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We spend years in schools to gain the skills we can use in working life. An essential part of this is achieving the technical skills we need for the specific position we want to enter. If you work with computers, you need computer skills. If you’re going to work as a baker, you have to excel in the art of baking. If you want to work as a driver, you need to know how to drive and how the truck or bus works. 

For many, in many educational organisations, there is a focus on technical skills. The lessons are built on teaching and training how technical things are working, how to operate them, or how to use those technical skills to do your future work. 

Do you Have Technical Skills?

Technical skills are the abilities and knowledge required to perform particular tasks. They are practical and often relate to mechanical, information technology, mathematical, or scientific tasks. The majority of technical skills require experience and sometimes extensive training to master.

Technical Skills are the job-specific knowledge and techniques that require particular expertise. These skills are more critical for first-line managers because they typically manage employees who use tools and techniques to produce products or serve the customers.

Technical skills in an employee credit his ability to understand and use techniques, knowledge, and equipment of a specific discipline or department. These skills are usually knowledge or skills to use a particular area of expertise’s processes, practices, techniques, or tools. 

Technical skills are often interchangeably used with technological skills. Skills such as computer programming, software development, data analysis, graphics designing etc., are some of the trending skills that are examples of that kind of skill.  

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Do You Need Non-technical Skills?

As you have acquired good technical competence, you should be ready for work life. Or, do you need non-technical skills in addition as you are well skilled with technical skills?

Non-technical skills affect how you interact with others and how you complete your work. Non-technical skills may help you be more productive and foster a positive, well-functioning work environment.

Non-technical skills or soft skills are skills you have that do not relate to your specific job. These skills relate more to your personal qualities and habits than your technical abilities. Non-technical skills are a cluster of productive personality traits that characterise one’s relationships in a social environment. These skills are cognitive, social, and emotional abilities that are fundamental in human interaction. 

Non-technical skills are essential in all organisations and workplaces. When applying for jobs, it is crucial to showcase your skills and qualifications to tell hiring managers why you are the ideal candidate for the position. Your skills may distinguish you from other applicants, and it is important to include skills that reflect your personality. 

You need both excellent technical and non-technical skills to perform well and give value to the salary your employer pays to you.   

An employer listens attentively to a job applicant talking at work interview, being friendly and interested to the candidate. Photo: Adobe Stock

Non-technical skills

Under I have listed some non-technical skills that are important for productivity.  

Active listening

Listening is one of the most important skills you can have. Active listing is to pay attention to the other person very carefully.

Adaptability 

Adaptability reflects your ability to process, handle and respond to changes. 

Creativity

Creative skills help you view challenges in new ways. 

Critical thinking

Critical thinking is the intellectually disciplined process of actively and skillfully conceptualising, applying, analysing, synthesising, and/or evaluating information gathered from, or generated by, observation, experience, reflection, reasoning, or communication, as a guide to belief and action. 

Collaboration

Collaboration skills relate to how well you work with others on a project to achieve a shared goal. 

Communication

Communication skills allow you to share information effectively with others.  

Cooperation 

Cooperation refers to your ability to work as a team. 

Enthusiasm 

Enthusiasm refers to your excitement about the specific job or your desired industry. 

Emotional intelligence

Emotional intelligence relates to your ability to understand your own emotions and how well you understand and respond to the feelings of others. 

Organisational skills

Organisational skills help you create and maintain an orderly workspace and develop processes to complete your work efficiently.

Problem Solving

In any job, problems of all kinds are sure to arise, and it’s inevitable.

Research

Research skills are our ability to find an answer to a question or a solution to a problem.

Storytelling

Whether getting buy-in from an internal team, helping land a new client or simply presenting a new idea, the best creative talent knows how to tell a good story

Time-management

Time-management skills reflect how you structure your workday and use your time.

Writing 

Writing skills include all the knowledge and abilities related to expressing ideas through the written word. 

Conclusion

You need excellent non-technical skills to perform well be an asset to your employer. Those kinds of skills can be a part of the education from primary school to technical vocational education and training. It can also be a part of the training in the Universities. With good non-technical skills, the students will be employable. 


Lucubrate Magazine November 2021

The photo on top of the article: Adobe Stock


Teacher with students in mechanics working on the bike. Photo: Adobe Stock

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Karl Skaar
Mr. Karl Skaar

He is a highly successful professional with a high degree of entrepreneurial flair.

Roles:
- Responsible editor and publisher of the Lucubrate Magazine, Global
- Project Manager of the Lucubrate Project, Global
- Chairman of the Board of Directors of Norsk Kompetansebygging AS, Norway
- Chairman of the Board of Directors of Nobel Knowledge Building, Uganda

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