Hard skills and soft skills: how to develop the important employment skills

What are Hard Skills and Soft Skills?

Hard Skills, also known as technical skills, are professional knowledge or training that has been acquired through any life experience, including career or education.
Soft Skills are the personal habits and traits which contribute to the work and interaction with other teams. For example, effective communication is a key soft skill for many employers. Other important traits are reliability, teamwork, and listening skills, etc.

Soft skills are important both in one's career and when searching for a job. Although hard skills are necessary to successfully complete technical tasks, soft skills are required to create a positive and functional work environment. For this reason, employers often look for people who possess both soft and hard skills.

Examples of Hard Skills and Soft Skills: what is the difference?

The key difference between hard and soft skills is in the way they are acquired and used in the workplace.

For example, hard skills for Junior QA may include:

• knowing the basics of software testing;
• basic understanding of network HTTP protocols;
• English at the Intermediate level and above.

Other requirements:

• experience with API testing;
• knowledge of basic SQL queries;
• understanding of software development methodology and frameworks.

Hard skills can be specific to an employee's level of seniority within their professional career path. They can be acquired through formal training and certification.

However, it is not necessary for a skill to meet all of these requirements to be considered hard. The distinction between soft and hard skills can be rather unclear.

The definition of Soft Skills, on the other hand, is mostly unchanged: it is personality traits that affect the way you communicate and work with others, as well as motivate yourself when you work alone.

Some of the most important soft skills include:

• willingness to learn and develop;
• responsibility;
• effective communication, sociability;
• proactivity;
• ability to work in a team;
• stress resistance;
• problem-solving skills;
• critical thinking;
• flexibility, adaptability to conditions and requirements;
• self-discipline, ability to prioritize tasks and plan time;
• attention to detail;
• empathy.

More information about Soft Skills required for testers can be found in our blog post.

How Hard Skills and Soft Skills affect employment and career

When it comes to hiring an employee, hard skills are more practical. Because they are more technical, they are easier to measure. For example, it is easy to assess PostgreSQL knowledge with a PostgreSQL test, while more subjective skills such as teamwork require multiple approaches (skills tests, structured interviews, and collecting recommendations).

Hard skills give a clearer path to professional development. Hiring candidates with strong technical skills reduces the need for prior training, which saves time and money.

As such, hard skills are often considered to be important for employment, while soft skills can help with career development. 

Hard skills may guarantee that employees can do their jobs, but they do not necessarily mean that employees will succeed or use their skills and knowledge effectively.

According to research, 94% of recruiters believe that employees with stronger communication skills are more likely to be promoted than someone with more experience and weaker communication skills. Soft skills are difficult to automate and hence can be considered more valuable to employers.

Highlighting skills on your resume

During the creation of your resume, you can add a skills section that highlights the most relevant ones for the position. Be sure to first carefully review the job offer for which you are applying to see what to include and prioritize in the skills section. Both hard and soft skills that employers are looking for can be found in the «requirements», «education», or «preferred skills» sections of the job description.

Below is what you need to know about describing hard skills on your resume:

1. Hard skills are job-specific skills with which you are well suited for a particular position.
2. Be sure to always compare your hard skills to the skills in the job description.
3. Use keywords related to the skills in the work experience section along with actual examples of how you used these skills to achieve results.
4. Don't forget to include your most important skills in a separate section.
5. Mention 2-3 most relevant skills in your resume profile.
6. Confirm your skills and list professional certifications.

When you reach the interview stage, you will have the opportunity to demonstrate your communication skills and talk about other skills in more detail.

There are some key soft skills you can highlight:

• being on time or a little early for the interview (punctuality or reliability)
• maintaining eye contact (active listening);
• speaking clearly (effective communication);
• being honest when answering questions about your resume and experience (honesty);
• asking additional questions (active listening).

You can demonstrate your skills by:

• telling about your experience and training;
• providing a portfolio (digital or physical);
• effectively answering job-related technical questions;
• asking job-related questions;
• successfully completing skills tests (if required at the interview).

A good way to demonstrate hard and soft skills is to bring in specific stories from experience that are relevant to the job requirements during the interview. When you tell a story, start with the introduction of the situation, description of the task, explanation of the actions you took, and end with the result you achieved. 

How to develop Hard Skills and Soft Skills

Below you will find a few ways to improve your skills as a specialist.

1. Take courses

A direct way to learn and develop skills is to take relevant courses, participate in training, and obtain certificates. Certificates not only provide basic knowledge but also validate your skills and make an impression on the employer.

2. Attend professional events

You can attend events such as conferences, seminars, and workshops as a practicing specialist. At these events, you can meet industry professionals with extensive experience who can provide insights on specific skills.

3. Find a mentor

One way you can learn and develop your skills is through communication with a mentor. It is advisable to find a mentor who is an expert with significant experience. It can be someone from your own department or company.

How to improve soft skills:

1. Identify your strengths and weaknesses

First, you need to evaluate your current strengths and weaknesses. This can help you identify what specific areas you should improve. For example, if you notice you have strong communication skills but weak problem-solving skills, you can first focus on developing your problem-solving skills. Knowing your strengths and weaknesses can also help you create a detailed plan on how to improve your soft skills.

2. Ask for feedback

In case you're not sure what your strengths and weaknesses are, the good idea is to ask your colleagues or managers for feedback. They may suggest specific directions for improvement that you hadn't thought of. You can also ask your friends and family members since they are likely to know you best and may be more open to providing honest feedback.

3. Continue to look for development opportunities

By knowing what skills you want to develop or improve, you can look for development opportunities to do so. There are many companies that offer professional development opportunities, such as additional training or student loans. Talk to your manager to learn more about these opportunities.

If you haven't found a job yet, think about seizing these opportunities on your own. Look for classes which can help you develop specific skills, such as public speaking classes to improve your communication skills. The received certificates can be included on your resume to impress employers when applying for a job.

4. Networking

Networking involves meeting people who work in your industry and can be a great way to develop social skills. It can help you improve your communication and interpersonal skills, and learn more about your industry. Networking can also be a helpful way to find positions you are interested in if you are not employed yet. You can look for networking events in your city or find ones you can attend online in order to improve your skills.

The best way to learn is to develop both hard and soft skills in tandem rather than opposing them. Overall, it is essential to develop both hard and soft skills as you grow professionally and personally. And, as your career evolves, you need to keep this in mind and look for opportunities to learn and improve your skills.