Hard vs Soft Skills and Employment

Hard vs Soft Skills and Employment

by  on June 7, 2014 
Soft skills concept on white
Employers have long been focused completely on the technical skills that future employees bring to the table, which are often termed “hard skills.” Research, however, has shown that more and more employers are looking for people with good “soft skills” to complement their work-related knowledge. So, what’s the difference?
Hard skills are what you would list on your resume. Obviously, hard skills will always be an important factor in employment. Employers want to hire someone with excellent content-specific knowledge and skills; the importance of soft skills, however, is becoming clearer. Soft skills are not easily taught, rather they are qualities a person has acquired. Research has shown that two of the most important soft skills are good communication and integrity. Employers are looking for people whose hard skills compliment their soft skills. The more closely associated these two skills are, the more profitable the employee is likely to become.
What does this mean to you? It means that you should strive to develop and communicate your soft skills as well as your hard skills. Work on time management, become a skilled communicator, build a rapport with others, and maintain ethical standards. These soft skills may not belong on a list in your resume, but they will serve you well as an employee!
Edited by: Dr. Mikki Sherwood
Reference
Robles, M. M. (2012). Executive perceptions of the top 10 soft skills needed in today’s workplace. Business Communication Quarterly, 75, 453-465.
*Originally posted on the Career Skillet website (Permission granted by Jill Bowers).

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