Soft skills / Cindi Reiman.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Reiman, Cindi, author.

Series:

--For dummies

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Soft skills.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (211 pages)

Place of Publication:

Hoboken, New Jersey : John Wiley & Sons, Inc., [2023]

Summary:

Soft skills make the hard skills work! Soft skills are the personal qualities that make you a great communicator, problem solver, and leader on the job--and in your personal life. Soft Skills For Dummies helps you hone in on the traits you already have--or fine tune the ones that may need some extra attention--to market yourself as a workplace leader who's in touch with what today's employers are looking for: people who can lead and inspire through interpersonal communication, cultural awareness, time management, teamwork, critical thinking, and problem solving. " Sharpen the skills you need for a successful career " Improve your ability to work with others " Become a more confident job seeker and leader " Grasp the concept of soft skills through real-world applications, inspirational stories, and industry spotlights With content based on a time-tested curriculum designed to prepare you for work and life success, this book is packed with everything you need to build your soft skills to make the strongest impact possible.

Contents:

Intro

Title Page

Copyright Page

Table of Contents

Introduction

About This Book

Foolish Assumptions

Icons Used in This Book

Beyond the Book

Where to Go from Here

Part 1 Laying Down a Solid Foundation with Soft Skills

Chapter 1 Seeing What Soft Skills Are All About

Where Do People Learn Soft Skills?

What Are Soft Skills?

Attitude

Character

Diversity and cultural awareness

Communication

Appearance and etiquette

Time management

Teamwork

Work ethic

Critical thinking and problem solving

Leadership

What's the Big Deal about Soft Skills?

How Do You Apply Soft Skills to Work and Life?

Chapter 2 Going Far with a Great Attitude

Accentuating the Positive

Recognizing the Importance of a Positive Attitude

Singing the praises of a positive attitude

Remembering your attitude determines your altitude

Taking an Attitude Check

Sporting a Positive Attitude: The Smart Choice

Looking on the bright side

Adjusting your attitude when your job brings you down

Offsetting others' negativity with your positivity

Developing a Positive Attitude from the Inside Out

Finding simple ways to nurture a positive attitude

Challenging yourself

Reversing negative thinking with positive affirmations

Self-esteem affirmations

Adversity affirmations

Affirmations for believing in yourself

Affirmations that support a positive attitude

Being your own best friend

Spinning Up an A+ Attitude

Exercise: Building an A+ Attitude

Looking at Real-Life Scenarios: A Ho-Hum Attitude Versus a Positive Attitude

Chapter 3 Cultivating Top-Notch Character Traits

Defining Character

Doing the right thing

Stepping on the character scale

Putting in the Work to Build Character

Filling your blank character slate

Making the best of challenging situations.

Grasping the Essence of Character

Employing positive character traits

Steering clear of negative character traits

Recognizing How to Make Character Count

Looking at Real-Life Scenarios: Character in action

Part 2 Going Even Further with Soft Skills

Chapter 4 Being Clear with Interpersonal Communication

Making all the Right Connections

Stepping on the Communication Scale

Getting Connected

Listening first, talking second

Framing the walls of disconnection

Completing the Connection with the Three Vs

Doing the math

Speaking from the heart

Becoming a Communication Champion

Talking about body language

Raising your voice

Using your words

Looking at Real-Life Scenarios: Understanding the Value of Listening

Chapter 5 Respecting Diversity and Developing Cultural Awareness

Defining Culture

Delving into dominant cultural patterns

Stepping Out of Your Cultural Comfort Zone

Diving beneath the Diversity Iceberg

Celebrating Diversity

Understanding individuals' differences

Accepting that seeing is not always believing

Saying No to Stereotyping

Stepping on the stereotyping scale

Recognizing how you stereotype

Looking at Real-Life Scenarios: The Newcomer

Chapter 6 Making an Impression with Your Appearance and Manners

Acing the Four-Second First Impression

Stepping on the Appearance and Etiquette Scale

Looking the Part: Why Appearance Matters

Putting your best foot (and face) forward

Dressing for success

Acting the Part: Why Etiquette Is Important

Shaking on it

Speaking volumes with manners

Sharing your positive energy

Walking your talk

Looking at Real-Life Scenarios: A Striking Difference

Chapter 7 Staying on Top of Things with Time Management

Stepping on the Time Management Scale

Taking Back Control of Your Time.

Trading being busy for being productive

Scheduling your time

Being accountable

Taking initiative

Giving up the excuses

Becoming the manager of your minutes

Looking at Real-Life Scenarios: Slow and Steady Wins the Race

Chapter 8 Navigating the Dynamics of Working with Others

Recognizing that Working as a Team Takes Work

Stepping on the teamwork scale

Building a Strong Team

Getting Your Team in Shape

Managing Team Conflict with Cooperation

Looking at Real-Life Scenarios: Picking a Dream Team

Chapter 9 Applying Critical Thinking to Problems

Defining Critical Thinking

Avoiding the lazy thinking rut

Stepping on the critical thinking scale

Cultivating Core Critical Thinking Skills

Thinking independently

Separating fact from opinion

Asking questions

Using open-ended questions

Asking "why?"

Evaluating bias, assumptions, and perspectives

Being open-minded and self-aware

Solving Problems Effectively

Looking at Real-Life Scenarios: What Were They Thinking?

Chapter 10 Building a Strong Work Ethic

Defining Work Ethic

Cultivating a Good Work Ethic

Stepping on the work ethic scale

Knowing the ten work-ethic character traits

Getting the job done with discipline

Relying on reliability

Dedicating yourself to greatness

Setting your own productivity standards

Cooperating is key

Having integrity

Taking responsibility

Practicing professionalism

Making it work with self-motivation

Being flexible

Putting a Good Work Ethic to Use

Embracing challenge

Taking accountability

Finding joy on the job

Making habits a habit

Finding your inspiration

Looking at Real-Life Scenarios: Loving It and Leaving It

Chapter 11 Leading from Anywhere in the Organization

Defining Leadership

Stepping on the leadership scale.

Knowing what a leader looks like

Sizing Up Leadership Skills

Leading with the big L

Leading with the little l

Creating a Leadership Legacy

Looking at Real-Life Scenarios: Taking the Lead

Part 3 Applying Soft Skills in Specific Situations

Chapter 12 Bringing Your Soft Skills to Life

Taking Soft Skills Personally

Making an inventory of your values

Zeroing in on your core values

Incorporating Soft Skills into Your Daily Life

Getting into character with attitude

Communicating by listening

Respecting diversity and culture

Looking and acting the part

Managing your time

Teaming up

Putting on your (critical) thinking cap

Leading the way to a satisfying life

Chapter 13 Showing Off Your Soft Skills to Prospective Employers

Preparing to Get a Job that Fits You

Applying Soft Skills to the Hiring Process

Looking good on paper: The resume

Looking good in person: The interview

Building confidence before the interview

Arriving early

Being prepared

Being presentable

Minding your manners

Being a closer

Following up on the interview

Part 4 The Part of Tens

Chapter 14 Ten Inspiring Soft Skills Phrases

Soft Skills Make the Hard Skills Work

Your Attitude Determines Your Altitude

Look the Part

Act the Part

Get the Part

Listen as Well as You Hear

Thinking Is Critical

Manage Your Time, or It Will Manage You

Hard Work Makes Life Easier

Character Counts

A Lot of Different Flowers Make a Bouquet

Teamwork Makes the Dream Work

Chapter 15 Ten Ways to Grow Your Soft Skills

Practice Makes Perfect

Do Some Research

Ask for Feedback

Sign Up for Classes

Set New Goals

Join the Party

Take Inventory

Get Comfortable Being Uncomfortable

Try, Try Again

Reward Yourself

Index

EULA.

Notes:

Includes index.

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

1-119-90657-1

OCLC:

1352041766