Caroline Sanders

Ideally, employers are looking for someone with the whole package from a specific degree, local work experience, and of course the right personality skills.

Your degree will have provided you with specific subject knowledge, your work history will provide evidence of applied skills that you can do the job. However, have you also thought about your soft skills? These are the non-technical qualities you possess that might affect your selection at the interview, your longevity with a company, and of course promotion opportunities.

Without soft skills, you are doing yourself a disservice when it comes to the recruitment process and your career progression. Even if you are the most talented person in your industry, a business may suffer if you lack certain soft skills to go along with your technical expertise so they will hesitate to have you join their team.

Here are some important skills:

• Good Interpersonal skills and Teamwork – can you put your ideas across clearly, do you listen to others? Can you build rapport, persuade, and negotiate with not only team members but external clients?
  • Have you presented, held meetings, met with clients influenced decision-making, and taken instruction and direction to achieve a common goal?
• Leadership, management – Even if you are not applying for a management role, you still need to demonstrate that you have the potential to mentor and lead others to achieve common goals.
  Have you helped others, planned, and coordinated tasks?
• Reliability and self -discipline – Everyone in life wants a reliable person to be around and, in the workplace, someone consistent who you know will be there and present and to get the job done. Someone who has self-discipline has the inner strength to work toward outcomes and you can trust.
  • Are you disciplined, is your attendance at work good? Are you organised and do the tasks you plan to do?
• Resilience and adaptability - Life has setbacks and how you handle stressful situations, changes in projects, and time pressure. Companies need and want to stay competitive, so it's essential to show employers that you're able to adapt to new situations and learn new skills in the workplace
  • Have you learned new skills or processes have you adapted to change in the workplace or handled a new challenging situation at work?
• Organisational and research skills - To accomplish certain work tasks, you may need to come up with a suitable strategy and organised plan of action. This could involve seeking out relevant information from various sources.
  • Have you organised, researched, and planned a project where available information and time were limited?

In conclusion, while the importance of technical skills and soft skills cannot be overstated individually, it is the balance between the two that fuels career success. Striking the right equilibrium is crucial, as it allows you to present a well-rounded and holistic profile to potential employers.

Stand out from the competition enhance your employability and longevity and drive your career forward.

We are here to help at Arcadia Recruitment for when you are ready to embark on your next career move. Remember that technical skills and soft skills are partners in your path to success. Embrace the power of balance, continuously develop both skill sets, and unlock a world of opportunities in the job market.

Arcadia Recruitment are specialist in Architecture, Design and Planning in Brisbane if you would like help with finding your new role, please feel free to get in touch for a confidential discussion.

Caroline Sanders – Director of Arcadia Recruitment