both verbally articulate and a good listener? Can you make your case and express needs in a way that builds bridges with colleagues, customers and vendors Time management abilities- Do you know how to prioritize tasks and work on a number of different projects at once? Will you use your time on the job wisely?

Common Soft skills

Problem-solving skills -are you resourceful and able to creatively solve problems that will inevitably arise? Will you take ownership of problems or leave them for someone else? Acting as a team player- Will you work well in groups and teams? Will you be cooperative and take a leadership role when appropriate?

Common Soft skills

Interpersonal Relation: Have tools & techniques to maintain good relation. Self-confidence- Do you truly believe you can do the job? Will you project a sense of calm and inspire confidence in others? Ability to accept and learn from criticismWill you be able to handle criticism? Are you coachable and open to learning and growing as a person and a professional?

Common Soft skills

Flexibility/Adaptability- Are you able to adapt to new situations and challenges? Will you embrace change and be open to new idea? Working well under pressure- Can you handle the stress that accompanies deadlines and crises? Will you be able to do your best work and come through in a pinch?

What do we really want? Business and Education Should Be on the Same Page..
"There

is only one valid definition of business purpose: to create a customer. - Peter Drucker
The

only practical goal of any organization is improvement. - Phillip Crosby

Technical

Skills will get you the interview, but its the soft skills that get you the job - Heard repeatedly in Industry Focus Groups

Think about this

You could have great technical skills, but if you cannot communicate those skills, what good are they? Arent Soft Skills more like

Life Skills?
Soft Skills compliment hard skills, which are the technical requirements of a job

Soft skill for successful career

Soft skills with special focus in present scenario is very important because. Soft skill is the ability required and expected from persons for finding a suitable job, its maintenance and promotion

The CLM and How to Avoid it

Career Limiting Moves: Fighting with others in meetings Off-Colour jokes Bad mouthing projects or people Unwillingness to listen to others Disrespect for authority Negative Attitude etc.,

How Can You Improve Your Soft Skills?

Look for opportunities to interact with others Volunteer
This will expose you to people with different backgrounds and experience

Teaching
Learn to adapt the way you explain things to people of different ability levels

Select different people to work with

With group projects, find a new group

Learn & Practice or join Courses

Conclusions
More and more businesses are considering soft skills as an important job criteria

An increase in all type of industries / Organisations , emphasizes the need for soft skills
Soft skills are used in personal and professional life

Thank you all And Have a excellent Soft Skills