Soft skills are more likely to be the kind you pick up through life experience, like how you:
communicate and work with others
make decisions
organise yourself and work
adapt to difficult situations
When you apply for a job you will need to show that you have the soft skills needed.
You can use communication skills in lots of different jobs.
You use communication skills when:
writing emails
dealing with customers
reading instructions
helping and caring for people
You can develop your communication skills by meeting new people and working with them.
You could:
join a sports team or creative arts club
volunteer somewhere you will talk to the public
practice making phone or video calls
take an online course, on how to give work presentations
Leadership skills are not just for managers. Having leadership skills shows an employer that you can manage yourself and your workload.
You might have experience using leadership skills like:
time management
conflict management
problem-solving
mentoring
To develop your leadership skills you could:
organise your schedule by creating a timetable
resolve the conflict between friends or colleagues
motivate others: you could do this by organising activities, fun or educational like a quiz
teach skills to others: you could create instruction manuals or videos to share with family and friends
A good attitude is something a lot of employers look for. Employers look for people who see solutions, not problems.
You use positivity skills when you:
stay calm in stressful situations
look for answers to problems
have a can-do attitude
To develop your positivity skills you could:
do a free course around personal growth and wellbeing
solve problems when things go wrong
network, whether for work or education, shows a good attitude to learning and growing
be part of a team, like sports or creative arts to show you’re a team player
Being flexible shows that you're adaptable to different situations. It shows you can handle change and adapt at short notice.
You can be flexible by:
covering someone else's duties at work
working outside of your regular hours
changing what you're working on to fit with priorities
To develop your flexibility skills you could:
rearrange your day because of a change in priorities
do more than one task at a time
do something outside of your comfort zone
do a challenge that stretches you
change your plans to help someone at short notice
Employers look for problem-solving skills because it shows you can find problems and fix them.
You might use problem-solving skills when:
dealing with a customer's problem
doing research to understand a situation
asking questions to help you understand the bigger picture
To develop your problem-solving skills you could:
play logic puzzles and games
keep a journal – Look at your mindset and how you look at solving problems
get involved in projects with others where you solve problems together
try brainstorming and developing plans for problems you have
If there are soft skills that you want to work on further, you could do some volunteering or work experience.
You could also do some free online learning to help you gain more soft skills. This will give you examples you can use on your CV or in job interviews when you apply for jobs.
https://nationalcareers.service.gov.uk/careers-advice/how-to-develop-your-soft-skills
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/