viii Focus on Professionalism Soft Skills for the Workplace will help your students jump-start their career in the competitive work environment of the 21st century. To stand out in the employment crowd and compete for a chosen career, each person entering the workforce must develop essential soft skills. The unique approach to this text presents content in a format that is condensed, to the point, and can be completed in a brief amount of time. The easy-to-read style and meaningful applica- tions introduce behaviors for successful interac- tions with employers, coworkers, and customers. Just the Basics Each chapter introduces basic soft skills that are needed for career success as recommended by employers. The topics covered are some of the most requested essential workplace skills that can help students develop professionalism and suc- ceed in a chosen career. Learning Outcomes At the beginning of each chapter, learning out- comes define the goals that will be accomplished while reading the chapter. Each goal is aligned with the content headings, as well as with the summary at the end of the chapter. The align- ment of learning outcomes provides a logical flow through each page of the content so that stu- dents may build on individual knowledge as they progress through the chapters. Before You Read Each chapter begins with an activity to set the stage for the content to come. Through completion of a pretest in chapter one, an opportunity is pro- vided for students to evaluate their prior knowl- edge of soft skills. The chapters that follow include a video to bring realism and provide a relevant connection with content that has been learned. A posttest at the end of the text will help students evaluate what has been learned on completion of the content. Professionalism LEARNING OUTCOMES On completion of this chapter, prepare to: 1-1 Explain how hard and soft skills play a role in professionalism. 1-2 Define positive attitude. 1-3 Discuss the importance of a professional image.e.g CHAPTER 1 BEFORE YOU READ Before you begin reading this chapter, see what you already know about soft skills by taking a pretest. The soft skills pretest is available at www.g-wlearning.com/careereducation/6457 kurhan/Shutterstock.com 1 1 1 2 atti 3 2 Soft Skills for the Workplace Copyright Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Skills of a Professional Professionalism is the act of exhibiting appropriate character, judg- ment, and behavior by a person who is trained to perform a job. It is a per- son’s conduct while at work or representing an employer. Professionalism extends to every job, career, and industry. It doesn’t necessarily mean wearing a suit, but instead conducting oneself in a manner that exhibits responsibility, integrity, and excellence. A professional employee comes to work on time each day and per- forms job tasks in a productive manner. Professionals dress appropri- ately for their job, take responsibility for their behavior, and are good communicators. They also possess qualities of integrity, honesty, and a positive attitude. Someone who shows professionalism has the skills to perform spe- cific job tasks and works well with others. A skill is something an indi- vidual does well. Skills can be categorized as hard skills or soft skills. Hard Skills Hard skills are critical skills necessary to perform the required work- related tasks of a position. They are teachable, clearly defined, and can be measured. Examples of hard skills, also called job-specific skills, include the ability to perform accounting tasks, repair a computer, and change the brakes on a car. Additional examples are shown in Figure 1-1. Hard skills are acquired through work, education, training, or a combination of these experiences. The basic hard skills needed for a specific job are generally standard from business to business. For example, the hard skills required for an accounting clerk position would be very similar or the same at several different companies. Without possessing the required hard skills, an individual is unlikely to successfully perform a given job. When applying for a job, an interviewer will ask the candidate to identify and describe the hard skills that he or she possesses. The candidate may be required to demonstrate some of those skills as part of the interview process. For example, if applying for a job as an order processor, a keyboarding test may be part of the appli- cation process. The applicant’s hard skills are compared to the requirements for the job to see if that person meets the standards. Once a job is earned, acquiring new hard skills can be a way to earn promotions. Professionalism to every job, and industry. wavebreakmedia/Shutterstock.com Goodheart-Willcox Publisher Figure 1-1 Hard skills are critical skills necessary to perform the required work-related tasks of a position. Examples of Hard Skills • accounting • automotive repair • barbering • business management • carpentry • commercial driving • computer programming • data mining • editing • electrical engineering • graphic designing • keyboarding • manufacturing plant operations • marketing • network security • nursing • pipefi tting • speaking a foreign language • tax preparation • welding