Soft Skills & Personality Development (SSPD)

Dr. Rishiraj Sarkar

 Introduction of Soft Skills:

“If you are searching for that one person who will change your Life, Look in the Mirror.”
- Anonymous

 WHO defines soft skills as “The abilities for adaptive and positive behaviors that enable individuals to deal with the
demands and challenges of everyday life”.

 UNICEF calls soft skills as “Life Skills” and defines as “ A behavior change or behavior development approach designed to
address a balance of three areas: Knowledge, attitude and skills”.

 Broadly Skills can be categorized into:–

 Soft skills are qualities that are innate to your personality and aren't part of a formal education.

 In the Soft Skills, there are two kinds of skills – thinking skill (personal skill) and skills related to dealing with others called social
skills (interpersonal skills).

 Soft skills are also often referred to as “people skills” because they are strongly associated with a person’s emotional intelligence.

 The best part about learning or picking up new soft skills is that there is no age or location barrier, unlike hard skills which require
learning within a certain age limits.

 At any point of time in life one can learn the soft skills and at their own pace. All it needs is the intent to learn and courage.

 Even though mostly soft skills are associated with Employment scenario, none the less most of the same are required in a
Professional practice also – as the Professional practice is also a business and involves dealing with staff, students, businessmen and
entrepreneurs.

 Soft skills are sometimes referred to as transferable skills or interpersonal or meta skills. Soft skills are the difference between
adequate candidates and ideal candidates.
 Types of Soft Skills:
There are more than 200+ soft skills identified. However for convenience sake the same are grouped into eight major headings and
presented in the following order (in alphabetical order):

1) Communication

2) Independence

3) Leadership

4) Personality Development

5) Problem Solving

6) Team Work

7) Time Management

8) Work Ethics
Top ten Must-have Soft Skills for success in work environment:
 Hard skills vs. soft skills:

Hard skills (or technical skills) are specific to the type of work that you do, while soft skills (or workplace skills) are how
you do your work. For example, to work as a sales representative, you need to have good customer service skills (a hard skill) as well
as good communication skills (a soft skill).
Technical and workplace skills are complementary because you need a mix of both to perform almost any work.
Employers typically look for candidates with a mix of technical and workplace skills because technical skills indicate that you are
proficient in the practical aspects of your role. In contrast, workplace skills indicate that you can contribute to a positive and
productive work environment.
Technical skills Workplace skills
Computer programming languages (Python, Ruby, Creativity
etc.) and coding Empathy
Proficiency in a foreign language Teamwork
Database management Problem-solving
Sales or business analysis Critical thinking
Financial management Adaptability and flexibility
Medical proficiency Effective communication
Bookkeeping Reliability and dependability
Plumbing Open-mindedness
Writing and editing Punctuality
Reporting Time management
Teaching Strategic thinking
Cooking and baking Conflict resolution
Engineering Work ethic
 Significance of soft skill:

Soft skills, cannot be taught and are more difficult to develop. They are concerned with a person’s character,
relationships, and personality. Without soft skills, everyday business would be very difficult, since almost all aspects of work involve
people. Many jobs also involve collaboration and interaction with different types of people, and interpersonal skills are vital to make
this happen.
Even if one has a very technical job, such as an IT role, they will need to interact with colleagues or clients regularly,
often imparting complicated information or having to listen carefully to requirements. Having excellent technical capabilities on
one’s resume won't necessarily be enough to get you the job.

 FOR ONESELF:
1) The current industry is interpersonal, and the tomorrow will be defined by soft skills development.
2) They are complex and time consuming skills and therefore will highly be in demand.
3) Opportunities for professional development, elevation, and expansion.

 FOR BUSINESS:
1) Productivity increased.
2) Better management and teamwork.
3) Increased Employee engagement.
Thank You!