COVID-19 has changed the entire job market scenario in the whole world, not just Bangladesh. Thus, the requirements for the soft skills development have also changed. Due to the proliferation of internet accessibility coupled with this pandemic quarantine, some new skills have got more importance than some previously valued ones.
Since 2017, Munshi HR Solutions Limited have been providing the on-demand HR Services in the Bangladeshi Market of Business Process Outsourcing. In this short piece of writing, based on the experience, we are giving the summary of our observations on the 5 soft skill examples out of 12 most important ones for the post COVID job market. Along with acquiring the industry relevant hard skills, in order to stay ahead of the competition, job candidates should start honing these soft skills, as the recruiters look for the perfect blend of the contemporary soft skills and industry relevant hard skills.
1. Tech Savviness:
The abilities to effectively surf the internet, composing an errorless email attached with appropriate attachment wherever necessary, expertise on MS Office (Excel, PowerPoint, Word), making the best use of Social Media, ability to operate various gadgets are some of the most important tech skills necessary for post COVID job market. Given the social distancing and lockdown condition, the capabilities to effectively operate these technologies have become one of the main hygiene factors to be looked for in a potential candidate for hiring.
Why Tech Savviness is important: For the transition of workplace from physical world to the virtual world.
How to acquire Tech Savviness: By exercising and practicing the tech usage.
What to do to acquire Tech Savviness: Enlist the most important tech skills to learn. Learn one by one. Never attempt to learn all at once. Give undivided attention to learn one thing at a time.
2. Information Screening Skills:
Given the virtual work environment and the unlimited supply of information through search results by the search engines, candidates must have the ability to effectively find out the useful information from the ocean of useless ones. With sharp attention on time limit and topic to be studied, this soft skill development should really be focused on to stay on the edge. Screening out the useful data from the useless information has become a skill that remains hardly talked about.
Why Information Screening is important: To be efficient in information sourcing within short time.
How to develop the Information Screening Skill: By keeping sharp focus on time and topic. Click on the links only those include the key words mentioned in the query topic.
What to do to develop Information Screening Skill: Focus on time and topic. Keep the time limit and topic in front of your eyes while surfing the search result
3. Focus:
To find out the most useful data from the ocean of useless information, focus is a must. One of the most frequently observed phenomena is “getting distracted by the waves of information provided by the search result”. In order to find out the information relevant with the task at hand, focus is a must.
Why focus is important: While using the search engines, copious amount of data is presented after making a search query. This causes distraction, sometimes. At the same time, while working in a virtual environment, notifications from the social media apps are also distracting. To stay efficient, focus is a must.
How to develop Focus: Basically, meditation helps develop the focus. Conscious avoidance of distraction is also a trick to develop focus.
What to do to develop Focus: Develop the active consciousness about the need of the specific information. Moreover, playing chess is also helpful to develop focus.
4. Critical Thinking:
In this pandemic situation, confusion and rumors are rampant. Sometimes, it becomes really hard to separate the facts from the fiction and the truth from the rumors. What is truth, might get fabricated throughout the misinterpretation during the passage of that specific massage through various medium. It is very important to critically analyze something to form an unbiased judgement on an ambiguous issue.
For example, if someone says, “it’s not possible to get a job in pandemic situation” and if I, hearing that, keep waiting to get this situation over, then it would be an unwise decision. Critical thinking would have revealed that “though there are some companies who are facing the bad side of the pandemic, there are still many organizations who are overwhelmed with pandemic workload. So, instead of trying to get jobs into the negatively impacted companies, someone should rather focus on the companies who are getting overwhelmed with pandemic workload”. And to find those companies, critical thinking and analysis is very important.
Why Critical Thinking is important: To make a rational and justified decision.
How to develop Critical Thinking skill: By making objective evaluation of the issues at hand.
What to do to develop the Critical Thinking Skill: Playing Chess helps develop Critical Thinking skill.
5. Emotional Intelligence:
Thinking from the perspective of the impacted context is important while leading a team of people from diverse background and social strata. At the time of distress, not everyone will have the same work spirit as before. With sickness in family, not everyone will be same productive as before. With salary deduction and pay cut, employees may not remain as friendly as before. Controlling the anger, stress and frustration while making a professional communication, is a very important skill.
Why Emotional Intelligence is important: To stay professional even under stress and pressure.
How to develop emotional intelligence: By raising awareness and active consciousness about own emotional stamina.
What to do to develop Emotional Intelligence: Through psychological counselling, sharing stress and mental hurdles with someone close. Also, hanging out with friends and family members, development of relevant awareness, are very important for the development of emotional intelligence.
To develop the above-mentioned skills, along with the suggestions made here, good food habit and life style is very important.
(To be continued…...)
