Soft Skills: Why They’re Needed in Work and How to Develop Them

The Importance of Soft Skills in Today’s Competitive Landscape

A decade ago, the success of a specialist was defined by their hard skills alone. As long as they were capable in their respective field, be it design, writing, or cooking, they would always have a steady stream of clients who would not question their personal qualities.

However, times have changed and the competition has become so fierce that hard skills are no longer enough. Now, specialists are expected to have a combination of skills, both directly and indirectly related to their profession. This includes skills such as organization, empathy, and negotiation, commonly referred to as soft skills. These soft skills are not meant to replace the profession, but rather enhance the quality of work and the specialist’s market demand. They act as a kind of added service to the product or service being offered.

It is believed that the rise of soft skills can be attributed to the increase in competition and the growth of services. With so many options available, clients can easily switch to another specialist or find another customer.

People are accustomed to quick services like fast banking, speedy courier delivery, and readily available Wi-Fi in restaurants. Freelancers are held to the same standards, but unfortunately, have earned a negative reputation for being unreliable, unresponsive for days, and potentially misusing advance payments while delivering poor work. However, in the design industry among my contacts, these issues are rare. Sadly, negative perceptions spread quicker than positive ones, making it harder for skilled professionals with poor communication skills to secure projects.

Below I will analyze which soft skills I consider especially important for a freelancer.

Effective Time Management

An essential aspect of developing soft skills is effective time management. When asked how long a project will take, not everyone can give a quick answer. A specialist who has honed their soft skills must be able to provide a conservative estimate, factoring in any potential unforeseen circumstances.

One tip is to set aside extra time when calculating project duration. For example, if a project is estimated to take a day, allocate three days. The same goes for a month or a year. This allows for any unexpected obstacles or creative roadblocks that may arise during the project.

To give a more precise answer, it’s important to track the average time spent on similar projects. This can be done by using a time tracker such as Toggle or by manually recording activities in a Google spreadsheet. Everything from waking up, commuting, and breaks, to client calls and research, should be recorded and accounted for in the tracker. While it may be challenging at first to remember to switch the timer, it’s a habit that will pay off in the long run.

Gathering statistics is a useful way to restructure one’s workday, eliminate unnecessary tasks, and understand where time is being spent. Rather than checking email every half hour for five minutes, it is recommended to set alarms for specific times, such as 12:00, 16:00, and 20:00. A common mistake in time management is attempting to complete everything in one day. Effective time management involves prioritizing tasks, considering physical and personal resources, and scheduling time for rest. Freelancers and remote workers, in particular, need to understand their time usage to avoid taking work home with them on weekends.

“Getting Things Done” by Mark Forster is a highly recommended book on time management. The author emphasizes that time is limited and suggests using a system of final lists with a maximum of ten items to prioritize urgency and importance. When faced with a task that needs to be done immediately, one should determine whether the task is truly urgent or can wait until the next day. Todoist is a useful tool for keeping track of tasks and their time requirements.

When managing a team, it is crucial to understand how much time each person will spend on a task, as one employee may complete a report quickly but spend a longer time writing a letter. When planning time, one should also take into account the time required for revisions and reviews from the client.

Key actions to take include counting time spent on work and personal tasks, collecting statistics, scheduling rest, setting priorities, and considering the impact on not only oneself, but also the team and client.

Organization and Work Processes in the Workplace

Organization is a crucial aspect in the successful completion of any task or project. It refers to the creation of clear processes and systems that ensure everyone involved in the project knows how to work and what their responsibilities are. This is particularly important in a work environment where tasks may be picked up by different individuals, and the project may have multiple stages and processes that need to be clearly defined.

Organization of work processes starts with establishing a clear plan for the work to be done. This plan should be broken down into smaller stages, each with its own purpose and significance. For example, in the field of design, the stages might include competitor analysis, target audience definition, client briefing, first sketches of the concept, selection and refinement of the concept, rendering of the carriers, and preparation of layouts for printing.

It’s important to articulate the significance of each stage to both yourself and the client. A clear plan helps to keep everyone informed about the progress of the project, what has been done, and what still needs to be done. This is especially important in creative industries, where clients may be intimidated by the unknown and have a hard time visualizing the final outcome.

Responsibility zones are another critical aspect of organization. It’s essential to understand where one’s responsibility ends and someone else’s begins. Before starting a project or task, it’s advisable to clarify who is responsible for what, who to contact in case of questions, and who makes the decisions. This helps to avoid confusion and saves time in the long run.

Material preparation is also a key aspect of organization. It’s not uncommon for individuals to encounter designs or materials that are difficult to understand or work with. To avoid such situations, it’s important to store files in a clear and accessible manner. This helps to save time and prevents the need for endless lists of where everything is and how to use it.

In conclusion, organization is a crucial aspect of any successful project or task. It helps to establish clear processes and systems that ensure everyone involved knows what they need to do and what their responsibilities are. By creating a clear plan, defining responsibility zones, and ensuring material preparation is well organized, the chances of success increase significantly.

Adhering to Agreements.

It can be challenging to remember meetings and commitments amidst a busy schedule. For instance, the author suggests recording tasks in a calendar as soon as they are agreed upon, even if they are due in several months.

What to do:

1. Clearly define the stages of the work and ensure that everyone has a clear understanding.
2. Keep a work plan in place.
3. Make sure files are organized and easy for others to comprehend.
4. Record all agreements to avoid missing meetings or deadlines.
5. Assign specific areas of responsibility and avoid interfering with others.

Negotiations and Business Communication

Negotiations and Business Communication play a crucial role in the success of a business or project. Communication concerns many things, but in the context of negotiations, it is about how to get the best conditions for oneself while maintaining respect for the client. In order to achieve this, it is important to be upfront about any work-related concerns, explain the services being sold clearly, discuss money without fear, know one’s rights and responsibilities, and avoid conflicts with clients.

Speaking about work situations, it is best to immediately voice any concerns, questions, or discomfort, so as to avoid negativity and frustration from accumulating. This also helps to maintain an open and honest line of communication. In negotiations, it is important to explain the services being sold in a way that the client can understand, as they may not be familiar with all the components being sold, such as design, time, skills, a license to use, and the ability to use the source code.

Money is an important aspect of negotiations, and freelancers should not be afraid to talk about it. Money is just numbers, and it is important to learn how to discuss it calmly and rationally. When considering a project, it is important to estimate time and resources accurately, calculate the cost of an hour of work, and add 20% for unexpected expenses. This helps to avoid any misunderstandings or disputes later on.

In negotiations, it is important to be clear about your payment terms, such as when payment is due, how much you will be paid, and what type of payment you accept. It is also important to be transparent about any potential fees, such as taxes, or processing fees.

It’s also important to be aware of the value that you bring to the project and to be confident in asking for a fair payment that reflects that value. Sometimes, clients may try to negotiate a lower rate, and it’s important to be able to stand firm in your asking price if you believe it to be fair. However, at the same time, it’s also important to be flexible and open to compromise in order to reach a mutually beneficial agreement.

In the end, effective negotiation is all about finding a balance between the needs and interests of both parties. By approaching negotiations with a clear understanding of the value that you bring to the table, being transparent about payment terms, and being willing to listen and compromise, you can ensure that everyone walks away satisfied with the agreement.

Self-Sales and Self-Presentation

To be successful commercially as a specialist, it’s essential to have a good self-presentation and sales skills, or hire an agent to help. The first step is to identify what type of specialist you want to be and to assess your strengths and weaknesses, as well as how you want to be perceived by colleagues and clients. These questions help shape your image and list of qualities, which can be developed through building a strong portfolio, learning to sell your services, and starting a blog.

A portfolio is crucial during job interviews and should be at hand, with high-quality pictures, text, and videos that describe you as a specialist as completely as possible. It’s important to allocate time to update your portfolio after each project as part of the work process. If your current job does not align with your ambitions, you can create a project for yourself and tell others about it.

Blogging can also be a helpful tool in promoting your work and making it interesting. Social media platforms like Instagram provide a great opportunity to see how specialists from various fields present themselves to the world. Even if your work does not have immediate and visible results, you can still create a blog that tells stories about your job duties and work processes.

However, a good portfolio and blog are not enough to guarantee commercial success, and sales skills are also crucial. It’s important to understand your target audience and the services you provide to them. If your project is aimed at millionaires, it’s not worth trying to sell it to students. The same applies to other target audiences.

Another important aspect of success as a specialist is motivation and self-development. Taking adequate rest and avoiding burnout and workaholism are crucial for maintaining your well-being and productivity. To avoid overworking, you can plan rest ahead of time and stick to it, even if it means putting projects and tasks on pause. Clients understand the importance of rest and your world will not stop.

Continuous learning is also crucial for specialists to keep developing and not fall behind. You can learn from various sources such as exhibitions, books, events, and even from tasks you haven’t done yet. It’s important to broaden your horizons and explore related and even unrelated fields, as you never know how a new skill might come in handy in life. The most important thing is to enjoy the process.

Therapy can also be helpful in promoting self-awareness, understanding yourself and your strengths, and managing difficult psychological questions without burning out. Many people now go to therapy to develop as individuals, and others can benefit from self-development books, yoga, meditation, and learning from their own experiences. Everyone faces difficulties with communication, development, motivation, or burnout, and it’s important to work on these issues and find solutions.

In place of summary: delegation

It’s likely that after reading this far, you may be thinking that it’s impossible to fully execute everything that’s written. That’s accurate. When faced with tasks that are not working out for me or bring me no joy, I tend to delegate them to someone else and focus on what I find most engaging. Delegation is a crucial skill that requires its own cultivation.

Outsourcing tasks is a common practice, whether it be hiring someone to manage your portfolio, seeking guidance from a tarot reader or accountant, having a proofreader review your blog text, or asking a manager to handle negotiations on your behalf. While it’s not necessary to be an expert in these areas, having a basic understanding of them can help you maintain control over the process and outcome if you choose to delegate the work.