As Generation Z — those born after 1996 — prepares to enter the workforce, they have many challenges ahead of them. This future generation is job hunting amidst a global pandemic, when the world’s economy is struggling to recover and the job market is tight. It has never been more important for universities to supply their graduates with every possible skill and advantage to give them a competitive edge and a leg up in their early career. One critical piece of this preparedness puzzle? Soft skills. Employers demand them, and experts say there’s a growing gap in the soft skills one needs to be successful in the workforce, and the skills students actually enter the workforce with. Universities have a unique and important role to play in bridging this soft skills gap.

A Tallo Survey Suggests Gen Z Is Aware of the Soft Skills Gap

First off, it’s important to note that the problem is not a lack of awareness on Gen Z’s part. In a recent Tallo survey of over 2,400 Gen Z students, 92% reported that they are able to confidently identify which soft skills they have. What’s more, they know that soft skills are critical to their success in the workplace. When we asked Gen Zers if they believed that soft skills or hard skills are more important for success in the current economy, nearly three-quarters chose soft skills, such as critical thinking, analysis, problem solving, leadership, and communication.

LinkedIn CEO @jeffweiner says the largest professional skills gap right now is in the area of soft skills – the stuff robots can't do yet. https://t.co/92EUorzCNO pic.twitter.com/MZMh5u4RKu

— Vala Afshar (@ValaAfshar) November 15, 2020

Since awareness of soft skills isn’t an issue, universities should instead focus on helping Gen Zers translate those skills they’ve developed as students into soft skills that will be attractive for potential employers. Until this happens, there will always be a soft skills gap. We all know the infamous interview questions that employers are likely to ask during the application process: How do you work in a team setting? How do you demonstrate leadership? What is your communication and problem-solving style? These questions may be intimidating to Gen Zers who have never held a full-time job before. To remedy this and build their confidence, one step universities can take is to help their students understand how the soft skills they’re developing in class and during school projects will translate to their future role in the workforce. For example, the critical thinking abilities students develop while taking tests and completing group projects are exactly what future employers want them to utilize on the job.

How Universities Can Help Graduates Bridge the Gap

In order to maximize a student’s skills development, it’s important for mentors and faculty members to meet Generation Z where they’re at. We asked Gen Z about their preferences for developing their soft skills in our recent Tallo survey, and the number one method was by “stepping outside of their comfort zone.” However, they are not fond of developing their skills by merely observing others — that was at the very bottom of their preferences list. Universities can embrace this willingness to try new things and an enthusiasm for diving into the unknown by facilitating interactive, hands-on skills training. It’s clear that Gen Zers will respond better to active skills development over a more passive method.

As universities help Gen Z students translate their abilities into employable soft skills, they must remember to highlight the strengths that are unique to this youngest generation. We asked Gen Z students which new soft skill they’ve developed during the pandemic, and nearly half (46%) selected adaptability. Rather than being completely overwhelmed by the circumstances of the past year, the future generation has harnessed those challenges into developing a new strength that will serve them well as they enter the workforce.

An Uphill Battle

Despite these unique advantages, Generation Z will likely need to work harder to disprove the misconception with older generations in the workforce that their comfort level with technology has caused an inability to develop interpersonal relationships. Some experts state that an overuse and over-reliance of technology on Gen Z’s part has contributed to the skills gap, but Generation Z disagrees. When we asked, 72% of Gen Z said they don’t believe technology has weakened their ability to maintain strong interpersonal relationships or develop people skills. Universities have the chance to help Gen Z showcase their ability to develop interpersonal relationships, a critical skill that should be transferable from school to the workplace. Combined with their unique position as digital natives, this can be a very attractive combination for potential employers.

In short, universities are well positioned to minimize the soft skills gap and set their students up for success in their future careers. University is a time of concentrated growth for most students, and Generation Z is ready and willing to challenge themselves and step outside of their comfort zone to better position themselves in today’s difficult job market. The key for universities is to instill confidence in the skills that Gen Zers have already developed, teach them to transfer those from the classroom to the workplace, and provide direction for how to seek out training for any skills they lack.

Casey Welch is the co-founder and CEO of Tallo.

Featured Image: The Creative Exchange, Unsplash.

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High school is an important phase developmentally for all people, as it lays the groundwork for a healthy adulthood. These are the years when kids master mature thinking, goal-setting, relationship-building, and critical thinking. They’re also the years when they start solidifying their core characteristics or the “soft skills” that make them who they are and make them desirable to hiring managers.

These soft skills — the non-measurable, interpersonal skills and characteristics of a person — are just as important as the “hard skills” we gain from studying so hard and getting good grades for four years. Where foreign languages, math skills, and technology know-how are considered core hard skills that make you technically qualified for a job, soft skills like being a team player and having good communication make you more likely to get hired.

10 Soft Skills to Learn in High School

Because of this, one of the best pieces of career advice to give to your high-schooler (or yourself, if you’re the high-schooler) is to focus as much on those soft skills as the SAT scores, grades, and awards that will eventually be put on college applications. Explore the list of soft skills below to discover some great ones to hone.

Collaboration

High school is often the first time a person is asked to work in a group for a project or presentation, and the experience can be genuinely formative. In group work, kids naturally sort themselves out — leaders emerge while the less-engaged fade into the background — and discover their strengths and weaknesses as they pertain to working with others. The ability to collaborate and be a team player is crucial in the modern workforce, so it’s definitely a skill to master.

Self-Confidence

Similarly, high school kids spend much of their time in exploratory phases that may lead to strong or weak levels of self-confidence. Positive reinforcement and encouragement of self-exploration help kids grow into strong, self-assured adults who trust themselves when trying new things. Sports, hobbies, and time with friends all help students build up their self-confidence.

Critical Thinking

The earliest instances of critical thinking tend to happen in the pre-teenage years, and it’s important that parents and teachers foster them. This skill is all about having the ability to question oneself and others, and to understand that not everything is as it looks or seems. Critical thinking is thought to help students better navigate their entire lives, even after they graduate.

Work Ethic

Research shows that establishing work ethic through chores in childhood can lead to success and greater responsibility in adulthood. The pre-college years are vital in helping youngsters build a positive relationship with the things they may not necessarily want to do — tasks around the house, homework, etc. — and this helps them find joy in these things so they continue to do them.

Leadership

Whether or not a person’s leadership style is forged by nature or nurture is debated, but we do know that some people aren’t “natural-born” leaders and some show leadership signs early in childhood. Regardless, all students have the potential to become leaders in those formative years, especially in high school. High-schoolers hone leadership in programs like sports, debate club, peer tutoring, community service, the arts, and student government.

Communication

Throughout their time in grades nine through 12, students need to learn how to communicate with one another. Good communication skills are practiced through conversation, listening, speaking, and writing, but also through empathy and introspection. The most desirable employees and most impressive college applicants tend to have solid written and verbal communication skills.

Creativity

Though kids learn and explore creative concepts long before they get to high school, the high school years are when they tend to advance into more complex ideas. Students who show interest in creative endeavors should be encouraged, while students who struggle in this area should know that it’s worth the time to find at least one creative outlet that piques their interest.

Good Listening

Being a good listener is one of those personality traits that few people are actually taught. But it’s also one that makes a massive difference in interpersonal relationships, emotional maturity, and the ability to feel empathy. Good listening goes beyond conversation, too. Lengthy lectures and presentations require a keen ear, and that will get you far long after you graduate from high school.

Self–Monitoring

Self-monitoring refers to one’s ability to measure and compare certain behaviors against a standard and then make efforts to change or control the self. It also refers to how well an individual adapts to social situations.In other words, it involves being self-aware and having the desire to constantly self-improve and meet the social needs of the situation. The ability to self-assess one’s own behavior and approach it with critical thinking can help build leadership, social skills, emotional regulation, and adaptability.

Self-Acceptance

As important as it is to know how to properly adapt to certain environments and emotions, it’s also key for high school students to learn how to accept themselves wholly, especially if they do not fit the mold or standard of what’s demonstrated around them. Accepting the self leads to higher levels of self-esteem, which in turn leads to more motivation and a more positive attitude.

A Lifelong Pursuit

Keeping these soft skills in mind is essential when building a career or trying to reach a goal of any sort. However, the difference between soft skills and hard skills is that soft skills are not easily measured or mastered. Yet, like hard skills, they require practice and can be bettered by good examples. For most people, building a strong repertoire of soft skills is a lifelong pursuit that begins in early high school and extends throughout life.

Featured Image: Alyssa Ledesma, Unsplash.

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