Dr.

Arjun Singh
M.Sc., M. Lib. Sc., Ph.D.
Library & Information Officer (Retired)
Mail: asingh0107@gmail.com
Mobile: +91-9329177070
Prologue
For achieving success with value addition
in services, one needs to have various
skills.
The traditional role of LIS professionals
has been metamorphosed into 21st century.
LIS professionals are facing huge
challenges due to multiplicity of users
approach, variety of documents and ever
changing IT environment.
It is necessary to acquire and execute Soft
Skills in addition to Professional Skills for
smart results.
Skill
A skill is the ability to carry out a task
with pre-determined results often within a
given amount of time, energy, or both.
The ability to do something well.
Skill
Types of Skill:

Hard Skills acquired through completing

formal education. e.g. Certificates
Technical Skills essential to perform a
particular job. e.g. Employability skills
Professional Skills expertise in
professional knowledge. e.g. Teaching
skills.
Life Skills enriching the inner most
qualities. e.g. Yoga, meditation
Soft Skills A sociological term used for
denoting the cluster of personality traits.
Hard Skills
Hard skills are skills relating to a specific
task or situation. These skills are easily
quantifiable unlike soft skills, which are
related to one's personality.

Technical or functional abilities that apply

directly to the given job/ assignment.

It is a phrase usually used to describe job

specific skills.
Soft Skills
Personal attributes that enable someone to
interact effectively and harmoniously with other
people.

Soft skills are a combination of inter-

personal people skills, communication
skills, character traits, attitudes, career
attributes and emotional intelligence quotient
(EQ) among others that enable people to
effectively navigate their environment, work well
with others, perform well, and achieve their goals
with complementing hard skills.

Kind of essential personal skills and social

capabilities people need to be able to do in most
of the jobs.
Soft Skills
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.
The Collins English Dictionary

Soft skills are important job-related skills

that involve little or no interaction with
machines and whose application on the job is
quite generalized.
Dr. Whitmore, 1972
Hard Skills v/s Soft Skills

Hard Skills Soft Skills

Usually takes smarts or IQ. e.g. Usually takes emotional
Math, Science (Principles) intelligence or EQ

Rules stay the same regardless Rules change depending on the

of the situation situation

Can be acquired in schools and Not taught/ acquired well in

directly applied schools. It is on job learning by
trail and error
Characteristics of Soft Skills
1. Rules are not in black and white

2. Equally valuable and applicable to each

situation

3. Mastering is an on going journey.

4. Difficult to measure
List of Skills to Work Smart
There are 28 soft skills listed as essential to
any career success. These can be broadly
grouped under Following two categories:

Self Management Skills

People Skills
List of Self Management Skills
Self-Management Skills address how we
perceive ourselves and others, manage our
personal habits and emotions and react to
adverse situations.

1. Growth mindset
2. Self-awareness
3. Emotion regulation
4. Self-confidence
5. Stress management
6. Resilience
7. Skills to forgive and forget
8. Persistence and perseverance
9. Patience
10.Perceptiveness
List of People Skills
People skills address how to best interact and work
with others so as to build meaningful work
relationships, influence others perception. These
are further grouped in two categories.

A. Conventional - Skills found in most JD

1. Communication skills
2. Teamwork skills
3. Interpersonal relationship skills
4. Presentation skills
5. Meeting management skills
6. Facilitating skills
7. Selling skills
8. Management skills
9. Leadership
10.Mentoring / coaching skills
List of People Skills
B. Tribal People skills not found in any job
descriptions and these are as under:

1. Managing upwards
2. Self-promotion skills
3. Skills in dealing with difficult
personalities
4. Skills in dealing with
difficult/unexpected situations
5. Savvy in handling office politics
6. Influence / persuasion skills
7. Negotiation skills
8. Networking skills
Soft Skills For LIS Professionals
Requirement of soft skills is fundamental.
Following are some of the significant soft skills that
are required for success for library professionals:
i. Listening skills
ii. Communications skills
iii. Interpersonal skills
iv. Writing skills
v. Project management skills
vi. Presentation skills
vii.Public relations
viii.User service
ix. Leadership skills & Teamwork
x. Negotiating skills
xi. Teaching skills
xii.Ability to see the bigger picture
xiii.Awareness of technology
Epilogue
It is found that soft skills are directly related
to varying personality traits, the list of soft
skills appears never ending.
The mentioned soft skills are not complete and
the number is innumerable.
Fitting application with combination of hard
and soft skills is the key to the professional
success.
The profession has been able to prove its metal
in facing the onslaught of changes in past and
most of the professionals have successfully
acquired these skills.
Instead of shying away, we need to understand
the importance of soft skills and make a modest
but sincere beginning to the ongoing journey of
professional excellence.
Thank You!