I learned a great deal from my students during four decades as a college professor. When I began teaching, I mistakenly assumed that academic performance was simply a result of intellectual ability. But as my career progressed, I became increasingly aware that other factors also influence student success as I noticed that some of my brightest students failed to thrive academically and that many of my less-intellectually-gifted students often exceeded my expectations. I eventually realized that what are now called “soft skills” in the workplace (Doyle, 2017; Han, n.d.) can play an equally important role in the classroom.
Soft skills are defined in many ways and are called by many other names including transferable skills and 21st century skills (Abbot, 2014). Robles (2012, p. 457) captured their essence quite well when he described them as “character traits, attitudes, and behaviors—rather than technical aptitudes or knowledge.” These are the attributes that help workers adapt to new jobs, overcome obstacles, develop productive relationships with their co-workers and supervisors, and thrive in the workplace. As I became increasingly aware of the different levels of these skills among my students—and how these different levels impacted their academic performance—I decided to identify and describe these soft skills in my syllabi so my students could use this knowledge to help them make changes in their behaviors and attitudes that would increase their academic performance. After all, preparation for success in the world of work is one of the most important goals of a college education, so it made sense for me to help my students become aware that the soft skills that can help them to succeed in the college classroom will also be those they will need to enter and thrive in the workplace after they graduate. This is exactly why soft skills are also known as transferable skills, and why I believe they are essential characteristics of students who use their educations to become life-long learners after they graduate (Appleby, 2001).
The nine following sections, each headed with a particular soft skill, contain descriptions of two types of college students. The first are those who utilize this skill to succeed in the college classroom, who I identify as successful students or SSs. The second are those who fail to demonstrate this skill and often fail to succeed in the college classroom, who I identify as unsuccessful students or USs. I derived these descriptions from my observations of how these two types of students did or did not demonstrate these soft skills in my classes.
Motivation and Commitment
SSs are motivated to learn, which they communicate with their positive attitude and hard work in their classes. They have the determination and self-discipline necessary for success, and they show initiative by often going beyond the requirements of their classes by doing things they have not been specifically instructed to do (e.g. seeking out readings that have not been assigned or exceeding the number of required references when writing papers).
USs are not visibly committed to their classes and their behavior reflects a weak work ethic. They seldom participate in class and their body language communicates obvious boredom and disinterest (e.g., they sit in the back of the classroom, slouch in their seats, talk to their classmates during lecture, and occasionally sleep during class). For them, education appears to be a spectator sport in which they have decided to play a passive, detached and indifferent role.
Enthusiasm
SSs are interested in the subject matter of their classes and appear to understand that what they are learning now will be of value to them in the future (i.e., the workplace or graduate school). They make their enthusiasm for their education obvious by asking questions, making thoughtful comments and pursuing information outside the classroom that helps them to better understand what their instructors are teaching them.
USs enroll in their classes because they are required to do so, not because they are interested in acquiring the knowledge, skills and characteristics (KSCs) their classes are designed to provide. The obvious boredom they exhibit while they are in class clearly communicates to their teachers and fellow students that they would rather be somewhere else doing something different.
Ambition
SSs have aligned ambitions. They are motivated to obtain professional careers, they are aware of the KSCs required for these careers, and they have realistic ideas about how to use their educations to acquire these KSCs. They understand that the most important outcome of their education is not the diploma they will receive when they graduate, but the positive ways in which they can use their education to change themselves in ways that will help them to succeed in the future. Students with aligned ambitions make careful decisions about which classes to take, which organizations to join, and how to spend their time. They also utilize their school's support services (e.g., academic advising, mentoring and the career center) to increase the wisdom of these decisions.
USs are often as ambitious as SSs (i.e., they also want to become doctors, lawyers, and business managers), but they possess misaligned ambitions. They find it difficult to fulfill their dreams because they are unaware of the steps that will help them achieve their ambitions, which are often not realistically connected to specific educational and/or career paths. Regardless of how hard they try, they find themselves running in place, unsure of why they are in their current location and even more unsure of how to reach their professional destinations. They are drifting dreamers who have limited knowledge about their proposed occupations, the requirements of their schools, and the educational opportunities that can prepare them for their occupations. The most unfortunate USs are those who are either unable or unwilling to articulate their career goals and appear to be using their college education as a way to postpone their transition into adulthood for as long as possible.
Goals
The primary goal of SSs is to earn an "education" by acquiring and strengthening the KSCs that are the designated student learning outcomes of their classes. They perceive their tuition to be a wise investment in their future personal and professional lives, and they do their best to get the most for their investment.
The primary goal of USs is to buy a "creducation" as quickly as possible by passing their classes to get them out of the way—and have them recorded on their transcripts—rather than using them to develop the KSCs they will need to succeed in the future. They perceive their tuition as the cost they must pay to buy the number of credit hours they need to purchase the credential that will verify they have graduated (i.e., their diploma).
Talents
SSs have something special. It may be exceptional creativity, leadership, organizational skills, commitment or motivation. These gifts are evident to their teachers and to their fellow students as well. The most important aspect of these talents is that SSs actually put them to use in a productive way in their classes.
USs vary enormously in talent. Some have high intellectual ability, but display poor self-management, low motivation or a negative attitude. Others are handicapped by below-average academic skills (e.g., poor or under-developed reading, writing, speaking, listening, note-taking, time-management and study skills).
Attendance
SSs have perfect to almost perfect attendance. Their faithful attendance gives the distinct impression that their primary purpose for enrolling in classes is to learn and that they are interested in the material they are learning.
USs often miss or are late for class and put other priorities (e.g., sleep) above their classes. In other cases, their health, fatigue, low motivation, social life and/or lack of time management skills prevent them from attending their classes regularly.
Preparation
SSs are prepared. Their assignments are complete, accurate and carefully written. They complete their assigned readings, and their attention to detail in the work they submit is a clear indicator of the value they place on their educational activities.
The work of USs is often carelessly-prepared, incomplete, inaccurate, inconsistent, late or not submitted at all. Their obvious lack of planning and preparation clearly communicates that their education is a low priority for them.
Interpersonal Skills
SSs add to the positive atmosphere of the classroom by acting in a friendly, optimistic, cooperative, tactful and outgoing manner. They appear to enjoy working with others on group projects and often volunteer for positions of leadership. These qualities are noticed and appreciated by both their teachers and their peers.
USs diminish the quality of the “community” of the classroom by appearing to be either unwilling or unable to operate effectively within a social environment. Their behavior can be interpreted as reserved, aloof, or detached at best and uncooperative, hostile, or combative at worse. They avoid “group work” whenever possible and, when they cannot avoid it, their behavior can sometimes be detrimental to the morale and goals of the group.
Thinking Skills
SSs are able to connect their past learning experiences with the present, and then use these experiences to help them understand new material that will help them to solve challenging problems. They are willing to learn how to think critically (i.e., to comprehend, apply, analyze, synthesize, and evaluate information), and they value these skills because they understand how they will be able to use them to succeed in their future educational and occupational environments.
When USs study, they concentrate more on facts and definitions than comprehending concepts and theories. Their idea of studying is to memorize information and then hope their teachers will ask them to simply regurgitate it on tests. When they are asked to comprehend, apply, analyze, synthesize or evaluate information, they are often unable or unwilling to do so.
How Will Your Ability or Inability to Demonstrate These Soft Skills Affect You in the Future?
Now that you are aware of how the characteristics, attitudes and behaviors I have described above can affect your success in the college classroom, I also want you to ponder the very real effects of the presence or absence of these soft skills on your life after you complete your formal education. Unless you are independently wealthy or your parents have invited you to return home after college and resume your life as their dependent child, you will eventually be faced with having to convince at least one potential employer that you will be a more successful employee than any of the other people who have applied for the same job you have. There are several ways for you to do this. One is to list and describe these skills in your cover letter and résumé. The second is to identify and describe how you used your undergraduate education to acquire and strengthen these skills during your interviews. The third is to follow up on the message at the bottom of your résumé—References Available Upon Request—by asking at least one of your college instructors to provide examples of how you demonstrated these skills in her or his class. When you contemplate the crucial importance of these three components of the hiring process, and understand the significance of the following quotation from SkyWater Search Partners, a Minneapolis-based executive recruiting firm, you will begin to clearly understand that the soft skills you develop in the classroom today are the keys to your success in the workplace tomorrow.
"As employers seek to improve the cultural fit and success of their new hires, we are seeing a shift away from an emphasis on hard skills in favor of a closer focus on soft skills. Hard skills are the technical, specific abilities which can be taught. Soft skills, on the other hand, are generally more subjective and elusive, referring to personal and interpersonal qualities and characteristics. The advantage with soft skills is that they give employers a deeper insight into their potential hires" (Rudolph, 2017, para. 2).
The Bottom Line…
The bottom-line, take-home message from this article is really quite simple. If you plan to enter the workforce after you graduate, you will need to be hired. If you want to be hired, you must help potential employers form the impression that you are someone who will be a motivated, enthusiastic, committed, goal-oriented and talented employee who will come to work on time each day prepared to use your both your strong interpersonal and critical-thinking skills to perform your job in a competent, productive, and positive manner. The best way to make this happen is to take full advantage of the remainder of your college education to practice and strengthen your soft skills so you can (1) include them in your cover letters and resume, (2) identify and describe them in a clear and confident manner during your interviews, and (3) ensure that your college professors can and will verify that you possess these skills in their letters of reference.
Life consists of choices. You are in control of the development of your soft skills because they result from your conscious decisions to behave or not to behave in certain ways. Please make wise behavioral choices now that will help you to succeed in the future.
References
Abbot, S. (Ed.). (2014). 21st century skills. The Glossary of Education Reform. Retrieved from https://edglossary.org/21st-century-skills/opens in new window
Appleby, D. C. (2001). The covert curriculum: Lifelong learning skills you can learn in college. Eye on Psi Chi. Retrieved from https://www.psichi.org/?page=053EyeSpring01dApple&hhSearchTerms=applebyopens in new window
Doyle, A. (2017 ). List of Soft Skills. Retrieved from https://www.thebalance.com/list-of-soft-skills-2063770opens in new window
Han, L. (n.d.). Soft Skills – Ask a Wharton MBA. Retrieved from https://bemycareercoach.com/soft-skills/list-soft-skills.htmlopens in new window
Robles, M. M. (2012). Executive perceptions of the top 10 soft skills needed in today's workplace. Business Communication Quarterly, 75 (4) 453–465.
Rudolph, B. (2017). The Importance of Soft Skills in the Hiring Process. Retrieved from https://www.skywatersearch.com/post/importance-soft-skills-hiring-processopens in new window
About the author
Drew Appleby, PhD, received his BA from Simpson College in 1969 and his PhD from Iowa State University in 1972. During his four-decade career, he chaired the Marian University psychology department, was the director of undergraduate studies in the Indiana University-Purdue University (IUPUI) psychology department, and served as the associate dean of the IUPUI Honors College. He used the results of his research on teaching, learning, advising and mentoring to create strategies that enable college students to adapt to their educational environment, acquire academic competence, set realistic goals and achieve their career aspirations. He published over 200 books and articles (including "The Savvy Psychology Major"); made over 600 conference and other professional presentations (including 25 invited keynote addresses); received 44 institutional, regional and national awards for teaching, advising, mentoring and service; and was honored for his contributions to the science and profession of psychology by being named a Fellow of the American Psychological Association, the Midwestern Psychological Association, and as the 30th distinguished member of Psi Chi. His work with IUPUI's varsity athletes led him to be named “My Favorite Professor” by 71 student-athletes, over 300 of his students have earned graduate degrees in a wide variety of academic and professional fields, and he was designated as a mentor by 777 IUPUI psychology majors, 222 of whom indicated he was their most influential mentor by selecting the following sentence to describe his impact: “This professor influenced the whole course of my life and his effect on me has been invaluable.” Appleby retired from IUPUI with the rank of Professor Emeritus in 2011.
