Hard skills vs Soft skills: What's the difference

When considering recruiting new employees, many companies first ensure that employees have the practical knowledge needed for the job. After all, wouldn't you hire a master gardener to fight skyscraper fire? However, hard skills are essential, but experienced companies have other types of challenges to cultivate skills. What is the difference between soft skills and hard skills? Facts have proved that hard skills vs soft skills aren’t an either/or proposition. It is a valuable package that is jointly cultivated by potential and long-term employees.

Hard skills vs Soft skills

It is essential to fully understand the difference between soft skills and hard skills before writing a job description or designing a study plan. How can you hire or train for something that is only a vague concept? Fortunately, the difference between soft skills and hard skills is apparent. One is easy to measure and define, while the other is a little hard to judge. Hard skills are measurable talents and abilities. They are usually job-specific and can be learned through school education and on-the-job training. Soft skills are less defined skills and are generally suitable for a particular job and a universal skill.

Think of hard skills as the skills you write on your resume or the areas in which you hold certifications. Soft skills are skills that help you build long-term relationships with colleagues and customers. Do not underestimate the importance of hard skills to soft skills. In the next section, we will discuss what soft skills and hard skills are.

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What are hard skills?

Hard skills are technical knowledge and training acquired through your life experiences, career, and education. For example:

Each job requires industry-specific technical skills. For example, if you want to become an architect, you need to know how to use drawing software. Many other industries have tests in place, requiring prior skills and knowledge essential for career success. Other employers may teach specific technical skills on the job.

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How can you gain more hard skills?

You can learn Hard skills. That means you can acquire hard skills through the training course. These courses can be accessed by your current job, university or via the Internet. If you are using an online system to acquire new hard skills, your employer must approve the course.

Hard skills examples for resume

Some of the hard skills for a resume include:

What are soft skills?

Soft skills are more difficult to quantify than hard skills and refer to an individual's ability to work independently and collaborate with others. For example, good written and verbal communication is considered a soft skill. Many soft skills are innate, but you can acquire them. For example, you can practice writing emails to improve your written communication skills at work.

Hard skills are necessary to be successful in a particular position, but soft skills help you succeed in the workplace by interacting with others actively. Examples of soft skills include communication and leadership qualities.

How can you gain more soft skills?

Soft skills examples for resume

Here are a few Soft Skills Examples for a resume that an employer might be looking for:

Top skills employers look for

Each position requires specific hard skills, but employers are increasingly looking for candidates with specific soft skills. It is usually easier for an employer to train a new employee with complex skills like using a particular computer program than training employees with soft skills like patience,but  how you can develop your soft skills.

Employers are increasingly looking for candidates with varied skills - a combination of soft and technical skills. Candidates with this skill set are highly competitive in an evolving technology-centric economy. If you have the top skills employers seek applicants for employment, include them in your CV and cover letter and mention them in your interview.

Emphasize both hard and soft skills

Both are important, so during the application process, emphasize hard skills and soft skills. This way, even if you do not have the company's hard skills, you can highlight the soft skills that you think are valuable for the position. For example, if you have participated in multiple group projects in this job, please emphasize your experience and skills as a team member and your ability to communicate with them.

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How to highlight your skills?

Highlight skills in your resume and cover letter to ensure that your potential employer understands your capabilities. Weave in mentions of your skills in the job interview.