Recently, I've been helping a few family friends' college-aged students with their resumes and career advice. While highlighting relevant and transferable experience, skills, and educational achievements is important, it raised a critical question for me: How do you effectively refine and emphasize all the "soft skills" that are so essential in the workplace?

This question lingered in my mind while I came across an infographic on LinkedIn from George Stern. He makes a compelling point: instead of calling them "soft skills," we should refer to them as "essential skills."

According to Handshake, "soft skills" are defined as "a set of personal attributes, behaviors, and social attitudes that enable individuals to interact effectively with others in a workplace or social environment. These skills are essential for building healthy relationships, communicating effectively, solving problems, and collaborating with others."

Mr. Stern's perspective resonated with me. By labeling them as "soft skills," we might inadvertently downplay their importance compared to "hard skills," such as technical abilities and other more tangible skills. This distinction is crucial because many articles and case studies highlight that employees who possess "essential skills" are often more successful in the workplace, even if they begin their careers with fewer "hard skills,"  

By framing these attributes as "essential skills," we can better emphasize their importance and ensure they receive the recognition they deserve in professional development and career advising.