What are hard and soft skills?

When it comes to job hunting, you need to know what the difference is between hard and soft skills. You also need to know  which ones you have to offer. Employers will often have a set criteria of skills they’re looking for in the right candidate. And this will be a balance of both hard and soft skills. Sure, they’ll review these skills in your CV. But they’ll also assess these skills during the interview.

What’s the difference between hard skills vs soft skills?

Hard skills are tangible skills that are easy to quantify and assess. Examples of hard skills are using Excel, customer service and marketing. But soft skills relate to your characteristics and behaviours and aren’t as easy to assess. Examples of soft skills are organisation, leadership and teamwork.

5 ways to showcase your skills to employers

There are different ways you can show your skills to employers. But don’t just pick one of these methods. You should use a combination to get the best results:

• Portfolio – Create a portfolio to show technical ability

• CV – List skills in your CV

• Cover letter – Detail achievements in your cover letter

• The STAR method – Give examples using the STAR method in an interview. This is particularly useful for competency-based interviews!

• Interview – Show soft skills throughout the interview

Hard skills examples

Marketing hard skills

Paid advertising

Social media management

Branding

SEO

Engineering

Project management

Mechanical skills

Maths

Welding

Admin

Microsoft excel

Purchasing supplies

Using filing systems

Payroll

Accounting

Balancing accounts

Producing financial statements

Implementing accounting controls

Using software like Xero, QuickBooks

Debtor chasing

Knowledge of tax legislation

Soft skills examples

Marketing soft skills

Creativity

Teamwork

Initiative

Adaptability

Analytical

Engineering

Problem-solving

Forward thinking

Organisation

Critical thinking

Admin

Teamwork

Communication

Organisation

Attention to detail

Prioritisation

Accounting

Organisation

Attention to detail

Analytical

Time management

How to develop your professional skills

You should always be looking for ways to improve your skills throughout your career. Here are a few ways to develop your skillset:

• Asking your current employer for more responsibilities

• Shadow other colleagues to learn from them

• Complete a course

• Gain a new qualification

• Request training

• Offer help to your colleagues

How do employers assess your skills?

Employers use different techniques to assess your skills. Before your interview, find out as much information as possible about the interview style. You don’t want any surprises!

• 1:1 interviews

• Group interviews

• Competency-based questions

• Role-play

• Trial shifts

• Psychometric tests

• References

• Practical exams

• Probation periods

It’s a balancing act

Always remember that it’s never just about one or the other. The best job applicants are those that understand they need a good balance of skills. Not only do they need technical ability, but they also recognise they need the right soft skills too. So when doing your interview prep, always keep both types of skills in mind!

Ready to find a new career? Use the SonicJobs app to manage all your applications from your phone!