写作、解决问题、适应能力、职业道德、时间管理、沟通、JDB电子领导能力，这些都是通常被称为“软技能”的技能中的一小部分，在历史上，这些技能被认为不如更多的技术技能重要。然而，雇主们对这些“软技能”越来越感兴趣。古德温学院继续职业JDB电子和劳动力计划主任基纳·西尔斯·布朗对这个话题充满热情，当我问她对“软技能”的看法时，她说：“专业人士必须适应新的混合型工作经济——一种需要多种技能的经济，而这些技能通常不会出现在同一份简历上（想想左脑和右脑相遇）。”想想一个市场营销专家，他必须有统计分析方面的专业知识，或者一个项目经理，他应该把创造力、视觉设计和团队合作带到桌面上。Burning Glass Technologies的数据显示，目前每8个职位中就有1个是高度混合的，混合职位的增长速度预计将是整体职位增长速度的两倍（未来10年，混合职位的增长速度为21%，而不是10%）。这些曾经被创造出来的‘软技能’现在显然是一个人必须具备的基本技能，才能在今天的劳动力市场上取得成功，保持竞争力和就业能力。”

Last week, Marina D’souza – a Drexel BS in Environmental Engineering student ’20 and President of Drexel’s chapter of the Society of Civil Engineers asked me how to best promote these essential skills on LinkedIn or on one’s resume.

There are three key ways to promote these essential skills:

1. Identify Your Top Essential Skills

The website Simplicable has pulled together a comprehensive list of “87 Soft Skills.” They divide the list into specific categories: communication, leadership, influencing, interpersonal, personal, creativity and professional. Comb through that list and choose your top 10 or 15! Make sure you have at least one skill from each category, and preferably two from the first three categories. You are not limited to 10 or 15, you might excel at six of the 12 skills listed in the communications skills category–great!

2. Link your tops Essential Skills with Your Experience

Look at your resume (you should have a master resume) and determine which experiences directly link with the essential/power skills you identified. For example, if you chose writing as one of your top skills, then you need to look for those experiences where you have demonstrated strong writing skills. If you chose mentoring from the leadership list, then find the experience on your resume where you have demonstrated mentoring experience.

You can even create an essential/power skills resume (for your eyes only) to help you better see how you have effectively utilized these skills over time.

3. Highlight These Skills in LinkedIn and on Your Resume

Since employers are looking for these essential skills, you need to ensure you are marketing those skills.

Resume – on your resume, you will use these essential skills as buzz words to demonstrate your skills repertoire. For example, if you work in an institutional advancement office where you create written material to entice donors, you might have the following bullet point using two essential skills: writing and storytelling.

Increased e-mail solicited donations by 20% by crafting effective written content that creatively tells the story about the those who benefit from ABC Org’s mission and the greater impact on the community.

LinkedIn – of course you can use the same bullet points on your LinkedIn page, but you also have another option–that of space. On LinkedIn, add a description of your essential skills to the “About” section. Mine reads:

A faculty member and department head at a leading US university dedicated to both the academic and career pursuits of my students. An effective communicator with strong presentation and public speaking skills, who is a strategic planner, mentor, and influencer. Also, highly self-aware with a high EQ and an innovative and entrepreneurial spirit.

As you can see, I highlighted 10 essential skills. I chose the ones that best spoke to my career goals. My CV and my experience listed on LinkedIn will demonstrate more, but it is important to choose no more than 10 for a narrative.

These skills are no longer consider soft, they are now essential. In order to market yourself as an essential skills powerhouse to stand out to potential employers begin with the list of skills, link them to your experience, and then package them together on your resume and on LinkedIn.

Best,