In 2030, which soft skills will (really) make the difference?

In more specific terms, what are we talking about? 

Creativity, teamwork, empathy and negotiation skills. Soft skills are those non-technical skills that affect how we work together, communicate, solve problems and manage our emotions. These skills are increasingly sought after by recruiters, as they're essential for talent and skills to develop, both at a personal and team level. To work with others, it's more and more important to be able to show emotional intelligence (we refer you to our article on the subject) to understand situations, manage your relationships with others and deal with the unexpected.

Thor's leadership, Elizabeth Harmon's analytical mind, Ban's resilience in Seven Deadly Sins... none of these characters would be the same without their soft skills. And the same goes for real people, too.  

The adaptability of an octopus (it's on Netflix)  

Machine Learning, Big Data, AI...New technologies are changing the way we work. It is estimated that by 2030, 30-40% of the day-to-day work of more than half of all occupations will be automated: employees will be supported by machines and digital technology in carrying out complex, dangerous or time-consuming tasks. In an ever-changing world, recruiters are therefore looking for new employees who can easily adapt to rapid changes and ever-evolving technologies. And of course, they also want to retain a human element in their teams.

We saw it with the Coronavirus crisis: overnight, millions of employees had to work from home. Companies are realising that they urgently need to find more agile employees who can work in a hybrid model and adapt quickly. Agility, flexibility, adaptability: if you have all these, you have a much better chance of being hired than with just a good uni degree.  

50 shades of communication  

The introduction of remote or hybrid working – half in the office, half at home – has also changed the way we communicate. There is more and more communication, via more and more channels, but it is often rather 'horizontal'. First of all, it forces us to master instant messaging tools (Zoom, Teams, Slack and so on). For someone who uses Snapchat, TikTok or Instagram, this may seem super easy. What's more complicated is how to adopt the right approach to using these tools. How do we leave a virtual meeting? How do we address our boss when instant messaging? In what situations are emojis appropriate? And GIFs? Camera on or off? Understanding these codes, which vary according to the company's culture and are subject to change, requires a great deal of adaptability and emotional intelligence.

If mastering digital communication is already an essential soft skill, this trend is only likely to continue as the use of various communication technologies increases.

We've all sent a message to a friend that came across better in person than in writing, resulting in a misunderstanding or even offence... Or, on the contrary, we've all thought that someone was cross because they ended their sentence with a full stop (we'd just forgotten they were over 35...). Communication is also about knowing how to reformulate or detect non-verbal communication, which is inevitably trickier from behind a screen. 

Critical thinking, creativity and leadership  

With the explosion of social networks, we're constantly confronted with information and opinions: it's now essential to know how to spot fake news (potentially generated by AI!). For recruiters, critical thinking – that is, the ability to sort, prioritise and distance oneself from information – will be one of the most in-demand skills by 2030, according to the World Economic Forum on the Jobs of Tomorrow. 

The other skills identified include creativity and leadership. On the one hand, creativity allows us to find alternative and original solutions when a problem arises. On the other hand, leadership refers to the ability to lead other individuals or organisations to achieve their goals. To quote Peter Parker's uncle (or incidentally, Roosevelt and Churchill), "with great power comes great responsibility".  

The Mad Max of Mad Skills  

Ok, normally at this stage of the article, you'd have mastered the list of essential soft skills of today and tomorrow. But there's still one category left on the list: Mad Skills.

What are they? Well, they're a new concept, straight from Silicon Valley, that combines the skills that make a person quirky, original or unique. While the corporate bigwigs used to make us tone down anything a little zany (unless you were in The Office), today some recruiters value these qualities, as they demonstrate a certain freedom of spirit. They are exceptionally useful at a time when we need to think outside the box, but should be taken with a pinch of salt, like everything that comes out of California: we don't want to be the next Silicon Valley Bank.