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The Most In-Demand Soft Skills in 2020… According to LinkedIn

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Word "skills" written in marker

Emily Chen

by Emily Chen

3rd-Year Student in Business Technology Management (Former Career Centre Ambassador)

Are you familiar with soft and hard skills? While hard skills concern an employee’s ability to complete specific tasks, soft skills concern the way in which the employee goes about to complete them. Even though all soft skills are useful and can be applied in various positions, some are much more in-demand than others. Below are top three most in-demand soft skills according to LinkedIn and ways you can improve them.

  1. Creativity

Creativity, or the ability to turn imaginative ideas into reality, is the most needed soft skill by employers of all industries. Creative employees bring new ideas and explore new techniques, helping their employers to optimize their current business processes. Want to strengthen your creativity muscle? Start to use it every day by asking yourself a simple question: “Is there anything in my daily work routine that I could do differently to reach better results”? Your answers could surprise you. Discuss them with your boss.

  1. Persuasion

The second most in-demand soft skill, persuasion, is the ability to influence others and convince them to follow a specific course of action. It is especially important for business professionals and can make a big difference in an employee’s performance. Feel like persuasion is not your strongest skill? The good news is that it improves with practice. There are a vast number of excellent resources online that can help you. Make a point of applying a new persuasion technique every week, and notice what works for you best.

  1. Collaboration

It is no surprise that collaboration skills have made the top three of the list. How well employees can work in a team is one of the biggest factors contributing to a business’s success. Collaboration skills are improved through team projects and activities; this is the reason why you have to complete so many group cases in most of your business classes. As you go through your group projects, be mindful of how you communicate with your peers, offer them support, follow up with them, suggest solutions and accept theirs, etc.

Not sure how to highlight these soft skills on your resumé? Log in on Career Launch and book an appointment with a Career Centre advisor for a resumé critique. You will receive key advice on how to build these skills and show employers that you possess them.