UNIVERSITY OF ZIMBABWE

FACULTY OF MEDICINE AND HEALTH SCIENCES

NAME NYAKATANGURE SELLINAH
REG NUMBER R202872V
PROGRAM HOT
COURSE SDLSMH301
DATE 15 OCTOBER 2022
ASSIGNMENT QUESTION:
“Technical skills make you get a job and soft skills enable you to keep it.” Using principles of
attitude and work place ethics to, justify this assertion by explaining the importance of ethic
and attitude in work place.
For every individual, acquiring a job and then to keep that job are two different things which
require different input skills to do so. These skills include technological skills, soft skills,
workplace attitude and ethics. As job hunting becomes more competitive as time passes by
and technological advances change, job hunters need to work hard to differentiate themselves
from other candidates, and this can be done by acquiring technological skills, soft skills, and
also learning the importance of attitude and ethical principles in the workplace.

A technical skill is the ability to carry out a task with technical roles such as IT, engineering,
mechanics or finance. An example of a technical skill set may include programming, the
analysis of complex figures, or the use of specific tools. Technical skills can be developed
based on a person’s preferred career plans and in most cases require experience and training
to master them. Technical skills can be categorized in different ways with specific knowledge
in each group. These include programming languages, which include IT staff such as
customer service teams or project managers who need to have a basic understanding of
programming to support customers or coordinate projects. This in Occupational therapy can
be useful when engaging in community based rehabilitation whereby therapists may have a
need to start projects for the residents of the community which the community members
themselves would have to run. Therefore the therapists must have a knowledge of such
technological skills for them to be able to educate the clients as well for them to be able to
run their projects as well.
Microsoft Suite is another technological skill that enables one to get a job. Experience in
Microsoft Office is required for a number of roles, from administration to management across
all industries. Microsoft Office includes, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access, OneNote,
SharePoint and Outlook.
Being able to effectively coordinate resources, people and budgets as a project manager is
one of the best technical skills that an individual may have that could help them in getting a
job. Project managers are required in every industry including the health sector, hence health
care workers ought to have managerial skills in case they have to manage a project or a
research program. These might include, Microsoft Teams, Slack and Trello. This skill is also
important when a person is to put up their own private practice facility such that they are able
to manage their budget as well as their employees.
Social media skills are also relevant for an individual to get a job, especially in companies
that may need to market their products or gain exposure. Mastery of different social media
platforms therefore makes an applicant a great choice to appoint for a job. Research skills are
also of great importance in getting a job in many career pathways. Research skills are a
needed technical skills, that is, a good research can find, understand, analyse and present
relevant information from different multiple sources. Technical research skills include
looking at numerical data, reading technical or industry journals.
Technical skills are therefore a necessity in the workplace, and by ensuring that one has some
skills that are necessary in their career path can make them stand out from other candidates.
Such technical skills can be learnt and improved every day and in many cases as well. This
therefore makes it easier to show potential employers one’s level of knowledge, skill, and
proficiency to solve their technical needs.
If it happens that a person manages to get a job, it is another different case to be able to keep
that job, thus there are also skills that enable or helps an individual be able to keep their jobs.
These skills are known as soft skills and these are often called emotional intelligence skills,
and they are seen by a person’s ability to interact amicably with others. They are personal
attributes that can affect relationships, communication, and interaction with others. While soft
skills may be difficult to develop as compared to technical skills, they are however important
in running a business or keeping one’s job. There are a number of soft skills and these include
the ability to negotiate, teamwork, communication effectiveness, problem-solving, conflict
resolution, among others.
Soft skills are important in the workplace as they are an essential part of improving one’s
ability to work with others and can have a positive influence on furthering one’s career.
Highly developed presentation skills, networking abilities, and etiquette awareness can help
one get new clients and gain more work from existing clients. Having the ability to solve
problems and resolve conflicts, and providing good customer service can lead to stronger
relationships with colleagues and other professional contacts. Ultimately, soft skills can help
an individual gain confidence which is very important in the workplace. On the other hand,
lack of soft skills can limit a person’s potential and thus they may not be up to keep up with
their job. By developing strong leadership, teamwork, and communication abilities, an
individual can run projects smoothly, deliver results that please everyone including the
employer, and even influence their own personal life by improving how they interact with
others.
On top of having technical skills, and soft skills, for a person to be able to fit in a workplace
and also be successful, one has to be able to recognize and also adapt to the principles of
attitude and ethics in the workplace. The behaviour that people exhibit at work often depends
on how they feel about being at work and also making sense of how people behave depends
on understanding their work attitude. Attitudes are opinions, beliefs and feelings about
aspects of the environment. These opinions, beliefs and feelings will in turn affect the soft
skills of an individual including communication, team work and the ability to negotiate, and
thus affect a person’s behaviour, conduct and position in the work place. At work, two
particular job attitudes have the greatest potential to influence how people behave, and these
are job satisfaction and organizational commitment. Job satisfaction being the feelings that
people have toward their job and organizational commitment being the emotional attachment
people have toward the company they work for. The knowledge aspect of attitude refers to
the need for a world which is consistent and stable. This allows people to predict what is
likely to happen, and also gives them a sense of control. Thus attitude in the workplace help
organize and structure work experiences.
Ethical principles are also equally important in the workplace. Ethical principles are the
appropriate workplace policies and practices regarding potentially controversial subjects,
including corporate governance, insider trading, bribery, discrimination, corporate social
responsibility and fiduciary responsibilities, among others. The law usually sets the tone for
workplace ethics, providing a basic guideline that businesses can choose to follow to gain
public approval. Some of the ethical principles include leadership, accountability, integrity,
respect for others, honesty, respect for laws, responsibility, compassion, fairness, loyalty,
environmental concern and transparency.
 The principles of ethics in the workplace are important for the success of the business. Most
importantly, defined ethics programs establish a code of conduct that drives employee
behaviour and when all employees make ethical decisions, the company establishes a
reputation for ethical behaviour. Its reputation grows and it begins to experience the benefits
of moral establishment reaps which include, brand recognition and growth, increased ability
to negotiate, increased trust in products and services, customer retention and growth, talent
attraction and also attraction of investors.
REFERENCES:
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2. Twin A, (2022); Business Ethics: Definition, Principles, Why They are Important.

3. Sherman F, (2018); Ethical Principles in the Workplace.

4. Gartenstein D, (2015); Ethical Principles in the Workplace: Business and Workplace

Regulations

5. Dale N, (2022); 15 Technical Skills Employers Look For in 2022

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7. www.buchanan.com

8. www.wikijob.co.uk

9. www.open.lib.umn.edu