Developing soft skills is as important as good academic record and work experience to become a successful professional, a survey by industry body Assocham has found.
Majority of the participants, about 89 per cent, said that soft skills like good communication ability, both oral and written, as well as team work are essential for success at workplace, the survey said.
Of the total 427 students surveyed at graduate and post-graduate level, about 70 per cent consider oral and written communication as essential soft skills, while 30 per cent feel that team work is important, it said.
"Corporate India has two major concerns -- first to hire good employees and secondly to train them. Soft skills learned by students during their university education help them to be a part of the team at professional level and understand issues better," Assocham secretary general D S Rawat said.
Soft skills are not job specific and can serve horizontally and vertically across all industries at all levels, the study said.
Further, the chamber said the degree to which students develop these skills determines how well they can communicate, make presentations, solve problems, function in teams and manage stress, especially when they have to cope with changes.
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