How to develop your soft-skills?
Plus Pitch your startup Idea for a chance to win $$ and support!
With recently published data by the World Economic Forum Future of Jobs 2023 report, top 5 skills are all soft skills. Soft skills are character traits and interpersonal skills that characterise relationships with other people and complement hard skills in the workplace. Yet many students and graduates focus too much on technical skills and grades, thus resulting in delayed employment outcomes or underemployment.
How do you develop your soft skills?
Analytical thinking can be developed through being curious, critically examining facts and situations and making assessments based on insights and patterns.
Creative thinking can be developed by having Growth Mindset, being open about the possibilities and learning new things and seeing things in a different light.
Resilience, flexibility and agility: By challenging yourself to a difficult task. Setting stretchable goals and pushing yourself
Motivation and Self-awareness: Motivation, both intrinsic and extrinsic can be developed through goal setting. Once you set a goal, break the goal into smaller goals so you can have little wins on the way that work towards a big goal and motivate you on the way. Self-awareness is key to developing yourself, how you relate with others and how others perceive you. Self reflection regularly such as daily journals, blogging, introspection.
Curiosity and Lifelong learning: Having Growth mindset and learning things to improve yourself, your situation and sometimes, learning simply for the joy of learning!
While points 6 to 10 are pretty straight forward, note Empathy and listening skills though listed at no#8 this is one of the most important skills. Here’s an excellent video on Empathy.
At Illume Foundation, we help students, graduates and early career professionals and founders to develop their soft-skills. Check out our programs and how you can be involved.
Cheers
Laxmi
Director | Illume Foundation
What’s happening at the Foundation?
VC Fellowship
Our VC Fellowship is underway with our cohort learning from VC professionals and founders on building VC backable startup as well as career in Venture Capital. We’re learning from Investors like Ecotone Partners, Investible, Medtech, Breakthrough Victoria.
If you are interested to be part of our next cohort- apply NOW! Places are limited!!
VC Fellows 2023
Startup Fellowship
Are you looking to gain practical work experience in your field? Whether you’re still studying, graduated or interested to switch careers, our Startup Fellowship program is designed to give you experience + cohort learning + community.
“ I had the opportunity to work with startups from Farmers2Founders Program. Working with agritech startups opened my eyes to a world of innovation and entrepreneurship. I was privileged to meet inspiring founders and their startups such as Favoom, an agri-food startup, and Certmate, a bio-security app startup. The founders were determined to revolutionize the agricultural industry through technology. Their dedication was contagious, and I felt privileged to be part of their journey by improving the web user experience of their platform. Seeing how my designs enhanced their product and made it more user-friendly was incredibly satisfying.” Amber Chen Startup Fellow 2023.
Read more about her experience here.
Social Impact Fellowship
Are you interested in a career as a Social Change Maker/ Social Entrepreneur or join a social enterprise, here’s our new Fellowship program to help you amplify your social impact.
About the program: 4 weeks program to help you come up with an idea for an impactful social enterprise (if you are already a founder! that’s even great). We will go through concepts around social entrepreneurship, meet local/global social entrepreneurs and leaders and investors that invest in impactful businesses. At the end of four weeks, you will pitch your Social Impact idea.
Scholarships are available:
Date: 1st Nov to 30th Nov, weekly 1 hour session at the Foundation (Thursday 8pm to 9pm)
ALL Universities Startup Pitch Competition
Lastly, Are you a student or a recent graduate (within 5 years of graduation) founder with startup idea? Express your interest here for our upcoming All Universities Pitch Competition with the chance to pitch at a the Global Universities Pitch Competition for a cash prize and goodies. The Global Pitch Competition will take place in 2024. More details to follow.
Well… that’s all for today folks. Until next time 👋