Do You Know Your Skill Sets?

Whether you’re a hiring manager writing a job description or a candidate looking for an exciting opportunity, skills are something you’ll need to be familiar with. For a hiring manager you need to know what skills a certain opportunity requires and for a job seeker you have to be confident in the skills you believe you possess. What people might not realize is there are two categories of skill sets: hard skills and soft skills.

Hard skills are considered teachable abilities or skill sets, like computer programming, physics knowledge, or being proficient in a foreign language. Getting even more specific, if the job is for a software developer hard skills could include things like Java and C++ Programming. This category is easy to quantify and prove; these skills can be backed up with certificates, a degree, or an award.

Soft skills refer to interpersonal skills and attributes, like problem solving and leadership. Going back to the software developer example, the soft skills could be having the ability to work successfully in a team environment and having a knack for problem solving. This category is more personal driven and subjective; these skills relate to personal characteristics and traits and can be difficult to evaluate.

So which is more important? Balance is best – both skill sets work together and help paint a bigger picture.