Soft skills vs hard skills
Generally, most recruiters look for candidates that possess a combination of both hard and soft skills, for any type of job. In this blog you will learn what each of them are, and how you can include them in your resume to stand out at any job interview.
PRPDG Glossary:
Hard and soft skills
- Hard skills have to do with the knowledge and trainings you may possess in any given subject, and they can be measured through certifications, diplomas, and course grades.
- Soft skills are more to how you relate with others, your personality, creativity, critical thinking, and habits, among other things.
Examples of hard skills:
- Languages- Being bilingual or multilingual is considered to be a hard skill because you can measure your knowledge by taking a placement test to find out which level you’re at, whether it be writing, reading, or spoken.
- Knowledge by subject– These are other types of knowledge that be measured as well, because it’s very probable that you took some math, science, communications, and art classes at school and received a grade for them. Your bachelor’s, master’s and doctorate degree all count as evidence of your expertise in a certain topic.
- Programs– This can include all the programs and platforms that you dominate, like for example Adobe Photoshop, Premiere Pro, Java, Python, websites, apps, etc. In many occasions, you can complete courses and receive a certificate to prove your knowledge.
Examples of soft skills:
- Conflict resolution– Only when unexpected or difficult situations arise can you actually see how a person will react and manage the conflict, whether it be by focusing only on the negative aspect, or working hard to try and find a solution. It is essential that the person does not give up easily against adversity, and that he/she maintains a positive attitude and mindset in order to face any problem.
- Teamwork– This type of ability can only be seen when a person is already working and getting to know his/her colleagues. This includes if he/she offers to help other team members if their workload is too heavy, if the person perseveres with task division, and if he/she is successful while establishing trusting relationships with other team members.
- Organization– Many times, this will depend on the habits a person has. If they’re organized in their personal lives, it’s more likely that they will also be organized in their professional life, but this can only be perceived once the person starts adapting to his/her new work environment.
Recommendations:
- You must include a “skills” section in your resume, where you can add all those hard and soft skills that you have and are relevant to the position you’re applying to. You can look for the job description to help you add the skills that are most needed by the company.
- During your interview, you can show off some of these soft skills by simply being there on time or actively asking questions about the position. If you made your research about who they are and what the company does, you will also let them know you are prepared.
- Make sure your resume is up to date, and during your interview elaborate on past experiences, but only if they are relevant or if they asked you about them. This is your time to let them get to know you a little better, to tell them about your skills, and why you would be a valuable addition to their company.
- The candidate must share his or her success stories during past professional experiences in order to validate both soft and hard skills.
