You decided to attend Pinnacle Career Institute, picked a field of study and you’re well on you way to receiving the hands on education needed to start your new career.

However, those subjects learned in lectures and labs aren’t the only things need to be successful in today’s job market.  Having the necessary “soft skills” can be just as important to put students at the top of the hiring list.

• Face-to-face communication.  In an age where everyone texts, emails, instant messages, etc., the ability to communicate verbally and face-to-face with others seems to be on the decline.  To be successful in any career, you must be able to hold eye contact, smile, speak confidently and hold professional conversations with people.  Emails and texts don’t project tone and can be open for misinterpretation, so proper verbal communication is essential.

• Leadership.  You don’t have to be in a leadership position to be considered a leader.  However, you do have to take on tasks, lead discussions with critical thought and persuade others to a positive outcome.  Do you show initiative to complete projects and creativity for problem solving?

• Written communication.  When composing professional emails, memos, reports, etc. in a job, you must have the written skills necessary to communicate in a work place environment.  Texting abbreviations or emojis will not impress your boss or any future clients.

• Teamwork.  Being able to work well with others is critical.  It gives you the opportunity to depend on someone other than yourself and to be depended on by others.  In order to have successful teamwork you need to have effective communication, organization skills and trust.  In these situations the outcome is often critical to produce results, so it is very important to meet deadlines and goals.

Practicing these and other soft skills can start in the classroom.  At Pinnacle Career Institute, we encourage our students to treat school like their place of business.  Take the time to polish your soft skills with classmates, instructors, assignments and presentations.   You will not only stand out among the competition, but you could also be on the fast track to career promotions.