If hard skills are those that concern a person's technical ability and aptitude to perform specific tasks, soft skills relate to an individual's personality rather than any formal training. Hence soft skills, being part of a person's Emotional Quotient (EQ), are deemed harder to acquire and change as opposed to hard skills that can be learned over time. In this age of people management, an entire industry that deals with a whole range of 'soft' skills has sprouted in the recent times.
The soft skills requirements differ according to the nature of work and there are different debates as to what it constitutes. As a general rule of thumb, the themes run along the lines of communication, sociability (interpersonal skills), empathy, collaboration and teamwork, leadership and – in this globalized world – cross cultural understanding. Whilst not being a problem unique to Nepal alone, soft skills or the lack of it does plague both the official establishment and our corporate corridors of power.
Our schools – in the mad rush for percentages – either ignore or are indifferent to the significance of these skills. Having taught at both intermediate and undergraduate level, I'm acutely aware of this. It's only now that colleges and corporate houses are waking up to this challenge and incorporating training sessions as a part of their academic or working regimes.
There are a lot of cultural aspects at play too. I don't want to generalize, but all cultures have distinct characteristics ingrained in them. For example, the Brits love a good orderly queue. We have a few characteristics embedded in our culture that we might consider being conscious of and perhaps addressing in order to bolster our chances of success. As a society we exhibit a few objectionable traits like casual racism, an unhealthy subservience to authority, crippling and unreasonable shyness, obtrusive questioning habits, and in some bad cases a distinct lack of tact when dealing with people from different cultures.
There are those who think soft skills are overrated. While soft skills training might not be the detergent to wash away these afflictions, at the very least it can serve to make us conscious of them. These thoughts are echoed by Nirakar Pokhrel, Managing Director of Wintech Nepal, a startup that specializes in imparting soft skills training to students and corporates alike. With their focus on cross cultural skills, leadership, and communication, they count some of the most well-known colleges and business houses as their clients. "A lot of people were unaware of the importance of soft skills," he told me over coffee. He goes on to add that academic marks while crucial are gradually diminishing in importance today. It's more about a candidate's communication, problem solving skills, and leadership ability. In his opinion, a lack of soft skills can often mean the difference between landing a job and unemployment. The increased demand for his services is testament to this fact. As of now, he has no plans of slowing down and he envisages a future where soft skills' training becomes the norm rather than an exception.
So, how important are these soft skills in the context of landing a job or furthering your career prospects? I posed this question to Kritika Bista, an HR professional who has more than a decade's experience in retail, banking, and development sectors in both the UK and Nepal. In her opinion while traditional 'hard' skills are always the first line of emphasis in the recruitment process organizations do give importance to soft skills. This is all the more pertinent if potential candidates are equally matched in terms of education and experience. Even traditionally 'unsocial' jobs like IT now demand a certain level of affability and soft skills. When it comes to career progression, in most cases, soft skills can make a big difference. Over time problem solving skills, collaboration, time management, and leadership are what make you stand out from the other rats in the race, thus boosting your chances of getting ahead in the rat race.
But don't go dropping out of college on the basis of that just yet. You still need to be competent and capable at your job. Soft skills won't mask your incompetence and the gift of the gab will only take you so far. Well, unless you decide to become a politician!
gunjan.u@gmail.com
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