Communication — it’s your competitive advantage.

How import­ant are com­mu­nic­a­tion skills in today’s business?

A study by Accen­ture shows com­mu­nic­a­tion skills top­ping senior exec­ut­ives’ most valu­able skills for busi­ness suc­cess list. These find­ings tally with most recent research. For example, take a look at the Grant Thor­ton report, where 55% of respond­ents cite lack of soft skills — com­mu­nic­a­tion, crit­ical think­ing, and prob­lem solv­ing abil­it­ies — as the most sig­ni­fic­ant chal­lenge in recruit­ing account­ing professionals.

But there’s a mis­match between what employ­ers and job seekers deem important.

A Cana­dian infographic high­lights the dis­par­ity: 67% of senior exec­ut­ives believe soft skills are miss­ing in can­did­ates; 35% of can­did­ates believe soft skills are import­ant. While busi­nesses are eager for improved soft skills — with com­mu­nic­a­tion skills often head­ing up their wish­list — job seekers haven’t fully cot­toned onto this.

Seems like a clear route to a com­pet­it­ive advantage!

How good are your com­mu­nic­a­tion skills?

Whether you’re an employee, job seeker, freelancer…or employer, brush up up you com­mu­nic­a­tion skills and you’ll be in demand.

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