What does industry actually expect?

The speaker listed a few technical skills that are currently in high demand, such as AI and machine learning, advanced data analysis and big data management, as well as sustainability.

But that was only part of the picture.

Much more emphasis was placed on soft skills.

In industry, soft skills aren’t “nice to have” – they’re essential.

We should probably stop calling them “soft skills” and start calling them core skills.

The core skills mentioned?

💡 Fast-paced learning
💡 Adaptability
💡 Problem-solving
💡 Collaborative mindset
💡 Communication
💡 Being comfortable with constant changes

Now, reading this list, you might think: “I don’t have these skills. My PhD didn’t train me for that.”

But that’s not true. You’ve likely developed most of these skills.

You just haven’t been trained to recognize them.

Let’s break them down with concrete examples from your academic experience.

Soft skills

✅ Collaborative mindset

You’re part of a Horizon Europe project or a national grant consortium? You’ve learned to work across teams and cultures.

✅ Adaptability

Your project changed direction when your method failed or the instrument broke? You shifted course and kept going.

✅ Problem-solving

You got a harsh review, and the reviewer asked for new experiments? You figured out how to redesign your study.

✅ Communication

You’ve presented your research to people who don’t know your field – at conferences, to students, or to your family.

✅ Fast-paced learning

You had to quickly learn R or a new omics tool just to analyze your dataset on time.

✅ Comfort with change

Your supervisor needed a new figure, abstract, or pitch… yesterday? And yes, you made it happen.