As a professional, a significant part of your job involves dealing with people, both internal and external. For this reason, you must know how to relate with others effectively and this can be achieved when you have good personal attributes and interpersonal skills referred to as soft skills.

While you may argue that you already have these skills, recognition can be more evident through training and certification because through this you will be provided the knowledge, tools, processes, and techniques that you can use to enhance such skills. Most importantly, a soft skills certification is solid proof of your qualifications and this, in itself, is highly beneficial to you.

Who Needs It?

Anyone who has the time and resources to undergo hours of training is eligible for a soft skills certification. There are some companies that sponsor soft skills training for their people; if your company offers this, then, do not miss such a wonderful opportunity. Getting a soft skill certification will make you a better individual, and additionally, it would qualify you for a higher position in the workplace.

There are people, however, who really need to have a certification in order for them to be more eligible for certain positions. These are:

1. Soft Skills Trainers
In the same way as a lawyer needs a law degree to practice law, you also need to be a certified soft skills trainer to be able to train. You must know the “technical” aspects of soft skills- the techniques and the knowledge, in order for you to impart them to the people in your class.

2. Call Center Professionals
The call center industry is a service and support industry. Dealing with customers and clients over the phone, chat, or email every day is not an easy feat. You must possess a good number of soft skills such as empathy, listening, communication, initiative, and handling complaints to be able to do your job well. If you do not know these things, it would be difficult for you to put them to use. A soft skills training and certification will greatly help you in performing your responsibilities as a service and support professional.

3. Team Leaders, Supervisors, and Managers
People management is one of the most difficult jobs in the world. Being certified in soft skills through proper training or workshops will help you and qualify you when it comes to knowing how to effectively manage your people.

Benefits of Getting a Soft Skills Certification

You might be wondering why paying a good amount of money for soft skills certification is necessary. Here are the benefits that make certification valuable:

1. A soft skills certification gives you the edge over competition. In the recruitment process, especially, you will have a definite advantage over those who have no qualifications as you.

2. It makes you feel more confident about yourself. Just as a computer programmer feels certain about his skills when he has a CISCO certification, you would also be more certain of your “people” skills.

3. The certification will equip you with the necessary information and understanding of how to respond to a given situation, in thoughts, words, and deeds.

4. While experience is still the mother of all skills, recognition of your soft skills capabilities can only be made more concrete in the form of a certification. While you can always say that you have good leadership skills, getting certified will make it more “real,” so to speak.

5. It makes you more qualified for a higher position. If you have undergone soft skills training and have been certified for it, this can open new doors of opportunities for you.

6. You can become a mentor yourself, teaching and coaching others the knowledge, ideas, concepts, and techniques you have mastered from becoming soft skills certified.

Factors to Consider When Getting Soft Skills Certification

There are many online and offline institutions that offer soft skills certification. Before you or your company decides on which institution to choose, you need to consider some factors which will enable you to make a sound choice.

1. Make sure that the instructors or trainers have excellent qualifications. Find out who these people are and make sure they are certified themselves, with years of practice and experience.

2. Choose an institution that can tailor-fit the program to the industry or business that you belong to. If you belong to the call center industry, the institution should be able to provide trainings, seminars, or workshops based on the requirements needed by this particular industry.

3. Determine if all the needed soft skills are going to be covered in the training and certification.

4. Research on the credibility and reputation of this institution. Read customer feedback, if there are any, to find out if it is worth giving a try or not. You may also ask recommendations from people who have tried undergoing soft skills certification to find out which institution would best cater to your requirements.