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Five Soft Skills Employers Look For
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The parking and mobility industry is experiencing a revolution of technology. As more and more processes in our sector become automated, soft skills will be what differentiates the human element of our work from what can be automated. In a study completed by The Wall Street Journal of more than 900 executives, 92% said that soft skills were equally important to technical skills, and 89% of the executives said they have challenges finding candidates that posses these skills.
As this issue of Parking & Mobility focuses on professional development, we need to consider developing expertise in soft skills as important if not more so than technical skills for our parking and mobility frontline and professional teams. But which soft skills are the most valuable in today’s tech and automation-heavy environments? Here are the Top 5 soft skills employers are looking for in today’s candidates, according to Forbes magazine:
1Communication. Whether written or verbal, virtual or person, the ability to clearly communicate and to interpret the communication of others is key to success.
2Engagement. Being fully present and joining wholeheartedly in the goals of your organization and caring about organizational outcomes. Anyone can “punch the clock” but engaged employees bring a passion to their work and buy-in to the larger company mission.
3Teamwork. The ability to actively participate and collaborate with others, and to partner seamlessly with anyone in the organization necessary to accomplish the goal.
4Problem Solving. Critical thinking and the ability to see things from different angles and find creative solutions is a big differentiator for an employee. Never taking for granted that things need to be how they have always been and having the vision to strategize to mitigate problems is an asset to any workplace.
5Leadership. This is the sum total of a person’s soft skills, and how they bring those skills to bear on situations encountered in the workplace.
Find excellent resources for developing your team’s soft skills in the IPMI On-Demand Library under Frontline Fundamentals. Members can view these training resources for free on your team’s schedule!
CAPP Professional: Larry J. Cohen, CAPP
Larry J Cohen CAPP is Executive Director at the Lancaster
CAPP Professional: Melinda M. Alonzo, CAPP
Melinda M Alonzo CAPP is Senior Director of Parking and
CAPP Professional: George Richardson, CAPP
George Richardson CAPP is Manager of Parking and Transportation for
