Immersive training and self-reflection can help students and new graduates develop and assess in-demand soft skills.GETTY IMAGES
First, strap on your headset.
You’ll find yourself looking at an office environment, where a digital replica of another human being is seated across from you, ready to conduct a mock job interview.
An artificial intelligence application will turn this from a scripted practice session to something more like a real-world conversation and provide feedback afterward on how you handled yourself.
This might feel like a glimpse into the future of recruitment, but students at George Brown College are already experiencing this technology firsthand. Developed by the U.K. firm BodySwaps in collaboration with Toronto-based Tapvigo, it helps students assess the way they communicate and even take anti-racism training.
Michael Avis, Tapvigo’s founder and president, describes the virtual reality (VR) tool as a “flight simulator” for soft skills development.
“It’s the ability to practice difficult concepts in your own space and a sense of psychological safety before going out and doing it in real life,” says Mr. Avis, who is also a former George Brown instructor. “Traditional soft skills development has been where you go onto a computer, you watch a video and you mimic that. The VR headset makes you feel immersed in the space – like you’re talking to a real person.”
It may sound ironic that technology will make us better at engaging with each other, but recent research from Scouts Canada suggests it’s sorely needed for those entering the work force. Its survey found that 91 per cent of Canadians are concerned about kids and young adults aged 10-21 having no soft skills. As a result, 34 per cent are not confident that students and recent grads in their lives will be able to get good jobs in the future.
Defining and assessing your soft skills
Part of the problem may be a lack of understanding of what soft (or human) skills are. Connie Wansbrough, chief executive officer of Toronto-based skills coaching agency Skillpod, says soft skills go beyond merely communicating. They also encompass how you deal with ambiguity, uncertainty and challenges, as well as your approach to collaboration and self-direction. Employers often hint at or explicitly call out these kinds of soft skills in job descriptions, Ms. Wanbrough says. When students or recent grads apply for a job, they should note these beforehand and conduct what she described as 360-degree assessment. This is an exercise in asking those closest to you, including family and friends, to rate you on those skills based on a five-point scale.
“Don’t stop there, though – ask them to provide you with an example of where they saw you using that skill, either positively or negatively,” she says.
Once you’ve gotten a better sense of how developed your soft skills are, Ms. Wanbrough advises bringing them to life on your LinkedIn profile through your summary, in posts you write or even in videos you upload to the service.
Entry-level jobs tend to emphasize soft skills such as initiative, coachability and having a “growth mindset,” she adds, so be prepared to show how you put these in practice.
What starlings can teach us about soft skills
Alnoor Damji, a Calgary-based career coach who speaks regularly about soft skills, says the stories students and recent grads share about classwork and volunteer roles should be tailored to showcase their soft skills. “No matter what story you’re telling, go beyond the situation focus on the action you took, and most importantly the result of that action,” he says.
Mr. Damji suggests there’s a lot we could learn from studying the behaviour of starling birds as they fly in cohesive groups through the night sky, a process known as “murmuration.” It’s a good metaphor to describe how employers expect you to apply your soft skills, he says.
“What they’re doing is looking at the six closest birds next to them, and if there is a little change in how they fly or the direction, they adapt to that,” he says. “Our world is constantly changing and talking about how you deal with those split-second changes can say a lot about your adaptability.”
Employers may not always explicitly ask about soft skills in a job interview but they’re likely assessing them instinctually, notes Ms. Wanbrough. That’s why it’s best to be honest. Many employers realize those entering the job market are looking for mentoring and coaching as part of their career journey.
“If you come into the workplace with a level of self awareness and say, ‘I can bring these things but I’m still working on these pieces,’ it just gives the employer so much more information about how they can guide you,” she says.