Enhancing your soft skills
Gain an edge when changing careers with these often overlooked transferable skills.
What are soft skills?
Soft skills typically refer to interpersonal qualities and abilities that can be applied in most workplaces. They generally relate to:
- adaptability and resilience
- teamwork and collaboration
- creativity and innovation
- critical thinking and problem solving
- communication and interpersonal skills.
Soft skills can make a positive difference throughout your career as well as being transferable across most roles and industries.
While they can be difficult to demonstrate on your resume, many employers and recruiters may look to find out your understanding of soft skills in discussions or an interview.
How to improve your soft skills
Soft skills are not fixed. You can:
- improve these skills with practice and training
- learn new skills
- adapt these skills as your life experience changes.
Deciding to change careers can be a good time to reassess your skills to see if:
- your existing skills have changed
- there are any skills you want to focus on and improve.
Learn more about soft skills and why they are important in this article from TAFE NSW.