The definition of soft skills and hard skills

The difference between hard and soft skills generally comes down to how they’re acquired and applied.

Understanding hard skills

Hard skills are the technical skills a person must have to perform their job role. Individuals can acquire these industry-specific skills through education, experience and on-the-job training.

During the hiring process, you may use recruitment tools to screen potential candidates for these strengths, including listing hard skills in job descriptions.Some common examples of hard skills include:

• Foreign languages
• Forecasting
• Investment analysis
• Software development
• Structured Query Language proficiency
• Excel skills
• Risk analysis
• Preventative vehicle maintenance
• Diagnostic testing
• Health informatics
• Electronic health records management
• Medical imaging software

Your employees can learn hard skills through training, apprenticeships or on-the-job opportunities. You can define levels of competency and provide clear guidelines on how to reach them. For example, an individual interested in becoming an auto body technician can enroll in a trade school or get hired by a repair shop that provides on-the-job training. Maintaining expertise and staying relevant in the field may require advanced training opportunities, online courses or seminars.

The power of soft skills

While hard skills have clear definitions, soft skills are more abstract and subjective, which can make them harder to quantify. Sometimes called interpersonal skills, these are personal behaviors and attributes that enable individuals to interact effectively with management, colleagues and clients.

Unlike industry-specific hard skills, soft skills often transfer from one field to another. For example, in customer-facing roles, employees can leverage their soft skills to offer empathy and understanding when assisting clients in navigating challenges. In a collaborative environment, soft skills may help employees communicate more effectively when it comes to sharing ideas and providing feedback.

Non-technical soft skills may include:

• Problem-solving
• Adaptability
• Ability to work on a team
• Communication skills
• Interpersonal skills
• Leadership
• Attention to detail
• Self-motivation
• Self-regulation
• Time management
• Creativity
• Work ethic
• Dependability

It’s likely that in recent years, you’ve shifted your focus to hiring individuals who display these interpersonal skills. Because soft skills are often more difficult to teach than hard skills, choosing new hires with these interpersonal strengths can give your company an edge.

How to interview for hard skills versus soft skills

In addition to reviewing candidates’ resumes, you can tailor interview questions to identify their skills and determine their suitability for the role. You might also use assessments that target both hard and soft skills to pinpoint the skill sets of your current employees. These assessments can help you identify your workers’ strengths and growth opportunities and form teams that make the most of everyone’s skill sets.

Interviewing for hard skills

You can assess hard skills using tools and tests that gauge an individual’s ability to perform industry- or job-related tasks. For example, depending on the position you’re filling, you may conduct a basic writing or math competency assessment, work sample test or simulated job task.

Interviewing for soft skills

Soft skills can be harder to measure, so you may need to use a more dynamic approach to gather the necessary information. It’s important to plan your questions to help you accurately assess a candidate’s interpersonal strengths. Some questions you may ask include:

• What is a project you’re proud of?
• Can you share an experience where you collaborated with a team to successfully complete a project?
• Would you rather meet a deadline and provide an acceptable product or miss a deadline to provide an excellent product?
• Do you have experience in solving complex problems?

Strategies for fostering hard and soft skills on your team

You can create a more dynamic and adaptable workforce and effectively meet the challenges of today’s workplace by focusing on both hard and soft skills. Managers have found success in using a variety of strategies, including:

• Targeted training programs, such as technical workshops for hard skills and communication workshops for soft skills
• Mentorship or job shadowing programs that pair less experienced workers with tenured employees who can help them develop their skill sets through practical advice and experience
• Project-based learning that requires a mix of hard and soft skills, empowering team members to hone their skills in a real-world environment
• Performance reviews that focus on helping employees pinpoint their strengths and develop plans for addressing their growth opportunities

Hard and soft skills create an effective workplace

When interviewing candidates, it’s usually easy to determine if they have the necessary hard skills for the job, but it’s also important to ensure they have the soft skills necessary to complement the rest of your team. Strategic recruiting and hiring individuals with the right mix of strengths can help advance your business’s culture and productivity. Whether you’re putting together teams or choosing the right hire, evaluating how their skills fit your business’s needs can help you direct your efforts.

FAQs about hard and soft skills

Can both hard and soft skills be learned?

Employees can develop both hard and soft skills over time. To encourage your workers to develop hard skills, it may be helpful to offer ongoing training opportunities through workshops, programs and online courses. Soft skills, on the other hand, can be improved through constructive feedback and role-playing exercises.

Are hard skills or soft skills more important in a worker?

Companies can benefit from having employees with both hard and soft skills. However,in some industries, one skill set matters more than the other. For example, in jobs that require excellent customer service, prioritizing soft skills over technical knowledge may be more appropriate. Conversely, in jobs that require technical proficiency but minimal collaboration or client interactions, your hiring practices may favor those with stronger hard skills.

Do hard and soft skills come with disadvantages?

When building a team or hiring for a position, it’s important to consider both hard and soft skills while also being mindful of their respective disadvantages. For example, depending on your company’s industry, hard skills can become obsolete quickly. Additionally, they can lack flexibility, which presents challenges in an environment of ever-changing technologies and best practices.

Similarly, while soft skills are essential, they don’t replace hard skills, and quantifying and measuring them can be challenging. Fortunately, you can address these challenges by providing ongoing learning opportunities and focusing on building a company culture that emphasizes transparency and effective communication.