Don’t get it twisted, organizations want both soft and hard skills, and yes, both matter!

Each of these skill sets you apart and gives you enough room to stand out depending on how well you apply them in any given task.

See these quick facts on both types of skills:

We have soft and hard skills. Now, this is where it gets interesting but I’ll explain in a simple way so it sinks in.

Types of Skills

We have only two kinds of skills but there are a lot of things that make up these two skill types. Soft and Hard skill:

Soft skills are tangible and non-tangible abilities that help you work and relate with people.  Basically, it concerns how you work and includes interpersonal (people) skills, communication skills, listening skills, time management, and empathy, etc., all the traits that allow you to communicate and work with others.

Examples are Adaptability, Communication, Problem-solving, ability to work under pressure, multitasking, Strong decision making, Leadership, Time management, teamwork, etc.

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Hard skills, on the other hand, are the technical knowledge and abilities that are learned through education or training. Since organizations all have specific expectations for every role, hard skills need to be acquired and enhanced through practice, repetition, and education to perform a given task. Examples are Copywriting, programming, Graphic design, Information technology, SEO/SEM marketing, Data analysis

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What’s the main question, what’s the difference between soft and hard skills?

There is only one main difference between soft skills and hard skills and it depends on how they are gained and applied in the office. Soft skills are as personality traits you may have spent your whole life developing, while Hard skills are acquired through education or training.

Your hard skills are the habits you demonstrate personally and professionally, while hard skills are the methodological or practical knowledge that isn’t inborn but trained for.

Soft skills don’t require education most times, you can just be naturally that way and then get better with practice, but hard skill doesn’t come naturally, the flair for it might come natural but the knowledge and mastery require education and training to get.

Some of the common soft skills include:

• Strong communication
• Ability to Multi-task
• Working under pressure
• Integrity
• Open-mindedness
• Teamwork
• Creativity
• Problem-solving
• Critical thinking
• Adaptability

Some of the common hard skills include:

• SEO/SEM marketing
• Adobe software suite
• Programming languages
• Digital Marketing
• Copywriting
• Mobile development
• User interface design
• Database management
• Information technology
• Foreign Language Fluency

It takes a different approach to acquire both soft and hard skills, but application involves the same principle and the great thing about it is that both can be developed and improved upon prior to applying for jobs or growing on the job.

Hope you enjoyed this article, if you have more comments or tips to add then do so.

Thank you for reading