Soft Skills that will Safeguard Your Career From Robots - EmployeeConnect HRIS
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soft skills

Soft Skills that will Safeguard Your Career From Robots

Consider a situation where a robot can easily do your job. The very thought of it is kind of unsettling, isn’t it? But it is slowly taking the shape of a real possibility shortly. According to Australia’s Future Workforce report, by the year 2030, around five million jobs are likely to be automated! Sounds alarming, isn’t it? But wait, it’s not all that bad! The good news is that there are still some human qualities that robots just can’t embrace and compete with. These skills are known as soft skills, and if you tend to develop and nurture them, it will not only help to catapult your career, but it will also safeguard it in this race and craze towards automation.

Soft skills usually entail skills such as communication, problem-solving, negotiation, decision making etc. The term itself may seem to be a little misleading, as it gives out the impression that these skills are easier and relatively less significant than technical skills. However, the reality is that it is these skills that can bring out the difference between an average career and a top-notch career.

Let’s revisit and take a close look at these essential soft skills which can help in safeguarding your career in this world headed towards automation.

Communication
This is one of the first and the most significant out of all the soft skills. The reason behind this is that when you possess strong communication skills, not only is your message conveyed in a loud and clear manner, but it also increases your ability to negotiate well when called for. Many a time we misread the meaning of communication to consider it only regarding being an articulate speaker or a gifted writer. However, you must understand that communication also entails good listening skills and being able to tune into non-verbal cues. If you do not have strong communication skills, you won’t be able to negotiate well and end up agreeing to things which you do not wish to and thereby achieve less than optimal outcomes as well.
Tip: To improve your communication skills, you need to think carefully as to what styles of communication triggers a reaction within you. For instance, if you get feedback from your peer or your mentor on your style of communication, it can help in identifying your areas of improvement that you need to focus upon. A general rule of thumb to follow is to relax, take a deep breath, and then communicate your thoughts.

Empathy
The soft skill empathy is your ability to put yourselves in the shoes of others. When you use empathy effectively, it helps in reducing conflict, encourages collaboration, and also helps in building better leaders. When you are empathetic towards others, you can understand the perspectives of people in and around you well.
Tip: When you take efforts to finesse this soft skill via experience, your sense of empathy automatically improves, and you can pay attention to the body language of your colleagues. You are also able to resist your urge to interrupt people while they are talking and you become more open towards exploring your beliefs that you usually don’t agree with.

Problem-solving
If you possess a creative mind and you can utilise it to seek solutions to problems, you will always be high in demand. Nowadays, working environments have become more complex. So, the ability to solve problems and being able to work through them using an apt approach is indeed critical. To top it, if you can solve issues innovatively, it is like an icing on the cake.
Tip
If you invest your time in training in decision-making techniques and critical reasoning, you can certainly cultivate the skill of creative problem-solving. On an everyday basis, explore your interests and seek out new ideas even if it requires you to be out of your comfort zone.

Flexibility
When you possess this soft skill, it helps you to adapt to change quite well. It makes you open to changes, accept them wholeheartedly, and embrace innovation. All these qualities together make you incredibly flexible and a great asset for any company.
Tip: You should develop a ‘growth mindset’, which helps you to view failure as a learning opportunity. Practice meditation and mindfulness so that you are less reactive and you are able to remain in the present and be more focused.

Alexi Gavrielatos
alexi@employeeconnect.com

Business Development at EmployeeConnect