In this era, we rely on technology and digitalisation more than ever. Further, with the Covid-19 pandemic, we have witnessed monumental changes in the world of work. We see booming artificial intelligence, machines replacing human jobs, and digital innovations transforming businesses and the overall economy.
Without a doubt, the future of work would involve companies prioritising digital technologies and incorporating these into their working systems. We would also see an increase in the use of automation. Customers now are more inclined towards making contactless or online purchases, and at the same time, companies chose to automate their services.
Selena Ling, Chief Economist of OCBC Bank, says that “Pre-Covid, there could have been a little bit of hesitancy in adopting some of these e-commerce strategies. They will say, no, it takes up too much time. It requires a lot of resources, a lot of investments,” However, she states how the pandemic has driven businesses to rethink their strategies and shift towards online operations.
Can humans handle these changes? Yes, but only those of strong characters—only those who have developed key soft skills.
In this industrial and digital age, soft skills are your employability edge. Soft skills are personal characteristics and habits that show how you approach your work. They are non-technical skills in contrast to hard skills that are often gained through education such as statistical analysis, data management, and app development.
Some examples of soft skills are the following:
Adaptability
Communication
Creativity
Critical thinking
Decision-making
Problem-solving
Leadership
In a series of soft skills training for Indonesian youth and job seekers conducted by the International Labour Organisation, together with the Indonesia Business Links from March to May 2021, Human Resources Adviser and Professional Coach Rudy Afandi emphasised the changes in the workplace brought on by automation and digitalisation. Nonetheless, he shares that people who possess strong character traits will be able to adapt to the changes and take on job opportunities.1
Afandi said that “Millions of jobs are disappearing, but abundant new jobs are created. Five years ago, a drone operator job is nowhere to be found. It means that only people who have a strong willingness to learn and the ability to adapt can see the opportunities and enter the competition.”
As found in an article2 by Fingerprint for Success (F4S), a professional and personal development platform that aims to empower individuals and teams to work together, despite the fact that soft skills are not as quantifiable as hard skills, LinkedIn’s 2019 Global Talent Trends Report found that 92% of talent acquisition experts believe that soft skills are “equally or more essential” to hire for than hard skills. When new employees don’t come through, 89% of those same talent experts say it is usually a soft skills issue rather than a hard skills one.
“And what types of skills can automation do the easiest? Hard skills. In fact, the biggest problem with automated approaches right now is that they can’t even come close to mimicking soft skills,” F4S shared.
Further, as stated by Oxbridge Academy3, without soft skills to support their task-related knowledge, hard skills are meaningless, and soft skills, on the other hand, are harder to acquire and hence more valued.
Soft skills are your edge in a post-pandemic world. Brush up on your soft skills by having a learning mindset, exercising self-reflection, stepping outside of your comfort zone, joining organisations, signing up for an online course, and more. Today is the best time to hone these skills, so get going!
“Hard skills get you in, soft skills get you far.” - Sahil Lavingia, founder and CEO of Gumroad.
Want to personally brand yourself as someone who has strong soft skills? Talk to us at hello@outwiths.com and see how we can help!
References:
https://www.ilo.org/jakarta/info/public/pr/WCMS_783221/lang--ja/index.htm
https://www.fingerprintforsuccess.com/blog/hard-skills-vs-soft-skills#toc-section-6
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/top-soft-skills-2021-jenifer-lambert/?trk=public_profile_article_view
Created on: 29 September 2021
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