Sometimes known as “people skills”, Soft Skills are personal attributes that enhance an individual’s interaction with others, job performance and career prospects. Unlike hard skills or technical or occupational skills which tend to be specific to a certain type or task or activity, soft skills are broadly applicable. There are two broad classifications of soft skills – viz., personal attributes and interpersonal attributes.
Soft skills classified under personal attributes comprise of the following:
- Optimism
- Emotional Intelligence
- Responsibility
- A Sense of Humour
- Integrity
- Time Management
- Motivation
- Creativity
Soft skills classified under interpersonal abilities are as follows:
- Empathy
- Leadership
- Communication
- Good Manners & Etiquette
- Sociability
- The Ability to Teach
- Problem Solving
In context to BBA & BCA students, it is often said that hard skills will get a student an interview but one needs soft skills to get and keep going with the job. In the initial years of one’s career, individuals need technical abilities or occupational skills which may be important to get an assignment one seeks. However, when it comes to growing in an organization, it is the personality trait that will matter the most. And this would apply more aptly in an office setting where several people with similar technical expertise will compete for a position or a promotion.
It may be pointed out here that training of soft skills in our country becomes all the more relevant where the education system does not always delve into coordinated personality development. There is a lot of contradiction and argument in the industry as to whether it is possible to enhance soft skills through different modes of training and workshops especially when we already know that the person has lived with those traits all their lives. The answer to this question seems harsh albeit real. A student who wants to do well in his career and does not really have a choice – for him, a reorientation of lifestyle and personal priorities becomes quite essential.
The concept of soft skill is not a recent one; in fact, it is a concept discussed since ancient times. Our Vedas and Upanishads elucidates how Vedantic prescriptions can be an effective instrument for the personal transformation that automatically enhances soft skills necessary for growth.
A resolute desire in a young professional to create a strong positive impression about the self in intellectual and social circles is paramount. Soft skills for management students should come with the intention of an all-round development of their personality and should not only focus on academics but train them professionally also. Inculcation of soft skills among students would ensure greater success for them across all the spheres of life. Today’s organizations and companies generally look for individuals who are flexible to adapt to the organization’s culture and are apt enough to establish meaningful interactions with people around.
Relevance of soft skills among BBA & BCA students:
For creating a healthy and productive work environment: Developing interpersonal skills like listening and writing that can ensure the flow of smooth and accurate instructions and information. This can guarantee a cooperative work environment with minimum levels of manageable conflicts.
Efficiency in dealing with challenges: Hard skills helps one with technical knowledge and skill building whereas soft skills as they include communication skills, etiquette and leadership skills make their adjustment better at the workplace. They make an individual capable enough to deal with challenges and problems at the workplace.
For overall personality development: All-round personality development can only be guaranteed if both the hard and soft skills go hand-in-hand. Thus, as mentioned earlier, hard skills are not enough to bring the best in you and ensure success. Pairing technical expertise with the process involved in the implementation of the technical expertise would lead to the overall personality building and growth of the students.
Demand of today’s time: In today’s time, the strength of an individual is assessed on both the hard and soft skill parameters. The one who lacks soft skills would not be able to compete with the demands of today’s time. Thus, there has to be a strong focus of the course curriculum on building and strengthening of personality by inculcating soft skills.
Conclusion
Thus we see that all-round personality development of BBA & BCA students should emphasize on the mastering of soft skills. At Asian School of Business (ASB), there is a lot of stress on developing soft skills as a part of the core course structure. There are diverse facilities initiated by the college to delve upon such skills.
In fact, Asian School of Business flaunts a dedicated Centre of Skill Development (CSD) to ensure that their students are able to hone-up their skillsets to match the growing expectations of the business world. Herein, ASB follows a stringent schedule for Soft Skills Development & Corporate Communication which indeed is the utmost requisite to be in any industry. The dedicated team helps bridge the gap for students between their campus and corporate life. It encompasses development of students in terms of overall personality, communication skills, corporate etiquette and grooming while instilling the right attitude towards leading and working in a team with professional ethics and time management skills.
Besides, Asian School of Business also ensures that each student is given the right industry exposure & skill development to meet the high end corporate expectations. To achieve this end, ASB again has a dedicated Corporate Resource Cell (CRC) that strongly emphasizes on the job learning opportunities to students through live projects, research assignments, competitions, management games/quizzes, industrial training, guest lectures, conferences and seminars.