Don't underestimate "soft skills"

A survey of 198 employers by Kaplan found that soft skills, including confidence and an ability to be analytical, were valued more than technical knowledge by graduate employers at the recruitment stage. When asked to rank a list of 30 competencies required or desired by employers, technical knowledge ranked 24th, while effective communication ranked first. Other soft skills, such as being a team player, ranked 3rd, confidence ranked 5th and the ability to be analytical ranked 6th. Ability in numeracy, however, was also ranked highly in 2nd.