From Boston Advanced Technological Education Connection (BATEC), surveyof employers (2007):

• Communication skills (oral and written)
• Ability to work productively in teams and groups (teamworkskills)
• Customer and business focus (understanding the big picture)
• Ability to listen for meaning and comprehension
• Ability to prioritize work and self-evaluate (self-reflection andtime management)
• Development of original solutions to novel problems (problemsolving)
• Ability to lead and act responsibility (leadership and ethics)

 

Lindqvist and Westman (2011) survey of labor market outcomes for men in Sweden for noncognitive skills:

• Willingness to assume responsibility
• Independence
•  Outgoing character
•  Persistence
•  Emotional stability
•  Initiative
•  Social skills

 

Interpersonal Capacities in 21st Century Skills Framework, 2010:

Work Creatively with Others

• Develop, implement, and communicate new ideas to others effectively
• Be open and responsive to new and diverse perspectives; incorporate group input and feedback into the work
• Demonstrate originality and inventiveness in work and understand the realworld limits to adopting new ideas
• View failure as an opportunity to learn; understand that creativity and innovation is a long-term, cyclical process of small successes and frequent mistakes

Communicate Clearly

• Articulate thoughts and ideas effectively using oral, written, and nonverbal communication skills in a variety of forms and contexts
• Listen effectively to decipher meaning, including knowledge, values, attitudes, and intentions
• Use communication for a range of purposes (e.g., to inform, instruct, motivate, and persuade)
• Utilize multiple media and technologies, and know how to judge their effectiveness a priori as well as to assess their impact
• Communicate effectively in diverse environments (including multilingual)

Collaborate with Others

• Demonstrate ability to work effectively and respectfully with diverse teams
• Exercise flexibility and willingness to be helpful in making necessary compromises to accomplish a common goal
• Assume shared responsibility for collaborative work, and value the individual contributions made by each team member

 

METHODS OF ASSESSING INTERPERSONAL SKILLS,  National Academy of Sciences Report, 2011

Social-Technical
• Translating client needs into technical specifications
• Researching technical information to meet client needs
• Justifying or defending technical approach to client

Social
• Reaching consensus on work team
• Polling work team to determine ideas

Technical
• Using tools, languages, and principles of domain
• Generating a product that meets specific technical criteria
• Interpreting problems using principles of domain

 

 

Highest Ranked Soft Skills For Entry Level Employees - Ranked by Employers in the Seattle Jobs Initiatives Report

 

1. Communication:

 

• Oral Communication
• Ability to listen (not talk too much)
• Appropriate use of grammar (no slang)
• Use of professional dialogue
• Customer service skills
• Listening skills
• Talking in a linear fashion (getting to the point)
• Talking without use of fillers, such as “ah”, between sentences.
• Ability to type without errors in spelling, punctuation, and sentence structure
• Ability to provide concise responses
• Ability to speak with confidence
• Non-verbal communication - eye contact, smiling, positive body language
• Politeness

 

2. Self-Direction

 

• Ability to articulate what types of training you need
• Good judgement and common sense
• Keeping the big picture in mind when making decisions (not being too rigid or too loose with the rules)

 

3. Problem Solving

 

• Ability to fix problems rather than “band-aiding” them
• Ability to be proactive and find alternatives to problems
• Accepts and adapts to change
• Manages stress professionally
• Takes effective and appropriate action

 

4. Professionalism

 

• Showing up and looking the part, dressed for success
• Being prepared
• Complying with dress code
• Ability to write professional emails
• Staying within ethical boundaries
• Accountable for actions

 

5. Reliability

 

• Dependable - follows through with work on time
• Attendance - regular and on time
• Communicated regarding expectations, deadlines and setbacks

 

6. Teamwork/Interpersonal

 

• Respects the cultural values of others
• Gets along with others
• Performs well on a team
• Positively resolves conflict in a timely manner
• Acknowledges others in a positive and appropriate manner

Links:

 

http://www.seattlejobsinitiative.com/wp-content/uploads/SJI_SoftSkillsReport_vFINAL_1.17.13.pdf

http://www.workreadiness.com/images/WRCprofile.pdf

http://actfdn.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/National-Network_EmployabilitySkills_July2014.pdf

http://cte.ed.gov/employabilityskills/index.php/framework/sources

https://wdr.doleta.gov/SCANS/whatwork/whatwork.pdf