Soft Skills & Hard Skills

Soft skills help you when applying for a job. If you are a freelancer wanting to ace that first gig interview – soft skills help. Or if you are an employer wanting to hire the right group of people into your organisation, soft skills help.  No matter what your reason, there are only two things that can easily fit every situation and if you master them, you will do well in life: these are the soft skills and the hard skills. You may have noticed recently when you are applying for a job, people emphasize those two things but have you ever considered what they are for? Or, have you ever really known how to highlight those skills for your best interests?

By definition, hard skills refer to the things you can learn and which can also be taught. These skills are accompanied with certifications and diplomas as proof of acquiring such knowledge. Meanwhile, soft skills refer to the social, emotional, and communications skills which are not easily measured and instead of diplomas, these are proven and tested by one’s experience through time. Hence, these two skills are necessary so that the organisation is balanced.

What are Hard skills? 
  • Hard skills are the qualifications or skills needed for a specific position you are applying for.  It can be a sales representative, desk agent, administrative staff, which would require a basic knowledge on the use of computer programs. Another example is if you are applying for a job in hospitality which would not only require good communication skills but also having the knowledge on cleaning products and how to use them, or procedures on how to book and schedule a flight and hotel reservations. In summary, hard skills are dependent on the technicalities of the position you are opting for.
What are Soft skills?
  • Soft skills can be easily understood as subjective skills as we said earlier, this can be acquired through experience. Soft skills include being flexible, problem solving abilities, time management, work ethic and teamwork. These can be shown through communication skills and listening skills. How you interact with others and how they interact with you. 

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