The Hard Truth About Soft Skills

November 5, 2007
Whether near the beginning or end of a career, Klaus (BRAG! The Art of Tooting Your Own Horn Without Blowing It
) sees future professional growth dependent upon identifying and correcting self-sabotaging interpersonal behavior. Klaus illustrates each behavior's professional importance with stories from her work as a career coach. These “soft skills†run the gamut from handling critics (including one's own internal critic) to bragging. Her practical advice is delivered in the conversational style of a one-on-one session with a personal coach. The learn-by-example counsel may be helpful for those entering such situations as annual performance reviews—whether giving or receiving them—and public speaking. The volume is recommended for those who are in need of a more personable approach to rising up professionally.

December 15, 2007
Research, conducted with Fortune 500 CEOs by the Stanford Research Institute International and the Carnegie Mellon Foundation, found that 75 percent of long-term job success depends on people skills, while only 25 percent on technical knowledge. So state Klaus and her coauthors, who set out to explore soft skills and their importance in career management. They define soft skills as personal, social, communication, and self-management behaviors, and we learn that lack of them often sink the promising career of someone with technical ability and professional expertise. They offer 54 important workplace lessons, including managing your career through knowing and controlling yourself; staying in control of your job, including time management, problem solving, and awareness of your words and manners; communication skills; clues on handling office politics; self-promotion; and diversity challenges. The authors offer important career management insights that will be helpful to a wide range of library patrons.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2007, American Library Association.)