In this competitive world, employers look for soft skills rather than hard skills in their candidates. It is easy to teach hard skills, but it is difficult for employers to teach soft skills.
Candidates with good soft skills tend to get promoted gradually. They can get along with the team they work with, adapt to changes at the workplace and in the market.
I have noted down some differences between hard skills and soft skills. These differences will help you understand the importance of soft skills and their implementation.
| Soft skills | Hard skills |
| 1. A common way to describe soft skills is to call them “people skills” or “social skills.” | 1. Hard skills are specific abilities that help people carry out different jobs. |
| 2. To be good at soft skills usually takes Emotional Intelligence or EQ. | 2. To be good at hard skills usually takes IQ |
| 3. One needs to understand and implement them to master soft skills. | 3. Hard skills can be learned in school and from books. Hard skills are specific, teachable abilities that can be defined and measured. |
| 4. Soft skills are usually self-taught and self-developed. One needs to be self-motivated or motivated to acquire them. | 4. Hard Skills are a set of special skills that are obtained through years of practice or learning. |
| 5. Soft skills are less tangible and harder to quantify, such as etiquette, getting along with others, listening, and engaging in small talk. | 5. These skills are easily visible, tangible, and well-defined. These skills vary from person to person in quality and quantity. |
| 6. Soft skills are more personality-oriented interpersonal skills, such as teamwork, flexibility, patience, persuasion, and time management. Because employers have an easier time teaching new hires hard skills, employers often look for job applicants with specific soft skills instead. | 6. Hard skills are usually related to a particular field, and require specific knowledge in order for them to be gained. Hard skills are often listed on a job applicant’s cover letter and resume so employers know the applicant’s qualifications for an open position. |
| 7. As such they are becoming increasingly valuable to all employers, as it helps them to understand how you will fit in with their working environment and how you will perform as one of their employees. | 7. Hard skills are those that you need to be able to perform a particular job. These often vary depending on the type of role you will be performing or the industry in which you will be working in. They can usually be developed through on-job training. |
| 8. Soft skills are subjective skills that are much harder to quantify. Also known as “people skills” or “interpersonal skills,” soft skills relate to the way you relate to and interact with other people. | 8. These hard skills are often listed in your cover letter and on your resume and are easy for an employer or recruiter to recognize. |
| 9. The difficulty of teaching and defining soft skills for a job is the reason why a list of soft skills on a resume is valued. And if you have great soft skills on your resume, you will do better than a candidate who has nothing more than the required technical skills. | 9. The beautiful thing about hard skills is that you can learn new ones at any time. Plus, once you learn a hard skill, it’s transferable, meaning that you can take those hard skill abilities along wherever your career takes you. |
| 10. Soft Skills are a set of skills or traits that include behavior, communication skills, teamwork ability, management skills, appropriate attitude, etiquette, self-presentation, etc. | 10. Hard skills are quantifiable, such as proficiency in a foreign language, earning a degree or certificate, operating a machine, or programming a computer. |
| 11. Soft skills can be termed as personal attributes and grace that helps in maintaining better relationships as well as a sense of harmony between people. Soft skills include your interpersonal abilities—your communication skills and how you relate to others. | 11. There are typically designated levels of competency and a direct path for excelling. |
| 12. Examples of soft skills are : Ability to work under pressure, Decision making, Time management, Self-motivation, Leadership, Adaptability , Teamwork, Creativity, Interpersonal Skills, Leadership, Project management, Problem-solving, Ethics, Perseverance, Communication skills, Communication or networking skills, etc. | 12. Examples of hard skills are : A degree (or other academic qualification). An industry-specific certification, Coding ability, Typing speed, Computer skills, Proofreading, A degree or certificate in a particular field or industry, Applied science, Computer programming, Editing, Engineering, Foreign language skills (speaking, reading, writing), Machine operation, etc. |
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