Introduction
Soft Skills in CBA are increasingly recognized as essential to success in Canada’s engineering licensure process. While technical knowledge forms the foundation, it is your ability to communicate, collaborate, and resolve conflicts that sets you apart as a capable professional engineer.
For applicants undergoing the Competency-Based Assessment, these soft skills aren’t just a bonus—they’re built directly into the CBA evaluation structure. According to the PEO CBA Guide, demonstrating communication, conflict resolution, and team effectiveness is crucial to earning your P.Eng. license.
In this blog, we explore how to master the soft skills in CBA and showcase them effectively in your competency submissions. Whether you’re just starting your CBA or revising your examples, this guide will help you integrate the soft skills assessors are looking for.
What Are Soft Skills in CBA?
Soft skills in CBA refer to personal and interpersonal attributes that influence how engineers work with others and make decisions. These include communication, conflict resolution, leadership, collaboration, and empathy—skills critical to effective engineering practice.
Why CBA Emphasizes Soft Skills
In CBA, applicants must provide evidence that they can:
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Communicate clearly with stakeholders
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Resolve team conflicts professionally
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Contribute effectively to multidisciplinary teams
The CBA framework evaluates these through:
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Category 2: Communication
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Category 4: Team Effectiveness
By focusing on soft skills in CBA, licensing bodies ensure that engineers not only meet technical standards but also practice ethically and collaboratively.
Communication Skills in CBA
The Role of Communication in Engineering
Strong communication underpins every successful engineering project. From daily team updates to stakeholder presentations, engineers must express ideas clearly—especially under pressure.
How Communication is Assessed in CBA
Soft skills in CBA include verbal and written communication. These are addressed in:
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Competency 2.1 (verbal)
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Competency 2.2 (written)
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Competency 2.3 (document review – professional standard)
When completing your CBA submission, highlight communication through:
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Project reports and memos
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Technical presentations
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Client or regulator discussions
Showcasing Communication in Your Submission
Include these tips when describing communication in your CBA examples:
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Mention audience type: technical, non-technical, clients, contractors.
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Describe how communication impacted the outcome.
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Emphasize clarity, responsiveness, and feedback integration.
📌 Example:
“I led a design review with electrical and structural teams, translating technical constraints into accessible language to align the entire team on next steps.”
Conflict Resolution in CBA
Why Conflict Resolution Matters
Conflict is inevitable in project-based work. Unaddressed, it can delay deliverables, damage morale, or cause budget overruns. Soft skills in CBA require engineers to demonstrate how they manage and resolve such issues constructively.
Where Conflict Resolution Appears in CBA
Conflict resolution is a key part of Competency 4.2: You work to resolve differences. Assessors expect to see:
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Leadership in difficult conversations
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Mediation between stakeholders
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Application of empathy and negotiation skills
Writing Effective Conflict Resolution Examples
Use STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Result) to frame your example:
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Situation: Two departments disagreed on design scope.
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Task: Align both teams on a unified approach.
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Action: Facilitated a workshop to surface concerns and brainstorm solutions.
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Result: Consensus was reached and project resumed within timeline.
By describing conflict management effectively, you demonstrate another crucial aspect of soft skills in CBA.
Team Effectiveness in CBA
What Makes a High-Performing Engineering Team
Engineering is a team sport. Great teams share knowledge, solve complex problems together, and hold each other accountable.
CBA Evaluation of Team Skills
Team effectiveness is covered in:
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Competency 4.1: You collaborate respectfully with others
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Competency 4.2: You work to resolve differences
When showcasing soft skills in CBA, team effectiveness should highlight:
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Multidisciplinary collaboration
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Respect for diverse expertise
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Constructive participation in meetings and decisions
Tips for Describing Team Effectiveness
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Be specific about your contribution.
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Describe how your actions improved team function.
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Highlight diversity in the team (disciplines, perspectives).
📌 Example:
“In a cross-functional team of five engineers, I ensured seamless communication between software and hardware teams, aligning deliverables for product launch.”
How to Integrate Soft Skills in CBA Submissions
Step-by-Step Approach
To showcase soft skills in CBA, follow these steps:
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Choose the right examples – Look for work that involved communication challenges, team collaboration, or conflict resolution.
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Use the STAR method – Keep your structure focused and clear.
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Map your example to indicators – Reference the specific indicators from the CBA guide.
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Quantify the impact – Highlight outcomes like reduced rework, time saved, or improved stakeholder relationships.
Avoiding Common Mistakes
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Don’t use vague examples (e.g., “I communicated with the team”).
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Avoid team-only examples unless your role is clearly defined.
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Don’t ignore soft skills—they carry equal weight to technical skills in CBA.
Use CBA Pro to Your Advantage
CBA Pro by CertNova helps you track and refine your submissions. It offers built-in guidance to ensure you’re aligning with both technical and soft skill expectations in CBA.
Why Soft Skills in CBA Matter More Than Ever
In today’s engineering world, technical knowledge alone isn’t enough. Professional engineers must:
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Explain technical concepts to regulators and the public
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Resolve disputes ethically
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Work with multi-disciplinary teams across global time zones
Soft skills in CBA ensure you can handle these real-world challenges. They show that you’re not just an engineer—you’re a well-rounded professional ready to uphold the public trust.
Conclusion
Mastering soft skills in CBA is one of the smartest investments you can make on your P.Eng. journey. Strong communication, conflict resolution, and team collaboration are not just competencies—they are the traits of respected, trusted professionals.
Whether you’re just starting your CBA or revising your experience records, be intentional about how you present these soft skills. Let your assessors see that you’re more than qualified—you’re ready.
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