Mirko Sander

Soft skills are indispensable skills that are required in most professions, as they are mostly part of everyday professional life.

While hard skills are the skills that qualify you for your job and that you have learned during your studies and in previous jobs, for example, soft skills are more social skills that you take up outside of school and work.

Many of these skills are often seen as a requirement in job postings. You read about communication skills, motivation and flexibility and think “Of course, I can do everything”. But what it actually looks like in the job and what exactly the implementation of skills means for a company differs from company to company. In principle, soft skills should be skills that you learn in daily dealings with people and that do not require a learning process as for hard skills. So how do you know that you actually have the soft skills you need?

You are probably already doing something that develops your soft skills. After all, we learn many skills that help us on the job in our free time. This is exactly why it is important to look for mental and physical balance outside of work, because switching off after work and on the weekend makes us more productive during the working week. Anyone who only deals with work and gets through the day mainly with coffee will at some point no longer be able to concentrate or think creatively. A good balance between work and life is therefore not only beneficial for yourself, but also for your job. A soft skill that everyone automatically learns with an activity that is regularly practiced outside of their job is motivation or the ability to be enthusiastic about something, even if it involves effort.

But what leisure activities are there that are not only fun, but also practical at the same time that make the job easier?

If you can play an instrument, you automatically learn some skills that are useful for the job. It promotes concentration and creative thinking. Instrumental lessons mean that you learn to deal with criticism and implement suggestions for improvement. Anyone who is part of an orchestra or a band or who often plays in front of an audience also learns how to deal with stress. Either way, no matter how ambitious you are, it takes a lot of discipline.

It’s probably no surprise that team sports teach you a lot of useful things for your job. Above all, of course, is the ability to integrate into a team and work together. Communication skills go hand in hand with the ability to work in a team. But of course you learn even more, which can make everyday working life much easier: You learn to deal with criticism and conflicts, because it is completely normal that not everyone in a team agrees; it doesn’t matter whether you’re standing on the soccer field or sitting in the office. Team sport also requires ambition or fighting spirit and increases resilience and endurance.

If you would like to try a new sport and still need inspiration, we have put together an article with the most unusual sports.

Yoga and meditation have become increasingly popular, especially in recent years, and for good reason. On the one hand, it is movement, which after a long day at the desk in the office helps to stretch and stretch the body a little. Above all, you also learn to let go of external circumstances and to concentrate. Focusing on deep and concentrated breathing automatically makes you more relaxed. This principle can also be used in the office to relax in stressful situations.

Cooking is an activity that has many benefits. Those who cook themselves will probably have a healthier diet and learn to be open to unfamiliar foods or international cuisines. You can also save a lot of money as it is often cheaper to buy groceries and take prepared meals to the office instead of going to the canteen every day to get your lunch. Cooking also teaches you to be creative, plan your time and stay organized. Those who like to cook also know that you have to do and consider a lot at the same time. That’s why you also practice coping with stressful situations while cooking.

Volunteering can be very broad, which is why you learn many soft skills here. Often times, volunteering means working with other people. You automatically learn to communicate. In addition, voluntary work requires a special level of motivation and above all empathy or empathy – both qualities that employers value.

Many people say they would like to learn more languages ​​and, especially in the world of work, it is now often assumed that one has mastered at least one other foreign language. You have to do this hobby regularly and over a long period of time, but whoever manages it shows a high degree of discipline and perseverance. But also everyone who does not go beyond basic knowledge shows that they are interested in other cultures, which is particularly valued in international companies.

Video or computer games are one of those hobbies that are best avoided on your resume. It depends a lot on what kind of games you are into. If you like to play Sims for hours, you probably won’t learn a lot, which is also useful at work. It’s completely different with multiplayer games, because it’s similar to team sports. You learn to work with others in a team and of course also to communicate effectively. If the game also requires strategy, you practice your organizational skills and strategic thinking. Since you usually want to win, you also show your fighting spirit, which is repeatedly put to the test with new challenges – so you also promote your own stress management at the same time.

In the age of the internet we mustn’t forget blogging either. Regardless of whether you are writing about your favorite recipes or your blog is more of a digital diary – writing always requires creativity and the ability to put thoughts into words, which improves your own communication skills. If you also share your blog with strangers, one or two negative comments cannot be avoided. While this can be tough, it also means learning to deal with criticism and conflict.