What are hard skills?

If you’ve ever spoken with a career counselor or spent a long time learning the job search process, you may have heard about hard skills.

Definition of Hard Skills

Hard skills are part of the set of skills required for a job. They include the technical skills required to perform specific tasks and the experience needed for a person to successfully do a job. They are job-specific and are often listed in job postings and job descriptions.

Types of Hard Skills

Hard skills include the specific knowledge and abilities required to succeed in a job. These types of skills are learned and can be identified, evaluated, and measured. They are more commonly used during the hiring and interview process to compare job candidates.

Top Hard Skills Employers Look For

LinkedIn listed the hard skills that are in the highest demand:

• Basic programming
• Project management
• Google Analytics
• Digital marketing
• Machine learning
• Cloud computing
• Blockchain
• App development
• Artificial intelligence
• SQL (Structured Query Language)

Other Examples of Hard Skills

Here are examples of some hard skills required for various professions:

• Accounting
• Administrative management
• Analytics
• Auditing
• Automotive technology
• Banking operations
• Bookkeeping
• Carpentry
• Construction
• Database management
• Design
• Editing
• Electrical engineering
• Financial instruments
• Healthcare
• JavaScript languages
• Law
• Manufacturing technology
• Market research
• Mechanical engineering
• Medical diagnosis
• Nursing
• Performance optimization
• Translation
• Typing
• Word processing

Types of Soft Skills

In contrast, soft skills are the personality traits and characteristics that affect interactions between individuals and productivity. While they are different, they are equally important as hard skills in the job market.

LinkedIn highlighted five soft skills that are highly valued in the workplace:

• Creativity
• Persuasion
• Collaboration
• Adaptability
• Emotional intelligence

Mixed Skills

As the workplace evolves, candidates with mixed skills have become more valuable. Employers seek applicants who possess a blend of soft and hard skills because they have the flexibility to add value to the organization and keep up with change.

The Importance of Skills in the Workplace

Both hard and soft skills are important in the workplace, and the top skills that employers look for will depend on what the employer seeks for a specific position.

The main difference between hard skills and soft skills is that hard skills can typically be learned through a series of concrete steps. From a trainer or manager’s perspective, teaching someone how to program is a more specific process than teaching them how to listen and communicate effectively with a client.

Soft skills cannot be learned through memorization and involve emotional intelligence and empathy, which often makes them more complex to convey to students.

The key point is that both hard and soft skills are essential for career readiness. Once you possess both skill sets, you will be able to perform your job well in the real world, where it is essential to understand what you are talking about and be able to discuss it so that others can understand you.

Focus on the Skills Most Relevant to You

When searching for a job, it is important to include the skills that employers are looking for in your resume and job applications. The required skills (both hard and soft) will be listed in the requirements section of job postings and job advertisements.

Highlight the skills that qualify you for the job. Start by emphasizing the skills that most closely match the job requirements in your application materials.

Match your qualifications to the job. But when you need to match your qualifications to a job, there’s more than just searching for keywords in the listing. It’s also essential to go beyond the job ad.

Visit the employer’s website to see if their posting provides additional information that may not have made it to the job board or a referral from a friend.

Review more skills. Finally, review employment skills by job or a general list of skills for job applications, resumes, and cover letters.

Key Takeaway

Hard skills are the technical skills you need to complete specific tasks. Hard skills are acquired through formal education and training programs, while soft skills are personality traits that affect interactions between individuals. Both hard and soft skills are important for success in the workplace.

Source:

https://www.thebalancemoney.com/what-are-hard-skills-2060829