Soft skills

Soft skills, also known as power skills, common skills, essential skills, or core skills, are psychosocial skills generally applicable to all professions.[1][2][3][4] These include critical thinking, problem solving, public speaking, professional writing, teamwork, digital literacy, leadership, professional attitude, work ethic, career management and intercultural fluency. This is in contrast to hard skills, which are specific to individual professions.[5][6][7]

The word "skill" highlights the practical function. The term alone has a broad meaning, and describes a particular ability to complete tasks ranging from easier ones like learning how to kick a ball[6] to harder ones like learning to be creative.[6] In this specific instance, the word "skill" has to be interpreted as the ability to master hardly controlled actions.

  1. ^ "Why "power skills" is the new term for soft skills in the hybrid work world". 18 February 2022.
  2. ^ "NACE Defines Career Readiness, Identifies Key Competencies". National Association of Colleges and Employers. Retrieved 9 March 2021. The National Association of Colleges and Employers, through a task force of college career services and HR/staffing professionals, has developed a definition, based on extensive research among employers, and identified eight competencies associated with career readiness.
  3. ^ Tritelli, David (20 January 2015). "Employers Judge Recent Graduates Ill-Prepared for Today's Workplace, Endorse Broad and Project-Based Learning as Best Preparation for Career Opportunity and Long-Term Success". Association of American Colleges and Universities. Retrieved 9 March 2021.
  4. ^ "Core competencies — importance of a set of base transferable skills". National Skills Commission. Australian government. Retrieved 4 July 2021.
  5. ^ Workforce connections: Key soft skills that foster youth workforce success, Child Trends, June 2015
  6. ^ a b c Claxton, Guy; Costa, A.; Kallick, Bena. "Hard thinking about soft skills". Educational Leadership. 73: 60–64.
  7. ^ "The Core Leadership Skills You Need in Every Role". Center for Creative Leadership. 24 November 2020. Retrieved 30 May 2021.