The Importance of “Soft Skills” in the Marketplace

There have been many articles written recently lamenting a prevalent weakness in “soft skills” among college graduates and, in particular, business students. Many articles are directly from interviews with recruiters and other interviewers. People such as these who hire and place recent business school and MBA graduates indicate that there is a lot of strength seen in analytical skills and the basics but “soft skills” such as communication are lacking. Many have indicated that writing and public speaking are particularly atrocious. “Soft” skills are very important in the workplace and managers spend an inordinate amount of time listening and communicating. These same “soft skills” that are so important in the workplace are underemphasized in education and many universities and business schools would do well to find more ways to foster communication and enhance the “soft skills” without sacrificing any of the underlying basics and analytical reasoning.

admin