Intro to Computer Courses Benifits

1. Computer
Applications as
Soft Skill

2.  A skill is the ability, talent or competence to perform a task well or better
than average.
 There are essentially two types of skills: soft skills and hard skills.
 Hard skills are defined as technical skills while soft skills are the skills that
make an individual smart in dealing with himself ,others and the
situation. Soft skills are crucial to an employee’s ability to work better,
smarter and more effectively.

3.  The most important element in any organization is its human capital.
 With the advent of globalization and the resultant competition, more
and more corporations around the world are recognizing the fact that, in
order to gain competitive advantage, in addition to the technical
expertise, employees also required to possess `soft skills’.
 In an increasingly competitive world of business and industry, these skills
are not optional but it is the skills that determine individual performance,
leading to organizational excellence.
 Candidates who have both technical skills and soft skills are becoming a
hot cake for recruiters and organizations.
 Increasing importance of soft skills creates the context for this study.

4.  107 studies closely related to this topic of research were reviewed.
 Soft skills are crucial to a worker’s ability to work smarter. Business and
industry representatives have expressed considerable dissatisfaction with the
general level of preparedness of prospective entry-level employees. It was
found that more than half of young people leave school without the
knowledge or foundation required to find and hold a good job. (Alpern,
1997)1.
 Employers have serious concerns about the non-technical abilities of
graduates because this deficiency reduces their performance at work and
their ability to hold a job ( Wentling 1987) 3
 87% of persons losing their jobs or failing to be promoted were found to have
‘improper work habits and attitudes’ rather than insufficient job skills or
knowledge. The special focus needs to be given to reinforcing the value of
being able to refine their soft skills. (Beach , 1982)4

5.  This study reveals that components of soft skills can be classified
into three categories such as self management skills, people skills
and technology skills.
 Self management skills refer to the ability to manage one’s own intra
personal features such as attitude, emotions, personality, perception,
stress, etc for better personal effectiveness.
 Interpersonal skills mean the skill sets required to deal with other
individuals and also the ability to influence people’s behavior and
performance.
 Soft skills also include technical skills, which is now treated as an
essential generic competency for most job situations.This include
skills to handle technical gadgets like computers, mobile phone,
multimedia presentation tools, etc.

6. 1. Conformity to work ethics
2. Self confidence
3. Self discipline
4. Presence of mind
5. Positive attitude
6. Time management and punctuality
7. Self esteem
8. Self awareness
9. Adaptability/ Flexibility
10. Motivating self
11. Decision making/ Problem solving
12. Acceptance
13. Initiative
14. Managing non-verbal behaviour
15. Stress management
16. Assertiveness
17. Conformity to trends/ norms
18. Emotional consciousness
19. Control over temper
20. Managing own perception
21. Managing non-verbal behaviour

7. 1. Building trust and rapport
2. Creating relationship
3. Socialising skill
4. Maintaining relationship
5. Impressive speaking skill
6. Presentation skills
7. Motivating others
8. Team player skill
9. Decision making (group)
10. Agreeableness
11. Leadership
12. Courtesy
13. Listening
14. Delegation with respect
15. Generosity
16. Empathy
17. Forgiveness
18. Persuasiveness
19. Mentoring/ coaching skills
20. Negotiation skill
21. Promoting change
22. Appropriate use of power
23. Affectionate
24. Managing expectations
25. Counselling skills
26. Sensing other's non verbal behaviour
27. Managing other's perception
28. Conflict management
29. Managing remote relationships
30. Tolerance to criticism
31. Sensitivity to diversity

8.  Computer skills
 Mobile phones
 Email etiquettes

9.  The components of soft skills such as Self management skills,
Interpersonal skills and technology skills are measured and then
compared with performance index.
 There is significant relationship between performance index and
soft skills.
Attribute Self management
skills
People skills Technology skills
Performance
√ √ √
√ Association is significant × Association is not significant

10.  Job positions require frequent use of soft skills
 Soft skills can be classified into three broad categories, namely,
self management skills, Interpersonal skills, and technology
skills.
 There is strong link between soft skills and performance.
 This is a gentle hint to the youth and educators to equip to
ensure possession of soft-skills to increase the chances of
better employment and better performance at work.

11.  The results of this study are encouraging and we are extending our
work to study the factors behind the development of soft-skills,
training for developing soft skills, impact of soft-skills on the
human relations at work.