Soft-Skill Shuffle

"The more interpersonal and managerial skills a person has, the higher they're going to rise in the organization-there's no doubt about that," says Steve Csotty, corporate director of human resources for the Naples-based civil engineering design firm WilsonMiller.

Among the attributes likely to bolster an employee's career are "the ability to relate to other people, to coordinate and manage a team, to work well with a client, to handle conflict and to communicate," Csotty says.

"That does not rule out the need to have an understanding of some of the basic software that we use," he explains. But, "the ability to be promoted and to handle managerial obligations is contingent on having those interpersonal skills," he adds.

As with any proficiency, a good employee isn't necessarily born with such skills, but can gain them through education and training. Edison Community College, for instance, offers a variety of programs tailored for everyone from recent high-school graduates embarking on a career path, to people reentering the workforce, to full-time employees looking to change careers or become more marketable in their current field.

Lana Hoffman came to Edison to run the Work Experience Internship program from a background in corporate and government employment. She currently serves with local employers on several advisory committees through the school. "They're not asking for technical things," she says of job skills needed in today's market. "They're asking for soft skills."

These skills can encompass an array of abilities. John Brown, Edison's district director for continuing education, says flexibility, dependability and communication skills are on his list of desirable employee traits. "You've got to be able to communicate upward, sideways and downward with people," he says. "And you have to be willing to learn new things."

Hoffman, for example, runs on-campus workshops at Edison that are open to the public, as well as students. In them she covers such topics as resume writing, essentials of business communication and even office politics. All of the courses involve communication skills, a basic ability that she feels is crucial to anyone in today's workforce.

"Learning to communicate is how you get jobs," says Hoffman, who has a master's of business administration degree. "It's what you say and how you present yourself-and that has nothing to do with technology."

That's not to downplay the importance of more traditional, "hard" technical skills. It's just that it may not be necessary to try to become familiar with every available software program used in a specific field, experts say.

"I think what we have to do is develop technical skills so we are sure of ourselves," Hoffman says. "So we can say with confidence that we can learn. Because wherever you go, there will be specific software that the corporation is using."

Many employers are finding that it's more important to find reliable, qualified employees with basic computer experience, who have demonstrated a willingness and ability to learn new skills, rather than hire based solely on specific proficiencies.

"I think corporations are willing to spend dollars in training employees if they can find the right employees," says Brown. If a company finds a candidate with the basic skill set and mindset it is looking for, he feels, it will "spend the bucks to train that person to do the job the way they want them to do it."

That means in today's highly competitive job market, sometimes getting the job is the most important skill a prospective employee can hone. "Do you know how many qualified people are out there who don't know how to market themselves?" Hoffman asks rhetorically. "You're never going to prove you can do a job if you can't get the job."

That's where communication skills can play a particularly important role. If two similarly qualified people are being considered for the same position, for example, says Steve Csotty, "it could tip the balance if you have somebody who demonstrates through the interview process that they have good interpersonal skills and the ability to learn-if they can somehow sell themselves."

There are many education options available to improve an employee's marketability in today's workplace. Edison is constantly developing programs to accommodate all types of students, from those seeking degrees to those simply looking to develop certain skills, school officials say.

In addition to her workshops, Hoffman's Work Experience program allows degree-seeking students to earn college credit using responsibilities in their current job or from volunteer experiences.

Beginning this fall on Edison's Charlotte campus, students who work full-time in business can take accelerated coursework in business administration and management and earn 31 credits-or half an associate's degree-in a one-year program. The coursework is "intense," says Hoffman, and requires "almost graduate-level endurance," but it does allow busy professionals to increase their business skills with a customized combination of traditional lecture-style classes, seminars, small-group work and individual study.

Other programs at the college include not-for-credit classes available to corporations and individuals to teach various technological, business and people skills. Edison can also send a teacher to conduct on-site training at a business, such as sessions offered at a continuing-education lab at Bonita Bay, or with nine-hour "Command Spanish" programs tailored to the business communication needs of specific companies.

But no matter what avenue you choose to pursue, the most important message is to continually improve yourself if you want to stay competitive. "Employers look for potential," says Hoffman. "I think they want a person who has the skill to learn new skills."