Published 12 December 2025

The Importance of Soft Skills in Today’s Workplace: What Employers Really Value

Introduction 

In today’s fast-moving, highly connected world, the importance of soft skills matters more than ever. Technical knowledge and qualifications (hard skills) are still essential, but employers increasingly want people who can communicate well, adapt quickly, work confidently with others, and think things through. 

These behavioural, everyday abilities often shape the difference between someone who can do the job and someone who genuinely excels in it. 

In this blog, we take a closer look at the question: ‘What are soft skills?’, as well as how they differ from hard skills, why employers place so much value on them, and how you can build these skills to support long-term career growth. 

What Are Soft Skills? 

Soft skills are the personal qualities and social abilities that influence how you communicate, work with others, and handle day-to-day challenges. Unlike technical or job-specific skills, they’re rooted in behaviour, attitude, and emotional awareness. As Investopedia puts it, they’re the ‘non-technical skills that relate to how you work,’ such as communication or time management. 

What makes soft skills especially valuable is how versatile they are. You can carry them from one role or industry to another, and they remain useful no matter where your career takes you. 

Soft Skills vs Hard Skills 

People often ask about the difference between soft skills vs hard skills. Here’s a clear way to compare them: 

Why Employers Need Soft Skills 

1. Organisational Success & Productivity 
   Many managers say that gaps in soft skills are starting to slow their teams down. One study found that 58% of managers believe their company’s success is held back by poor soft skills — a concern that’s especially strong in fast-growing organisations. 

2. Competitive Advantage 
   Soft skills such as adaptability, problem-solving, and emotional intelligence are also much harder for AI or automation to imitate. Even OpenAI researchers have noted that while technology can take over repetitive tasks, it still falls short when it comes to creativity, empathy, and the nuances of human communication. 

3. Long-Term Retention and Culture Fit 
   Employees with strong soft skills help build positive workplace cultures, improve team cohesion, and reduce conflict, all of which are critical for retention and innovation. 

4. Future of Work 
   As jobs continue to shift, especially with more digital and remote work, soft skills are becoming a real point of difference. Many hiring managers now place as much value on these qualities as they do on technical know-how, and sometimes even more. 

List of Essential Soft Skills Employers Value 

Here are some of the essential soft skills that employers commonly look for: 

1) Communication and Interpersonal Skills 

• Clear verbal and written communication 
• Active listening 
• Emotional intelligence and empathy 

2) Teamwork and Collaboration 

• Ability to work in diverse, cross-functional teams 
• Conflict resolution 
• Negotiation and cooperation 

3) Adaptability and Resilience 

• Flexibility when priorities change 
• Ability to cope with setbacks and stress 
• Growth mindset 

4) Problem-Solving and Critical Thinking 

• Analytical thinking 
• Creativity in finding solutions 
• Informed decision-making 

5) Leadership and Initiative 

• Leading by example 
• Managing and motivating others 
• Taking ownership of tasks 

6) Work Ethic 

• Dependability 
• Integrity 
• Discipline 

7) Time Management and Organisation 

• Prioritisation 
• Planning and scheduling 
• Efficiency in execution 

These soft skills examples show how soft skills shape the overall impact someone has at work — not just the tasks they complete, but how they support others and contribute to the wider team. 

How Employers Evaluate Soft Skills During the Hiring Process 

Employers use several different approaches to get a sense of a candidate’s soft skills in the workplace including: 

• Behavioural interview questions: e.g., “Tell me about a time you overcame a conflict in a team.” 
• Situational judgement tests: hypothetical work scenarios to evaluate decision-making and problem-solving. 
• Group exercises or assessment centres: teams rotate through tasks to test collaboration, leadership, and communication. 
• Work samples or simulations: Candidates might also take part in role-plays or practical exercises that show how they interact with others in real situations. 
• Reference checks: Input from past managers or colleagues can reveal how a candidate works in a team, takes initiative, and adapts to change. 

Strategies for Developing Soft Skills 

To improve your soft skills, try the following: 

1. Self-reflection and Feedback 

• Solicit honest feedback from colleagues or mentors. 
• Use tools like journaling or self-assessment surveys. 

2. Structured Learning 

• Participate in workshops, seminars or courses (e.g., on communication or leadership). 
• For students at private higher education institutions (such as the University of Applied Sciences Europe (UE Amsterdam), look for extracurricular programmes or modules that explicitly teach soft skills. 

3. Experiential Learning 

• Engage in project-based learning: for example, multidisciplinary software-development projects help build collaboration and self-reflection skills. 
• Hackathons are also powerful: a 2025 study showed they encourage creativity, innovation, and teamwork among software engineering students.  

4. Mentorship and Coaching 

• Find a mentor who models strong soft skills. 
• Join peer groups or networks to practice communication, leadership, and emotional intelligence. 

5. Reflect in Real Time 

• After meetings or group tasks, reflect on what went well and what could improve. 
• Commit to small daily habits (active listening, checking in with teammates, managing your time). 

Overcoming Challenges in Developing Soft Skills 

Despite their importance, building soft skills can be hard. Common obstacles include: 

• Intangibility: Unlike hard skills, soft skills aren’t easily measured, making progress harder to track. 
• Feedback limitations: Not everyone has access to regular, constructive feedback. 
• Mindset issues: Some see soft skills as innate and unteachable. 

To combat these challenges: 

• Advocate for structured soft-skills training (e.g., via your university or employer). 
• Use peer-to-peer feedback and mentoring to get regular input. 
• Set measurable, behaviour-based goals (e.g., ‘I will ask two clarifying questions in every meeting’). 
• Celebrate incremental progress, not just mastery. 

Benefits of Soft Skills in the Workplace 

Building soft skills delivers real, practical benefits, such as: 

• Better teamwork and collaboration, leading to more efficient projects. 
• Improved leadership, as emotionally intelligent leaders build trust and motivate others. 
• Greater adaptability, which helps organisations navigate change and uncertainty. 
• Higher employee satisfaction and retention, because people feel heard and valued. 
• Increased innovation, as open communication and problem-solving spur creativity 

These benefits don’t just help individuals grow in their careers, they also strengthen businesses with employees who can succeed in today’s fast-changing workplaces. 

Emerging Soft Skills for the Future of Work 

As the world of work evolves, building new soft skills for the future is an important facet to consider: 

• Digital communication literacy: being effective in virtual and hybrid settings. 
• Cross-cultural competence: working with globally distributed teams. 
• Emotional intelligence in complex systems: understanding human dynamics in AI-augmented environments. 
• Sustainability mindset: collaborating with purpose and long-term thinking. 
• Lifelong learning and adaptability: proactively pivoting as industries change. 

These skills will only increase in importance as automation, AI, and remote work continue to reshape how we work. 

Conclusion: Building a Future-Proof Career Through Soft Skills 

To build a future-proof career, especially one that lasts, developing soft skills is vital. These skills connect your technical knowledge with how you work with others, tackle problems, and take the lead. As employers place more value on traits like communication, resilience, adaptability, and leadership, soft skills are no longer just a bonus — they’re a real career advantage. 

Developing these skills takes attention, practice, and real-world experience. By improving your emotional intelligence, critical thinking, and ability to work with others, you strengthen not just your career prospects, but your lasting impact. In a world where technology changes constantly, it’s these human abilities that make you stand out.