Soft skills, more necessary than ever in the post-pandemic employment scenario

In the context of digitalization and moving on to the so called gig economy, innovation, creativity, management of uncertainty, flexibility and capacity to adapt to changes turn into the main characters. But without doubt, this pandemic has speed up and consolidated trends already implemented such as digital transformation of PYMES, tele work in great companies and online sale in most sectors.

This is what experts foresee but if we have learned anything in the last weeks is that reality can change from one day to another. Therefore, developing soft skills is today more than ever, an investment for the future as they are essential in any work position. Technologies change and expire but soft skills remain.

Soft skills that will improve employability

These transversal skills such as the capacity to adapt, creative thinking or the capacity to work in teams were already before the crisis, more appreciated than experience or the degree. But the new context we are facing requires paying attention to:

• Resilience: the capacity to adapt and overcome adverse situations and to do it in a positive way with training and the improvement in the spotlight.
• Tolerance and management of uncertainty: to help us innovate and learn without fear to the future or anxiety about the unknown.
• To cooperate in the distance: is to go beyond telework; the connection of devices through internet from different locations and cultural environments will be ever more frequent. Knowing how to communicate, being empathic and mastering languages will be highly demanded skills.
• Adaptability: hand in hand with agility and adaptation to change that will be continuous and require constant training.
• Innovation and creativity: finding innovative solutions, being open-minded, constant search of disruptive ideas.
• Entrepreneurship spirit: both to lead changes and to transform ideas in action, with motivation, a positive management of risks and the capacity to manage projects oriented to objectives.

But we also have to assume that some changes undergone in the last weeks are going to form part of our daily life for a long time. The creation of employment and personal environments focused on collaboration, creativity, critical thinking and putting people at the heart are crucial for the reactivation of the economy.

In this new scenario, the educational model of CEU Universities still matches in a world even more changing and uncertain. We offer comprehensive education which goes beyond knowledge and curriculum boosting the development of students at all its levels and with Christian humanist values at the centre. Therefore, we ambition that each student will be able to give their best turning into an agent for change in a society requiring commitment and values. Without doubt the capacity to adapt to future changes and challenges and to do it in a resilient manner will be an advantage both at a personal and professional level.