Career Coach: A Hard Look at Soft Skills

What we call "work" has as much to do with the way we treat our coworkers as our actual job responsibilities. Your professional relationships determine which assignments you get, how your performance is evaluated, and whether or not you secure that upcoming promotion. To be a star at work requires both technical skills and people skills, and unfortunately, many tend to overestimate the importance of the former. Your “hard” skills might get you in the door, but your “soft” skills will determine how long you stay—how high you rise while there. Keep the following in mind to play well with others at work.

Show them some love. Psychologist and philosopher William James once said, "The deepest craving of human nature is the need to be appreciated." You may or may not agree with James, but don’t underestimate the power of a sincere compliment or display of gratitude for a job well done.

Cut them some slack. One coworker never shuts up. Another refuses to acknowledge your presence. You can’t change a person, but you can try to find at least one good quality and focus on that. Keep in mind that you never know what a person is dealing with (either on or off the clock) that might shed some light on their behavior.

Give them a helping hand. You’re good at what you do—now do good with what you know. Support and mentor those around you, especially those with less experience. If a coworker is falling behind, help him or her catch up. If you don’t lend a helping hand, he or she might never get one (not to mention that you can never have too much good will).

Even if you are darned good at what you do, you'd be wise not to take your “soft” skills for granted. You don’t work in isolation, so take a good hard look at the way you interact with others during the workday. After all, you have to play well in order to work well!

—Alan Allard, Career Coach