LangLit

IMPACT FACTOR – 5.61 ISSN 2349-5189

An International Peer-Reviewed Open Access Journal

THE NEED OF SOFT SKILLS FOR ENGINEERING PROFESSIONALS
MS. SMITA RANE
MA, English
Assistant Professor
Humanities and Applied Sciences
D J Sanghvi College of Engineering
Vile Parle (W) Mumbai 400056
India

ABSTRACT
In a transformation focused business environment, engineers with
demonstrable soft skills are the ones who get the jobs. Soft skills are the most
sought after skills in today’s era and are hence termed as “21st Century
skills”. The need to inculcate soft skills has become indispensable in order to
succeed in an ever challenging and competitive environment at global level.
Colleges are striving for creating employable engineers to meet the global
demands of technically and ethically sound professionals. Institutes pan India
are committed to train students in the areas associated with soft skills and
English Language Proficiency. Soft Skills Training is to help students to gauge
and promote various competencies of students, such that they excel in their
career. It further helps to identify and assist the students who require
additional support in enhancing their skills. This paper will focus on the need
of soft skills for engineering students and how students with good Soft skills
are more employable than their other counter parts.

Keywords: Soft Skills, Communication Skills, Engineering Students, Employability,

Professional Skills, Hard Skills

Introduction
Evolution of communication has been an ongoing process. Through the years communication
has underwent major changes. In prehistoric era communication was restricted to signs and
symbols, cave paintings, smoke and signals, carriers’ pigeons. It further evolved to the use of
alphabets, writing letters, telephone and so on. The invention of Printing Press radically
changed the way we communicate forever. Information was longer restricted as print media
made communication accessible and reachable to a wider range of people. With increasing
development in the field of technology the way we communicate changed drastically.
Technology redefined communication and Internet brought phenomenal changes in the mode
and transmission of messages. From an era where pigeons were used to deliver messages to
an advanced system where communication was just a click away, means of communication
changed for better. As Communication and the need to communicate became more
demanding the focus shifted to how we communicate than what mode we use for
communicating. The ‘’How’’ part of communication is to focus more on the effective
delivery of the message. With the advancing changes in Communication the way humans are
communicating has become more complex and a subject of study. Globalization brought the
world together and effective communication became the need of the hour. Globalization led

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IMPACT FACTOR – 5.61 ISSN 2349-5189

An International Peer-Reviewed Open Access Journal

to increased awareness about different aspects of communication. It also opened the doors of
cross-cultural communication that made professionals more conscious about communicating
in the right cultural context to their various counterparts all over the globe. Communication
was no longer a mere one to one interpersonal communication, it became enriched more with
being sensitive to the needs of the receiver. Being able to communicate effectively has hence
became one of the most important life skills to adapt with.

What is soft skills?

According to Wikipedia soft skills are a combination of people skills, social skills,
communication skills, personality traits, attitudes, and career attributes, social and emotional
intelligence quotient that enable people to navigate their environment, work well with others,
perform well and achieve their goals complementing hard skills. Soft skills can further be
characterized as skills that include communication abilities, language skills, personal, habits,
time management, and teamwork and leadership traits.

Difference between Hard skills and soft skills:

Hard skills Soft skills

Learnable and presentable skills, knowledge Character traits, personal and interpersonal
and qualifications skills
Computer programming Communication skills

Machine operations Leadership

Software operations Teamwork

Accounting Problem solving

Language proficiency Work ethic

Data analysis Adaptability

Design Empathy

Hard Skills are specific set of skills the recruiters are looking for. Every job advertisement
mentions the list of hard skills required for the job. If your resume doesn’t have the required
hard skills without them one will not pass the applicant tracking system and will miss out on
the interview as well. Soft skills on the other hand are those skills that one displays in their
attitude, behaviour. During an interview soft skills helps the recruiter differentiate between
you and the rest of the candidates possessing the same set of hard skills.

For example: Two programmes who are equally intelligent may write the code correctly;
but, what differentiates them is their attitude, positivity and interpersonal communication
skills that they use to explain the same to the recruiters. It is the right attitude that eventually
gets the opportunity.

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IMPACT FACTOR – 5.61 ISSN 2349-5189

An International Peer-Reviewed Open Access Journal

Need for Soft skills:

IT industry has created a big boom in the market. In many secto5rs new technologies mean
there are growing number of opportunities for individuals with the right training and
experience. It can therefore be frustrating when one thinks they have got a perfect CV but
don’t get an opportunity. This also applies for promotions in organisations when despite of
having all the right qualifications and technical abilities why is a person not able to grow
further or sustain a job or get a new job? Engineering students studying in core fields like
Mechanical, Production, Chemical Engineering etc. have limited growth opportunities in
India. For them its survival of the fittest. Core companies are not “Mass Recruiters” hence
students from the core branches need to display greater soft skills abilities to create better job
opportunities for themselves. One common career mistake engineers make is that they focus
only on their technical skills or hard skills largely ignoring soft skills. It’s time for students to
realise that soft skills are very important in almost all roles and industries. Following are
some of the most important soft skills for engineers to make themselves more attractive to the
employers. Soft skills will also help to improve their overall engineering abilities because soft
skills work, no matter what stage you are at in your career.

1) Communication Skills: It involves both the verbal and nonverbal aspects of

communication. Written communication in form of emails, reports are an integral part
of working professionals. Oral Communication in form of conducting meetings,
delivering presentations, taking and giving interviews, participating in brainstorming
discussions are a routine in professional life as well. Nonverbal aspects like body
language, dressing appropriately, posture, eye contact rather determines your
personality in the organisation. Professional who are able to exhibit these aspects of
communication are the ones who have large acceptance from their seniors and climb
the success ladder eventually. It is also important to display the art of listening
effectively in the organisation. Listening is the key to effective working relationships
among employees and between management and staff. The art of listening is about
finding out what the speaker things about something. When employees listen to one
another, they learn from one another. A free flow of ideas that are truly listened to can
lead to a workplace where employees are constantly learning from each other.
Engineering students are encouraged to listen effectively while they participate in
Group discussion or face job interviews. Listening accurately enhances their chances
of responding in a desired manner.

2) Leadership skills: Companies want employees who can supervise and direct other
workers. They want employees who can cultivate relationships up, down, across the
organizational chain; assess, motivate, encourage and discipline workers; build teams,
resolve conflicts, and help to create the desired culture. A very common question
which is asked to students during campus placement is “Do you have leadership
abilities?” Companies are interested in knowing if you can take responsibility for
yourself and also for the people you work alongside, if you can see the bigger picture,
set the example, and motivate others when things get tough. Students in engineering
colleges should be encouraged through Group discussions to hone these skills as it is a
stepping stone for them in the professional world.

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IMPACT FACTOR – 5.61 ISSN 2349-5189

An International Peer-Reviewed Open Access Journal

3) Team work: One of the biggest challenge in soft skills is the implementation of team
work. Different people with varied attitude and intelligence when are put together it
leads to disharmony and disturbed work culture. Hence, it is important to focus on the
value of team work amongst professionals. There are many engineering tasks that you
can do alone. Writing code is a good example of the same. Large projects cannot be
executed at individual level. Organisation needs strong team for delivering projects on
time and living up to its commitment and reputation. Unless an organisation fosters
team spirit it is highly impossible to get good results- for that one requires team and
by extension teamwork.

4) Problem Solving: Problem solving usually involves successfully considering the pros
and cons of each solution and find the path with the least risk involved. Interviewer
often consider problem solving skills during the recruitment process because they
show how candidates deal with challenges. The ability to use your knowledge to find
answers to pressing problems and formulate workable solutions will demonstrate that
you can handle and excel in your job. Hence people who display these characteristics
are highly valued in their organizations. During job interviews engineering students
are made to solve complex case studies only to understand their problem solving
abilities. The recruiter is able to judge the approach and logic a candidate applies
while analysing a problem.

5) Work Ethic: It is important for professionals to exude strong work ethics. Employees
are the face of an organisation. An unethical employee can cost dearer to the
company. Dealing with clients, being transparent to the organisation that one is
working for can be rewarding for the employee and to the organisation. Work ethics
are not just limited to exhibiting moral code of conduct but it also includes
punctuality, finishing task on time and in an efficient manner, being professional,
dressing appropriately, being polite and dependable. An employee that displays
negative attitude towards others and the organisation creates an environment devoid
of trust and ethics and destroys the culture of the organisation. It is therefore
important to make professionals aware about following the right attitude and develop
strong work ethics to succeed in their career.

6) Adaptability: Being adaptable means being a perpetual optimist and exhibiting

extraordinary resilience. Adaptability skills can be possessed both in attitude and
action, and one can’t exist without the other. Client requirements are becoming more
demanding with the rapid change in technology. Organisation, therefore are hiring
candidates who can exude high degree of adaptability. Interviews are conducted to
assess the candidates on their adaptability quotient. Organisation recruits candidates
who can fit with the culture, technology and various other challenging criteria they
have. Therefore it is important for the professionals to understand the need of the hour
and change and adapt according to the need of the organisation. Being willing and
able to quickly adapt to situations is a skill highly valued by employers. Engineering
students take up higher studies and travel to foreign universities in pursuit of higher
education

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IMPACT FACTOR – 5.61 ISSN 2349-5189

An International Peer-Reviewed Open Access Journal

7) Empathy: Empathy is the ability to step into someone else’s shoes, be aware of their
feelings and understand their needs. It encourages leaders to understand the root cause
behind poor performance. Being empathetic allows leaders to help struggling
employees improve and excel. Many organisations are focused on achieving goals and
targets no matter what it costs the employees, hence it is important to be empathetic.
Empathy plays a major role in the workplace for every organization that will deal with
failures, poor performance and employees who truly want to succeed. If we are able to
deal empathetically with our teammates they will build a strong and prosperous
organization.

Conclusion:
Soft skills are paramount for getting ahead in the workplace, which is why it has become
more than important for young professionals to display strong interpersonal skills when
looking for work. They may be able to get through an interview with the help of their hard
skills, but if they don’t exhibit good interpersonal or soft skills eventually their career will get
stagnant. It has become a need of the era to focus on grooming one’s self .Strong soft skills
ensure a productive, collaborative and healthy work environment, all crucial attributes for
organisation in an increasingly competitive world. As jobs get more automated traditional
skills like teamwork and communication will become more important than ever. It is
therefore important for one to realise that professionals should constantly look to improve
their social and soft skills.

REFERENCES
1) Kerr, Mathew. “Top 10 Hard skills Employers Love.” Resume Genius, Sonaga
Tech Limited, 6 June 2019. https://resumegenius.com/blog/resume-help/hard-
skills. Accessed 29 January 2020
2) Half, Robert. “Adaptability skills and why you need it.” Robert Half Limited,
21 March 2018. https://www.roberthalf.co.uk/advice/career-
development/adaptability-skills-and-why- you-need-it. Accessed 28 January
2020
3) “Performance tips: Developing a strong Work Ethic”. Cornerstone OnDemand.
https://www.cornerstoneondemand.com/performance-tips-developing-strong-
work-ethic . Accessed 26 January 2020
4) Feeney, Emer. “9 soft skills Engineers need to maximise career success.” SL
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need-to-maximise-career-success/ . Accessed 26 January 2020
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Vol. 6 Issue 3 156 February, 2020

Website: www.langlit.org Contact No.: +91-9890290602

Indexed: ICI, Google Scholar, Research Gate, Academia.edu, IBI, IIFC, DRJI