In the professional world there are hard skills and soft skills. Hard skills are often teachable skills or skill sets that are learned, these will generally be listed on job postings as requirements. Soft skills are skills that encompass interpersonal and/or introspective qualities aka “people skills” or “interpersonal skills. These are harder to learn or qualify without real experience. A good representation of soft skills are often proved to be more valuable than hard skills. After all, employers are more likely to be able to train you or build on certain hard skills, but they can’t teach patience or make you have a strong work ethic. When applying for jobs, it is always important to keep in mind if you lack a specific hard skill that is required, substitute with a soft skill (or 2) that would be beneficial for that position.
Hard Skills
These skills include specific knowledge and abilities required for success in said job. These skills are often taught through time, school, specific courses or programs you decide to join along the way. Hard skills are typically easy to prove with degrees, certificates, or awards. A few careers where hard skills will be what makes you shine are: Doctors, STEM Professionals, and Software Developers to name a few.
Soft Skills
These skills typically characterize your relationship with people, or about how you approach life and work. Soft skills are personally driven and can be hard to measure, making it difficult to prove you truly have them just based on your resume or application. Having strong soft skills takes a high emotional intelligence as it is focused primarily around the emotional side of the brain. Individuals who tend to have more of these skills are typically more successful in Marketing Professionals, Customer Service Professionals, and Sales Professions.
At the end of the day, neither one is more important than the other. It is crucial to have both, and make sure they are displayed well on your resume for employers to see. 77% of companies say that soft skills are just as important as hard skills but only 16% say that soft skills are more important than hard skills. As long as you have both, you are setting up yourself for success in your professional life. Hard skills will get you the interview and your soft skills will land you the job.
Questions to get you thinking:
Which skill set would you say is your strongest? Are there any skills that you would like to learn or improve? What kind of skills do you hold most value to and why?
Let us know in the comments!