Is there a term as annoyingly vague as “soft skills”? For many young people who either come to the skills hub or use outreach services, soft skills is often a frustrating term to hear during a job interview or assessment, as the term is at best ill-defined and at worst contradictory.
Unfortunately, according to a study in the journal Autism, soft skills are also very important to know in order to get a job and stick with it.
Unlike concrete skills, which are ones you often learn in class or in training, soft skills are skills that you often have in your everyday life when talking to family and friends that are also used when working with other people.
They are skills such as communication or how you talk to or write to other people you may not know such as customers, other employees and people in the office, leadership skills such as how to manage your time, solve problems or make decisions, how to be flexible and be positive about your job.
The good news is that despite them often being vague, you can learn a lot of soft skills the way you learn concrete skills. Think about which skills would help you best fit into the workplace, and then set one challenge that will help you improve and feel comfortable.
It could be talking to one new person a day, eating lunch with a group of people if you like to eat
alone, or reading books to get a better understanding of different ways to communicate with other people.
Not every challenge needs to be boring, but it will be something that will take you out of your comfort zone. It is okay if it does not happen immediately.
It can take time, and it is not always easy, but people are always there to help whenever you need it.
To find out more about how we support adults with additional needs here at Oak Lodge, get in touch today.
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