HOW WOMEN SHOULD ACQUIRE BOTH THE HARD SKILLS AND SOFT SKILLS IN AN ORGANIZATION?
The condition of women in India has always been a concern. She is in threat from the womb to the tomb. The threat of foeticide when in the womb, the threat of getting abused – mentally, physically at any stage of life till she survives. For the past few years, women have been trying to fight for equal status but are unable to get on par with men; in society, in the workplace, etc.
The rig Vedic era was the one where both genders were at par, with time, the medieval era saw a fall in inequality for women and after independence, women could be seen in many top positions like president-ship, prime minister-ship, the speaker in Lok sabha, in the UNGA office, etc. Even though some women get a chance to make their place in the top office, many women face atrocities like rape, acid attack, molestation, etc. daily.
As we all know, Indian society in ancient times was divided into 4 categories or varna; Brahmin, Kshatriya, Vaishya, and Shudra. The Brahmins performed all the pious works of the kingdom and were appointed as Raj purohits. Kshatriya usually looked after the defense and weapons of the kingdom. Vaishya was given the trade portfolio whereas the Shudra’ did all the menial work. The varna or category difference has continued since then, even though we are about to celebrate 75 years of independence, there are traces of these divisions and other vertical reservations still prevail.
The vertical reservations include that for women, scheduled tribes, scheduled classes, and other backward classes. These reservations were made during the Independence of India keeping in mind the condition of the distressed back then. With time, many legislation of the parliament have tried to uplift the distressed class and they have been successful to some extent, but still, in many nooks and corners of the nation, there are instances where women’s situation is deteriorating and they are deprived of their basic rights.
When the foundation is established in a manner that tends to limit the growth of women, it is hard to achieve gender equality. Women usually accept the fact they shall never be put on par with men in society, the workplace, and any sphere of life. Culture is a living entity, it can be upgraded, amended, transferred, and imitated from any other country or society. Since westernization occurred, there has been a wave of awareness and confidence among women. Different women-centric laws have been made keeping in mind the deteriorating conditions women had been facing.
Social media, awareness, education, self-help groups, etc. have increased manifold over the past few years. This has introduced a whole new culture and needs to change the old school of thought where patriarchy and chauvinism existed. Gender is related to culture in a manner that pre-decided work for both women and men is set. There are least chances of amendment in it. The strong, powerful, and top position work should always be done by men in the society and the caregiver task, doing all the household chores and doing the easier task is kept completely for the women. Now that women's empowerment has seen an upsurge and women are handling many top positions in different sectors, the culture has amended with time. Although at distant places in the country, women are still denied rights to decision-making, face domestic violence, and have less autonomy.
HERE ARE A FEW HARD SKILLS THAT WOMEN CAN ACQUIRE IN AN ORGANIZATION – whenever you are applying for a particular job, the employer requires you to have a specific degree and certificate course for the seat. The eligible one undergoes a few processes for short-listing and getting selected for the post. Hard skills are certain technical abilities or skills which can be measured and be helpful to fit the job. Hard skills include the ability to read, write, do math, computer programs, etc. Here are a few hard skills categorized as per the demand of the employer –
· Creative thinking – with creativity, any person can bring innovation and progress to the table. Creative thinking helps break barriers and unorthodox thoughts when put into action. Not only does the hiring process end at having just creative thinking, but it also requires a proper manner to be delivered effectively. Creative writing, the ability to solve problems, and communicating effectively are further processes that can enhance one’s hard skills and increase the chances of recruitment and standing apart from the crowd.
· Problem-solving – having a degree and a certificate can be a primary condition for joining an organization, but it is a long process to sustain one. Certain hard skills are required for a person to stand apart from others and they include problem-solving. A proposal for a project is an innovative thing, but if any glitches occur, to be able to solve the issue is true art. Many employers are impressed with their employees who can find the problem, give the solution and implement it in the right manner.
· IT skills – the industrial revolution 4.0 has arrived, and almost all sectors have become digitized. The proper use and awareness of each part of the computer – hardware, and software are required. A few of the most important Information Technology skills are Coding languages like python, PHP, .NET, etc. One should also have knowledge of operating systems like Linux, windows, android, IOS, etc. With the increasing use of online platforms, the security should also be foolproof, network security like cloud security, malware analysis, and data–file encryption are required in any organization that has day-to-day online work.
HERE ARE FEW SOFT SKILLS THAT WOMEN CAN ACQUIRE IN AN ORGANIZATION – apart from the technical side, having a degree, certificates, and experiences with certain soft skills help the employer identify the correct employee for the post. Whenever there is a tie in selecting any one candidate out of two for a single vacant post, employers nowadays are shortlisting the right one with soft skills. According to the LinkedIn Global Talent Trends report, 92% of talent acquisition professionals reported that soft skills are equally or more important to hire than hard skills. Here are a few soft skills that should be in aspiring women applying for jobs in an organization-
· Attitude – no matter how educated the employee may be, if they do not possess the right attitude for the post, it is of no use. A positive, problem-solver, and cooperative attitude is always welcomed by employers. Women should always try to work on soft skills along with their hard skills.
· Leadership quality – it is difficult for a woman to reach a high position in a short period is a huge task. Women with great leadership qualities and teamwork are always welcomed in big firms. The ability of decision-making power and holding the whole team together is an achievement. Women should always be fearless and courageous in taking decisions, maintaining their position, and working for the betterment of the organization.
· Time management – possessing all the qualifications is not the end. If the decisions and tasks are not implemented on time, it is of no use. A woman in charge of a department has to look after that the decisions, tasks, and all the priority things should be done in the given period for fruitful results. Mana the time requires proper planning and execution before time. The quality of time management should be inducted in all the team members for seamless results.
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