iii Preface The second edition of Soft Skills for the Workplace is an overview of basic behaviors, etiquette, and protocol that a career-minded person needs in order to communicate effectively as a professional. Soft skills are the employability skills that help an individual find a job, perform well in the work- place, and gain success in a job or career. In today’s workplace, employers look for people who have job-specific skills to perform on the job as well as the know-how to interact with coworkers and customers. You may be the most qualified person in your field in terms of hard skills, but if you lack soft skills, you may have a challenge finding and retaining employment. Soft Skills for the Workplace presents the major interpersonal skills requested by today’s employers. Presented in one easy-to-use text, you will learn the basic soft skills needed for career success. By studying Soft Skills for the Workplace, you will gain understanding of the value of master- ing the art of professionalism for your chosen career. Learning how to embrace and apply accepted workplace protocol is the first step toward personal success. Soft skills are the new hard skills for the 21st century. How to Use This Text Soft Skills for the Workplace is a nontraditional approach to learning basic employability skills needed in today’s workplace. By studying this text, you will learn the soft skills that employers recommend, and require, of employees. Learning how to interact professionally with customers, coworkers, and employers is one sure way to prepare for a career. As you make your way through the chapters, try to relate each topic to how you can improve your soft skills. By following these suggestions, you can make the most of what you learn in this text. • Read the outcomes listed in the chapter opener. Each outcome is tied directly to the head- ings within the content. In addition, they are repeated in the chapter summary and applied in the end-of-chapter activities. The connection of outcomes throughout the content helps you focus and apply important information as you read each chapter. • Pay attention to the illustrations. Each illustration is strategically created to highlight important information. By studying these, you will extend your learning and improve reten- tion and application of the content. • Read each case in the chapter and focus on the subject and event that lead to the situation. Relate the behavior to other examples with which you are familiar and how these behaviors are detrimental to a person’s image. • Complete the end-of-chapter activities. By doing so, you will be able to self-assess your learning. This self-reflection is important to helping you improve your professionalism for the workplace.