Beyond the Diploma . . . Soft Skills that Employers Demand! Shellie Hartley – ITRT – Tazewell County Public Schools Charity Crouse – Business Teacher – Bland County Public Schools

Skills They Lack Young people today lack communication skills because of they have communicated primarily through their phones. They are not able to make decisions for themselves.  They can hardly decide what they want to eat. They are not self-motivated.  As classroom teachers we are continually trying to find ways to motivate them to do something. We are seeing fewer students every year that posses leadership skills. Students like working as a team so someone else can do the work  They lack team working skills of being involved and doing their part. They lack creativity on their own and problem solving skills for them are it's telling or blaming someone else and letting it be someone else's problem, They  have no concept of time so therefore they lack time management skills.

Things you can do as a teacher to improve these skills on a daily basis. When your students complete an assignment have them share it with the class.  Have them stand up at their seat and just tell a little something about it. The more they get up and talk in front of their peers the more comfortable they become with speaking in front of them. Make sure when you do group presentations EVERYONE has to speak.  Not just one student in the group. Have them be mentors to students in lower grade levels.   Have them read the announcements in your school or give an announcement about something special going on in your classroom or FBLA.

What Are Soft Skills? The phrase ‘soft skills’ is often used to describe the skills which characterize relationships with other people, or which are about how you approach life and work.     uA.K.A:   uPeople Skills         uInterpersonal Skills   uSocial Skills   uTransferable Skills

Why are Soft Skills Important? Soft skills are everyday interpersonal skills that job seekers need to succeed on the job.  These skills will help you succeed in life no matter what you are doing:   uEducation   uJob Training   uIndependent Living   uCommunity Participation   uWorkplace

Top Soft Skills Employers Demand Team Player Easily Adapt Effective Communication Problem Solving & Resourcefulness Accepting Feedback Confidence is Key Creative Thinking Well Organized Showing Commitment Computer Literacy Did you know that 46% of newly hired employees will fail within 18 months?

Top Soft Skills Employers Demand 1. Team Player – this means not only being cooperative, but also displaying strong leadership skills when necessary. 2. Easily Adapts – this is an extremely valuable asset to employees. Those who can adapt to any situation are dependable no matter what's thrown at them. 3. Effective Communication – this is paramount to almost any job. Communication involves articulating oneself well, being a good listener and using appropriate body language. Skilled communicators get along well with colleagues, listen and understand instructions, and put their point across without being aggressive. 4. Problem-Solving and Resourcefulness – no matter what your profession, these skills are critical when unexpected issues inevitably arise. 5. Accepting Feedback – not only accepting feedback gracefully, but also applying that feedback, fosters professional growth.

Top Soft Skills Employers Demand (Con’t) 6. Confidence is Key – that being said, it's also important to always have the knowledge and skills to support self-assurance. By being confident and capable, your supervisors, employees, and clients will believe in what you are saying. 7. Creative Thinking – being able to come up with unique solutions or alternatives is invaluable; it drives innovation and increases efficiency. 8. Well Organized – A vague term? Perhaps. But you know it when you see it. The person who can pull people together on a project, avoid double-booking meetings, and file things so that they might actually be found again is useful anywhere. So it makes sense that employers are pounding the table for people who have the skills needed to stay organized. 9. Showing Commitment – Be there on time and prepared! Employers want people who are dependable, reliable, enthusiastic, and enjoy hard work. Employees that are committed need very little supervision or motivation to do their best and get the job done. 10. Computer Literacy - Technophobia is simply not an option in the modern workforce. Employers want tech savvy individuals. Having Microsoft Office Certifications will prove to employers that they have computer literacy skills. MS Word and Excel are at the top of the employers list.

Materials you can use in your classroom . . . for FREE!

Corporate Training Materials download Awesome & Free! Lots of activities! https://corporatetrainingmaterials.com/pages/download

Soft skills, hard benefits Resource full of lessons and activities. Link to download textbook: http://www.skillsurvey.com/resource/soft-skills- ebook/?gclid=CIiUyrvct88CFZAvgQodiscBhw

Listen Hear!! Activity from Skills Pay the Bills – Pages 30 & 31 https://www.dol.gov/odep/topics/youth/softskills/softskills.pdf

Communication Video from Skills Pay the Bills https://www.dol.gov/dol/media/webcast/20121015-softskills/20121015- softskills-3-Communication.htm

Paper Air Plane Activity 1.   Everyone makes a paper airplane and writes their name and two questions to ask someone else. 2.   On cue, everyone throws their airplane around the room, picks up others’ airplanes, and keeps throwing them. 3.   The leader says stop after one or two minutes. 4.   Everyone must have one paper airplane. 5.   They must find the owner of the airplane they have and answer the questions on the airplane. 6.   Each person then introduces the owner of the airplane they have to the group.

Contact Info Charity Crouse – ccrouse@bland.k12.va.us Shellie Hartley – shartley@tazewell.k12.va.us

Resources http://www.skillsyouneed.com/general/soft-skills.html https://www.thebalance.com/top-soft-skills-2063721 http://burning-glass.com/the-top-10-soft-skills-employers-look-for-most/ http://www.businessnewsdaily.com/7860-skills-employers-want.html https://nationalcareersservice.direct.gov.uk/aboutus/newsarticles/Pages/Sp otlight-SoftSkills.aspx http://youth.gov/feature-article/soft-skills-pay-bills https://www.dol.gov/odep/topics/youth/softskills/ https://corporatetrainingmaterials.com/pages/download http://www.aeseducation.com/2015/06/importance-of-soft-skills/