TOP 10 Most Valued Soft Skills in the Estonian Labour Market
At first glance, Estonia's labour crisis means that all available human resources in all their diversity are already accounted for in our organisations. Thus, we must learn to work more efficiently and with the existing people. An insight, prevailing among IT recruiters for a while and now becoming increasingly more widespread, is that in a crisis, personal qualities tend to matter the most. In recent years, there has been an increasing emphasis on soft skills, as hard skills alone are not enough to be effective.
Hard skills are knowledge or skills that can be acquired relatively quickly. In three or four years, it is possible to make yourself an expert in some technical skills, for example, become a developer with a solid CV.
Soft skills, which are difficult to develop and equally difficult to evaluate and demonstrate, allow the accumulated expertise to be actually applied. The soft skills of the team are what the information flow necessary for development activities, each member taking responsibility for their work, feedback handling in the team, etc., depend on.
Soft skills play a role in every job, regardless of tasks or position. I researched among Estonian HR managers and recruiters what their organizations are looking for in candidates.
The following are the TOP 10 soft skills required in Estonia:
Time Management is a seemingly simple ability to manage and plan your time. However, it is a complex skill that includes a number of other competencies, such as result orientation, prioritization, resilience and concentration.
Communication skills start with the ability to listen and understand the other person and his/her expectations, followed by sharing your relevant ideas and opinions in an emphatical and professional manner.
Solving problems - it is important first to identify the challenges to address them, i.e., to compare the real situation with the desired situation, and then take the necessary decisions. This requires, among other things, orientation to results, analytical skills and decisiveness.
Adaptability means the ability to let go of things, people, and situations and to be ready to learn new tasks and skills, as well as being ready for new technologies, environments and people.
Teamwork requires openness and the ability to keep one’s own wishes in the background. This includes considering others, trusting and supporting them - but also asking for support, sharing ideas and general acceptance. It is expressed in effective communication and empathy.
Creativity as breaking existing patterns to solve complex problems or finding interesting ways to approach tasks, a person’s ability to approach a task or problem in a new way, to generate innovative ideas.
Leadership does not necessarily involve leading people, the ability to motivate and inspire colleagues is what it takes. Communication skills, openness to criticism, reliability in the eyes of others and decisiveness are all equally important.
Orientation to details means the ability to dig deep and spot errors or changes before they become a bigger problem.
Conscientiousness is taking responsibility for one’s work, decisions and actions. This requires openness, as well as good planning and time management skills.
Emotional intelligence is self-awareness. It is an ability to manage one's own emotions and those of others, to understand the background of those emotions and to draw conclusions about what happened for the future.
Every role has a different mix of soft skills, but you cannot do without them in any role
