Often, candidates with soft skills are in high demand for many industries and job types and they’re essential for success in any workplace. According to Wikipedia, “these skills can include social graces, communication abilities, language skills, personal habits, cognitive or emotional empathy, time management, teamwork and leadership traits.”

Soft skills are much different than hard skills, which are directly related to your job. For example, a carpenter knows how to use framing squares and operate a power saw, which are hard skills; the way he communicates with customers is a soft skill. 

It doesn’t matter which job you apply for—you need soft skills to become successful. Here is a list of 30 soft skills your employer will likely value:

1. Strong work ethic
2. Professionalism
3. Positive attitude
4. Communication skills
5. Leadership skills
6. Self-motivation
7. Loyalty
8. Time management skills
9. Flexibility
10. Project management skills
11. Self-confidence
12. Ability to accept constructive criticism
13. Presentation skills
14. Public speaking skills
15. Ability to learn quickly and thirst for knowledge
16. Logical and analytical thinking
17. Problem-solving skills
18. Creativity
19. Decision making
20. Dealing with difficult situations
21. Social skills
22. Team mentality
23. Dedication
24. Punctuality
25. Reliability
26. Resilience
27. Results-orientation
28. Emotional intelligence
29. Adaptability
30. Strong organizational skills

If you have the soft skills from the list, consider adding them to your resume to let your potential employer know.

Many people don’t have appropriate soft skills, but that doesn’t mean you can’t learn them. If you need to bridge a soft skills gap, consider reading the book “Bridging the Soft Skills Gap: How to Teach the Missing Basics to Today’s Young Talent” by Bruce Tulgan.