The youth population all over the globe is finding it difficult to enter and find success in the workforce. Unemployment of youth at a global stage stands at an unbelievable 75 million and the figure is still increasing. In the last 20 years with the modernization of the workforce, the inclusion of various soft skills such as behaviors, competencies, attitudes, managing abilities along with other personal qualities that allow an individual to understand and analyze the work environment has developed to a great extent. These skills are considered an absolute necessity these days as they help in performance and achieving the goals of the employee as well as the organization at large. There is much evidence involving the importance of soft skills in the workforce. Youth development programs, business schools, and funders are confident that these soft skills will definitely help the youth in India to secure the desired position.
Some of the most important soft skills are-
Social skills: It refers to a number of skills that are required to maintain the relationship with other colleagues, respecting others’ decisions, resolving issues and most crucially, behaving as per the social norms.
Higher-order thinking skills: It enables young individuals to solve different kinds of workforce issues independently with the aid of prior knowledge, resources, and experience. It is critical for all other soft skills in all parts of the world.
Communication skills: Understanding, interpretation, transmission, expression, and sharing of information and ideas are all very important for the expected communication outcomes. They are the most coveted skills among employers and stakeholders strongly endorse them. In our country, non-verbal skills like body language and cues were marked important by employers.
Self-control: This refers to an individual’s ability to control impulses, show gratification and behave in a regulated manner. Employers have always been searching for self-disciplined employees who are able to manage their emotions while at work. Self-control is one of the most significant behaviors as it has a direct impact on the success of the business.
Positive self-concept: When it comes to income outcome for young people and job performance, positive self-concept is of critical importance. Self-confidence, awareness for one’s self, self-efficacy and self-esteem are all very important for securing a job in all countries around the globe.
Besides all these, work ethics is also important. It refers to an individual’s work flexibility, punctuality, and management of time, working under pressure and a lot more.
Why are all these things important?
Imagine you have a wonderful idea for the next meeting on board but you have no clue about how you should present it. In a team project, you are given two conflicting ideas and you can’t decide which one to pick. All the technical skills would be proved useless when you are not equipped with the right soft skills. Soft skills help in communicating with co-workers or taking feedback from the boss. Critical thinking, on the other hand, helps in narrowing down a wide scenario to a conclusion. Leadership skills and team management ensure that the whole team can work together and motivate one another to do better.
