Key qualifications - increase your career chances with soft skills

In addition to professional competencies, HR managers also look at so-called soft skills. Soft skills refer to general abilities that increase the flexibility with which an applicant can be employed. Learning and improving these key competencies increases your career chances and makes you an interesting candidate on the job market. Professional know-how is important - but is itself not enough. Soft skills are not just nice bonuses; they are specifically required. We have compiled the most important factors.

One for all, and all for one – those who work and think along these lines are team players. With this key qualification you can increase your team's efficiency and develop strong solutions. Being a team player is one of the top soft skills required in just about every job.

Planning appointments and work processes in a way that makes the best use of your employees is something only a true organisational talent can do. But never fear: organising is one of the key qualifications you can easily improve. The most important element of organisation is being able to set priorities. Do the most essential things first; everything else comes after.

An ability to communicate includes sending clear messages to others and being able to understand and filter what others share. Thus, this key competency involves another: social competence. Empathy, role flexibility, respect and realistic self-assessment are important criteria for HR managers. Be an employee with heart and you will score big in the area of emotional intelligence.

Those who stand still miss their connection. Thus, it is important for your future employer to know that changing situations and requirements do not throw you off track. Be curious and ready to learn new things - this is the best way to build and expand one of the most important key qualifications.

In decisive situations this core competency determines whether your ideas are given a chance or if you instead draw the short straw. Every employer values employees who can assert themselves without being bossy Take a clear position in situations in which you bear responsibility and accept the final word from the relevant responsible person in other areas.

You may not need to be able to solve complicated maths problems in your head, but analytical thinking is nevertheless one of the most important soft skills. As a logical person, you should be able precisely comprehend circumstances and weigh scenarios. Recognising and correctly interpreting connections and making conclusions is an ability that HR managers require as a core competency.

All these soft skills are small parts of the key to success. Some of them are in your blood, while others must be learned. In the process it is important to maintain balance. Analysts without emotional intelligence, team players without assertiveness in certain situations-such setups do not make sense for employers. A healthy mix of the most important key competencies and particular focus on one or two points make you an optimal employee.