Write about Soft Skills used during Volunteer or Internship

Soft skills are most often characterized as the personal attributes that make up the interpersonal and intrapersonal aspects of an individual. Soft skills can include attitude, manners, social skills, the ability to communicate, listen, delegate, resolve conflicts, work as a team player, adapt to change, and work hard.

The term “soft skills” is not an indication on their importance; in fact, it can be argued that soft skills are more important to character and success you might achieve. Soft skills are compared to, and more specifically complement, a person’s “hard skills” which are the specific skills required for a job. For example, the soft skills necessary for a leader in an organization would be vision, social skills, emotional intelligence, empathy, work ethic, communication, and flexibility while the hard skills would be execution, organization, knowledge of computer programs, a second language, planning, coordinating and a thorough understanding of the organization’s policies and procedures.

In the previous section, many soft skills have already been discussed. You practice a variety of soft skills every day as a matter of fact. They occur so naturally you may not even notice them or have never spent time to realize strengths that you regularly exhibit. Identifying your soft skills will give you talking point in interviews and in promotion discussions, as well as give you new goals and areas to improve upon.

Critical Soft Skills

The following is a list of primary soft skills that just about every employer is looking for from their staff. It is no means inclusive as soft skills refer to an often intangible set of abilities that to some degree are engrained in everyone. While the primary soft skills are generally agreed upon as important in any job capacity, there are countless others that are deemed imperative as well (See Module 3: Personal and Career Evaluation). Depending on the job or function you are performing, these may be just as imperative as the ones listed below but not as universal. Review the following and determine which areas are personal strengths and which are areas in need of improvement.  

· Communication. Communication permeates just about every aspect of both personal and professional endeavors. It is associated with active listening, comprehension, and clear expression of thoughts and ideas. It includes oral, written, and non-verbal types. To improve your communication skills, focus on both what you are saying and how you are saying it, and always remember that receiving information is just as crucial as providing it so practice active listening instead of just thinking of what to say next.     

· A Good Work Ethic. Your work ethic is the sum of your attitude, actions, and guiding values. It is how company leadership knows that you are trustworthy and have the best interests of the organization at heart. A good work ethic is demonstrated through your decisive behavior, motivation, and dedication. You cannot fake a good work ethic but you can utilize your beliefs and attributes to create a work ethic that aligns with you personally and the company expectations.          

· Self-Confidence. Projecting yourself with an air of confidence can inspire confidence in others. By truly believing that you can complete a job with success, you most likely will. Self-confidence includes freely contributing your ideas, a “can do” attitude to new projects, and accountability for both your great work and your mistakes. 

· Flexibility/Resilience. Nothing goes perfectly all the time. There will be obstacles and issues to overcome and the ability to respond to negative situations with resiliency and flexibility should be an important process in your job cycle. Demonstrate your skill by having a short memory to move past problems and improve on procedures so they don’t happen again.    

· Patience. With the incredible speed that business moves, it is sometimes very beneficial to be able to slow down and be patient for results. It truly is a virtue that can allow you to replace haste with efficiency as preventing mistakes or following the correct course of action is better than making a move faster.  

· Organization. Less ethereal than some of the other soft skills perhaps, your ability to be organized and maintain structure is important. This refers to organizing your tasks and responsibilities as well as your priorities and time. Even your physical space can benefit from a deliberate effort for organization.   

· Ability to Work under Pressure.  Some people feel they actually work better up against a deadline, but the ability to work with added stress and/or demands isn’t something in which every individual excels. Maintaining a positive attitude while managing frustration and meeting the needs of these taxing situations demonstrates your ability to stay calm and focused. 

· Leadership. Leadership is different than management. Management is a position of power but leadership is a position of inspiration that nearly every job requires. The key to demonstrating the soft skill of leadership is by accomplishing it when no one requests it of you. Sharing your vision and your motivation for success through hard work and example are qualities of leadership.

· Teamwork. Teamwork consists of positions of leadership, collaboration, and contributions- often all at the same time. To function with individuals of different backgrounds, skill sets, approaches, and motivations demonstrates your dedication, ability to compromise for a greater result, and personality traits.  

· Problem-solving.  Like most soft skills, your ability to problem-solve is applicable to a number of situations. A good problem-solver is able to effectively fulfill the objective needed within the available time and resources. This can take a high level of creativity and a willingness to take chances and be accountable for the results.