top 12 soft skills employers seek

here's a pretty good article that i found on thebalance.com. Very helpful tips...

Depending on the organization or business, employers are seeking key skills and experience for each job. But even though these skills are extremely important, there are certain “soft skills” that employers also look for when hiring people for their organization. Research has shown that a person’s “soft skills” can be just as good of an indicator of a person’s job performance as the hard skills that they possess.

What Are Soft Skills?

Soft skills relate to a set of skills that individuals possess, which makes them good employees no matter where they work or what they do. When we think of soft skills, we are thinking of personal qualities, attitudes, verbal and nonverbal behavior, and personal habits that make an individual pleasant to work with, and a valuable member of any team. Individuals with impeccable manners and an ability to be understanding, fair and compassionate are the type of people most of us would like to work with. It is also someone who possesses a strong work ethic and will do what it takes to get the work done, that organizations like to hire and employees want to welcome as a new member of their team. We all know people who we like or love as friends or family; but when it comes to actually working with that person on a daily basis, our positive feelings may go out the window and we may find that it’s almost impossible to work alongside them in a job situation.

12 Soft Skills Employers Look for When Hiring for Jobs:

1. Positive Attitude

A positive attitude can do wonders in turning a department or company around. Having employees who possess a positive attitude can also be contagious; and for employers, it’s important for them to seek that kind of energy since it only takes a few negative people to bring down a department or even the organization as a whole.

2. Strong Work Ethic

Hiring people that possess a strong work ethic is key to the success of any employer. First off, a strong work ethic cannot be taught. When individuals begin working in a new organization they either have it or they don’t. There are many contributing factors that go into making a strong work ethic like how a person grows up to the value they place on doing an excellent job. These innate attributes are totally out of the control of an employer no matter what type of training they provide or the type of supervision an employee gets.

3. Excellent Communication and Interpersonal Skills

The ability to be a good communicator cannot be overrated. To succeed in the workforce, employees need to know how to communicate as well as listen in order to work effectively with supervisors, co-workers and clients.

4. Problem-Solving Skills

Since problems are inevitable, employees who are able to find solutions to daily challenges that arise are most valuable to an organization. Employees who are unable to find a solution to a specific problem but are willing to seek out the advice of others, also makes for a competent and trusted employee.

5. Time Management Skills

As a results-oriented employee, good time management skills are key to getting assignments accomplished and finishing them on time.

6. Flexibility
The way company's do business in today’s competitive marketplace, is changing all the time. It is the ability to remain adaptable that helps an organization move forward and stay with the current times.

7. Work Well in a Team Environment

In the past employees would oftentimes seek jobs that aligned with their desire to either work independently or work in a team environment. In today’s workforce, much of the work is often done on teams; but there is also a need for employees to work independently in order to get the daily work accomplished.

8. Computer/Technological Skills

Almost all jobs today require basic computer skills and technological knowledge. Whether it be for record-keeping, spreadsheets, detailed notes, or presentations, employers will want to know a candidate’s level of computer and technological knowledge to establish if they can do the basics of any job.

9. Project Management Skills

Individuals going about the daily routine of their job will need to know how to prioritize and plan each activity to be able to get the best job done in the least amount of time.

10. Self-Confidence

Self-confident employees are able to detach themselves personally from any challenges that they experience on the job. Self-confidence gives employees a sense of strength as they pursue their personal goals as well as those of an organization.

11. Ability to Accept Constructive Criticism

There is always room for everyone to grow and learn and the employee that is able to take constructive criticism and use it to improve their performance will be seen as a valuable team member to any organization.

12. Strong Research Skills

With strong computer and technological skills being one of the top 12 soft skills employers seek, employees who are able to do the basic research and have the ability to gather important information for projects, and identify how and what competitors are doing to make themselves successful, is a sought after skill that many organizations want.