Universities are not only meant to provide subject knowledge and job-specific hard skills, but also foster the development of essential core skills increasingly valued by employers.
With the expression “soft” or “core” skills, we generally refer to human-centered, transferable competencies necessary to build a career and positive relationships, critically evaluate information, situations and problems, deal with challenges and adapt to different contexts.
Based on input and feedback collected from employers, Bocconi University has identified five essential, cross-disciplinary, and highly sought-after skills:
Adaptability, the ability to approach different situations and challenges with a flexible and positive attitude
Communication, the ability to convey information and feelings effectively either verbally, non-verbally or in written form
Critical thinking, the ability to analyse, evaluate and question information and opinions considering evidence and context
Problem-solving, the ability to define problems and find appropriate solutions
Teamwork, the ability to work with others in a productive and collaborative manner
In this libguide, we recommend resources such as books, journals and websites that can help you developing these skills.