Global Standard on Soft Skills
for Improving Professional Image
"Like MBA training started a century ago, soft skills training is absolutely necessary for the 21st century companies!"
Photo courtesy of WTO
for Improving Professional Image
Photo courtesy of WTO
Think you are good in soft skills?
Every job-seeker would send in a resume to a human resources (HR) manager saying he/she has good communication skills and is a great team player. So how can HR really tell who has good soft skills just from the resume?
IITTI is a standardized, independent credentialing system on soft skills.
It is somewhat like your credit rating, and in some ways similar to GMAT, TOEFL, or SAT, but instead of just a snapshot, IITTI is based on a continuous-learning, continuous-assessment model. It provides a uniform way for employers, job-seekers and trainers to measure soft skills.
With a global standard, HRs can easily pre-screen job candidates before any interview. For a job-seeker, having an international credential helps you stand out in the crowd. For trainers, having an independent test instead of your homemade test eliminates conflict of interests.
(Photo: IITTI exam in Hong Kong, Oct21,2017)
Employees can just learn on-the-job. Look at all the employees now; they are doing ok.
Soft skills are just fluff and any training is nice but not necessary. There are much better ways to use our money such as advertising.
When Harvard University presented the first MBA program 100 years ago, some laughed and thought it was not necessary. After all, people can just "learn on the job".
But Harvard argued that a scientific approach was necessary for companies for the 20th century. Soft skills training is the same now for the 21st century companies. It is a must have!
Soft skills build habits. Habits build culture. Culture builds brand.
This standardizing won't work!
My country really takes pride in our own identity. We don't like to be the same as everyone else.
The IITTI standard is designed for international commerce where different people from diverse background can get along comfortably.
Our company spent a lot of money in hiring an image consultant to come in for a 3-day seminar on business etiquette, but I don't see any long-term changes in their behaviour.
The worst is that our employees now see soft skills training as a joke! Our training manager feels she is losing credibility.
True, a 3-day seminar may not be effective. That is because it is too short!
Soft skills and company culture are hard to do. It takes a long time...and it is expensive!
But if you want your company brand to stand out, the earlier you start, the further you pull away from your competition.
How can we ask job-seekers or employees to get certification when there is no widely accepted benchmark?
If only there is an open exam just like GMAT, TOEFL and SAT for benchmarking soft skills.
We understand what can't be measured won't be done!
IITTI has open exams, just like other standardized exams such as GMAT, TOEFL, and SAT.
IITTI is also an open-source standard, which means any trainers can get the IITTI Standard document free-of-charge. This translates into a large pool of IITTI exam takers, and more qualified job candidates in terms of soft skills.