The development of soft skills: a growing need
Posted: Mon Jan 27, 2025 10:34 am
To put it simply, soft skills are all those abilities that have to do with emotional intelligence, the ability to work in a team, leadership, conflict resolution... In other words, they have to do with the employee's attitudes and aptitudes to face their work. They are also called soft skills .
In contrast, hard skills are the technical abilities or knowledge that an employee has to carry out his or her activity. For example: knowledge of graphic design or the use of specific tools.
Why is the development of soft skills important in today's context? The answer is simple: they do not "expire." Knowing how to use Photoshop will be useful until the next editing tool comes along, or creating vietnam phone number data spreadsheets in Excel will be unnecessary when Artificial Intelligence does it for us. On the other hand, all these "soft skills" are what make us unique as professionals and will continue to be useful in any work context we find ourselves in, now or in ten years.
teamworkAs mentioned in our report on tourism trends , 85% of success at work comes from developing soft skills according to studies from universities such as Harvard and Stanford. In fact, degrees are becoming less and less important. Big technology companies such as Apple and Google, but also IBM or Ernst & Young, hire people without a university degree, prioritising soft skills.
Success at work is obviously the result of a balanced combination of soft and hard skills; however, it is also true that when it comes to developing one or the other, we tend to pay attention to the latter. We often forget how important it is to know how to speak in public, develop leadership skills or train our ability to work in a team.
All these aspects, linked to soft skills, are what will allow us to overcome all the obstacles that our present or future professional careers may present us with. In any sector, at any time and under any conditions, your soft skills will help you become a unique and competitive profile . Moreover, these skills cannot be replaced by machines.
Of all your abilities, there is one that should be developed in particular and is also key to overcoming current and future challenges: the ability to learn . It is not about constantly acquiring new knowledge for the sake of it, but about developing a growth mindset and the will to continue learning over the years. This will make the difference between a flat professional career or a continuously upward trajectory.
In contrast, hard skills are the technical abilities or knowledge that an employee has to carry out his or her activity. For example: knowledge of graphic design or the use of specific tools.
Why is the development of soft skills important in today's context? The answer is simple: they do not "expire." Knowing how to use Photoshop will be useful until the next editing tool comes along, or creating vietnam phone number data spreadsheets in Excel will be unnecessary when Artificial Intelligence does it for us. On the other hand, all these "soft skills" are what make us unique as professionals and will continue to be useful in any work context we find ourselves in, now or in ten years.
teamworkAs mentioned in our report on tourism trends , 85% of success at work comes from developing soft skills according to studies from universities such as Harvard and Stanford. In fact, degrees are becoming less and less important. Big technology companies such as Apple and Google, but also IBM or Ernst & Young, hire people without a university degree, prioritising soft skills.
Success at work is obviously the result of a balanced combination of soft and hard skills; however, it is also true that when it comes to developing one or the other, we tend to pay attention to the latter. We often forget how important it is to know how to speak in public, develop leadership skills or train our ability to work in a team.
All these aspects, linked to soft skills, are what will allow us to overcome all the obstacles that our present or future professional careers may present us with. In any sector, at any time and under any conditions, your soft skills will help you become a unique and competitive profile . Moreover, these skills cannot be replaced by machines.
Of all your abilities, there is one that should be developed in particular and is also key to overcoming current and future challenges: the ability to learn . It is not about constantly acquiring new knowledge for the sake of it, but about developing a growth mindset and the will to continue learning over the years. This will make the difference between a flat professional career or a continuously upward trajectory.