soft skills

British  

plural noun

1. desirable qualities for certain forms of employment that do not depend on acquired knowledge: they include common sense, the ability to deal with people, and a positive flexible attitude

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Example Sentences

That means workers in roles that typically require a lot of hard skills will need to buff up on soft skills.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 11, 2026

High-performing companies hire lots of people out of college, expose them to multiple roles and teach soft skills.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 24, 2026

In a warehouse, students learn the basics first: safety practices, identifying tools and materials, driving forklifts, and construction mathematics, and soft skills, like active listening, working on a team and work ethics.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 24, 2024

That could mean taking a new career path or starting a business, whether you have technical skills like being an expert coder or so-called soft skills like being empathetic or funny.

From Salon • Nov. 10, 2024

“I don’t think so. You need to work on some of your soft skills before I send you off to MIT. You need to be around your peers. Now, come on.”

From "The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl" by Stacy McAnulty