Things like time management and organization aren’t typically taught in school, but they are increasingly important in order to be competitive at work.
学校通常不会教授像时间管理和组织能力这样的东西，但为了能够在工作中具有竞争力，这些技能已经变得越来越重要了。
 
While education, degrees, and certification are important for scoring an interview, a new study by the HR software provider iCIMS finds that recruiters place a higher value on soft skills. From an ability to communicate well to being organized, these intangible qualities can be tough to measure, but they affect everything from productivity to collaboration.
虽然教育、学位以及证书对面试中的评分很重要，但人力资源软件提供商iCIMS的一项新研究发现，招聘人员更注重应聘者的软技能。从良好的沟通能力到组织能力，虽然这些无形的品质可能很难被衡量，但它们影响着从生产力到协作的方方面面。
 
“Hard skills are what you do, and soft skills are how you do it,” says Susan Vitale, chief marketing officer for iCIMS. “Unfortunately, one in three recruiting professionals believe job candidates’ soft skills have gotten worse in the past five years.”
“硬技能是你做的事情，而软技能则是你做事的方式，”iCIMS首席营销官Susan Vitale说。“不幸的是，三分之一的招聘专业人士认为，在过去的五年中，求职者的软技能已经变得更糟了。”
 
The good news for both candidates and employers is everyone possesses some soft skills, says Jodi Chavez, president of the staffing firm Randstad Professionals. “The challenge is determining which are strongest, and which are most in-demand for certain roles,” she says. “Companies can train employees in technical skills. Soft skills, on the other hand, are far harder to teach, which is why, in a low unemployment market, companies should be looking to hire for soft skills and train for technical skills.”
人力资源公司Randstad Professionals总裁Jodi Chavez说，对于应聘者和雇主而言，一个好消息就是每个人都拥有一些软技能。她说：“真正的挑战在于确定哪些技能是最强的，以及某些特定职位又最需要哪些技能。”“公司可以培训员工的技术技能。但是在另一方面，软技能很难被教会，这就是为什么在低失业率市场中，公司更应该聘用拥有软技能的员工，然后再培训他们的技术技能。”
 
If you’re looking for a new job, these are the top-five soft skills recruiters are looking for:
如果你正在寻找新的工作，以下就是最受招聘人员欢迎的五种软技能：

1. PROBLEM SOLVING
1. 解决问题的能力
 
The most important soft skill was the ability to solve problems, with 62% of recruiters seeking people who can find solutions, according to iCIMS. This soft skill was also the most important for the employee who wants to work in management.
据iCIMS称，最重要的软技能就是解决问题的能力，62％的招聘人员正在寻找能提出解决方案的人。这种软技能对于希望从事管理工作的员工也是最重要的。
 
“Problem solving isn’t practiced as much today as it once was,” says Vitale. “You can go to Google for answers, and we’re not challenged the way we used to be.”
“现在解决问题的方式已不像从前那般需要事事实践，”Vitale说。“你可以到谷歌查找答案，而且我们仍然也不会被过去的方式挑战。”
 
2. ADAPTABILITY
2. 适应能力
 
The second most important soft skill is adaptability, with 49% of recruiters looking for this trait. This skill was ranked as very important for entry-level positions.
第二个最重要的软技能是适应能力，49％的招聘人员都在寻找这种特质。这项技能对入门级别的职位非常重要。
 
“Larger organizations value problem solving and adaptability the most,” says Vitale.
Vitale说，“大公司最重视解决问题的能力和适应能力。”
 
3. TIME MANAGEMENT
3. 时间管理能力
 
The third soft skill in demand is an ability to successfully manage time, with 48% of recruiters placing importance on this characteristic.
第三项最需要的软技能是管理时间的能力，48％的招聘人员很重视这一特性。
 
“Entry-level workers often come out of the gate being poor at time management, but they can learn strategies on how to run their day,” says Vitale. “It’s most important in smaller organizations, because you have to pivot and wear many hats.”
“入门级工作人员经常一开始不擅于时间管理，但他们可以学会如何有策略地安排一天的工作，”Vitale说。“在小企业中这一点非常重要，因为你必须在工作中充当不同的角色。”
 
4. ORGANIZATION
4. 组织能力
 
Being organized is the fourth most sought-after soft skill, with 39% of recruiters ranking it as desirable. It’s often demonstrated in your behavior during the interview process. The most common mistakes, according to the study, include showing up late, forgetting to thank the interviewer, and forgetting the interviewer’s name.
组织能力是第四大最受欢迎的软技能，39％的招聘人员将其列为理想化的一个特质。在面试过程中，这一点经常会通过你的行为表现出来。根据研究，最常见的一些错误包括迟到，忘记感谢面试官，还有忘记面试官的名字。
 
5. ORAL COMMUNICATION
5. 表达能力
 
Finally, the ability to speak in public and communicate with others is the fifth most valued soft skill, with 38% of recruiters looking for this skill.
最后，公开发言并与他人沟通的能力是第五大最有价值的软技能，38％的招聘人员在寻找拥有这项技能的人才。
 
“Good communication skills are, of course, essential,” says Chavez. “Poor communication can lead to misunderstandings and even slow down the workflow, preventing a company from moving forward.”
“良好的沟通技巧当然是必不可少的，”查韦斯说。“沟通不畅会导致误解，甚至会减慢工作进度，阻碍公司向前发展。”
 
ROLE AND INDUSTRY
角色与行业
 
While soft skills are important in nearly every job, they can be role specific, says Chavez. “In a management position where the role requires one to lead a team, deliver on a project, or drive results, soft skills like emotional intelligence and teamwork are most important,” she says. “However, in roles where someone might work remotely from home, the key soft skills would be adaptability, communication and multitasking.”
查韦斯说，尽管软技能几乎在每一项工作中都很重要，但不同的职位有不同的技能要求。“对于管理职位，该角色需要领导一个团队，交付项目或推动结果，像情商和团队合作这样的软技能最为重要，”她说。“然而，在有些可能需要员工在家远程工作的岗位上，关键的软技能则是适应能力，沟通能力和多任务处理的能力。”
 
The iCIMS study found that certain fields look for soft skills more than others, such as people who work in customer service, human resources, and sales/marketing. For technical jobs, they aren’t as vital. Nearly 1 in 5 of recruiters for IT jobs think soft skills are more important than hard skills, and 24% of recruiters weigh soft skills over hard skills for R&D jobs.
iCIMS的研究发现，某些领域比其他领域更倾向于寻找拥有软技能的人才，比如客户服务、人力资源和销售/市场营销等行业。对于技术工作来说，这些软技能并没有同样重要的地位。近1/5的IT招聘招聘人员认为软技能比硬技能更重要；在研究与开发的工作上，比起硬技能，也只有24％的招聘人员更看重软技能。
 
“I want my doctor to have hard skills first and soft skills next,” says Vitale. “But if they’re lacking in soft skills, I might not return.”
“我希望我的医生先有硬实力，然后再有软技能”，维塔勒说。“但是如果他们缺乏软技能，我可能不会再回来找他就诊。”

HOW TO CONVEY YOUR SOFT SKILLS
如何传达你的软技能
 
While we all have soft skills, demonstrating them during the job application process can be a challenge. “They don’t come across on a resume because there’s no certification,” says Vitale.
虽然我们都有软技能，但是要想在工作申请的过程中展示这些可能是一项很大的挑战。“这些软技能不能出现在简历上，因为它们没有办法被认证，”Vitale说。
 
Be sure to highlight your strengths by using searchable keywords in your job description. “Whether a candidate lists their soft skills all together or breaks them out under the individual positions in which they honed them, it’s essential to include them somewhere,” says Chavez.
请务必在职位描述中使用可搜索的关键字来强调自己的优势。查韦斯说：“无论应聘者是将他们的软技能列在一起，还是将它们分别罗列在以往培养出这些特质的不同职位上，最重要的是一定要在简历中囊括这些内容。”
 
Recruiters will also use the screening processes to look for soft skills, so be prepared. Prior to an interview, come up with a short list of your strongest soft skills and be ready to share a few specific examples of when you showcased them in the workplace, Chavez suggests.
招聘人员也会使用筛选流程来寻找软技能，所以应聘者应做好准备。查韦斯建议，在采访之前，应聘者可以列出一份自己最强的软技能清单，并准备好分享几个在工作场合中能体现这些技能的具体例子。
 
“For instance, talk about a time when your communication skills clarified a misunderstanding, or discuss how your leadership style came into play when they took charge of a negative situation and turned it into a positive one,” she says. “Candidates must also emphasize their ability to work well with others and should refrain from speaking poorly of a previous or current employer or company, as it will never reflect positively on them.”
“例如，谈谈你的沟通技巧澄清了误解的一次经历，或者讨论你的领导风格是如何将消极的工作氛围转为积极的氛围的，”她说。“应聘者还必须强调他们与他人合作的能力，并且不应该对之前或当前的雇主或公司做出不好的评价，因为这永远不会对他们产生积极的影响。”
 
Don’t be afraid to ask a recruiter which soft skills the organizations values most, adds Vitale. “Most employers fall down when it comes to transparency, and they aren’t saying out of the gate what they want,” she says. “Not all call them soft skills; sometimes they describe core competencies or workplace culture.”
维塔尔补充说，不要害怕向招聘人员询问公司最重视哪些软技能。她说：“大多数雇主并不能坚持绝对地不透明，他们一开始还不会说出他们的要求，”她说。 “并非所有人都称这些技能为软技能；有时他们也会描述它们为核心竞争力或职场文化。”
 
In the end, candidates need to be cheerleaders for themselves, says Chavez. “Shift the conversation to highlight your soft skills even if an interviewer does not specifically ask,” she says.
查韦斯说，最后，应聘者需要为自己呐喊助威。她说：“即使面试官没有特别要求，你也可以将谈话转向强调你的软技能。”

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