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Soft Skills
Bob Weinstein is a journalist who covers technology, project management, the workplace and career development.
No question about it: Technical certifications are important and can mean the difference between a mediocre and a great salary. You might think the whole certification craze has gone just a bit far when you read about soft-skill certs.
In the January, 2006 issue of Certification Magazine (CertMag), journalist Katherine Lee Spencer, executive director of RHI Consulting, makes some bold projections in her article titled "The Next Generation of Certifications".
There is no shortage of certifications documenting technical expertise. But what about certifications proving mastery of much-neglected soft skills such as talking, schmoozing and writing? Companies have always been complaining about technical professionals being short on communication skills. I never bought the generalization, but employers or their PR firms have done a good job of perpetuating--even promoting--the myth.
CerfMag disagrees. It has put together a short list of important soft skill certifications. You'll get a kick out of the list. But please don't double-over laughing because many of the certifications or variations on them may actually happen--as scary as it sounds. As Spencer Lee says near the end of her story, "The need for soft skills is here to stay." She advises looking for ways to bone up on them, because everyone benefits--bosses, vendors, colleagues--but uppermost you stand to reap the…
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