9 March 2020
Hard skills and soft skills: what sets them apart and what they should add to a worker
Indeed, both concepts designate skills that should be part of us as individuals and professionals. These are constantly evaluated in job search and both must be present. That is why it is essential to combine knowing how to do with to knowing how to be, so that we can be more complete.
In our professional life we are constantly evaluated through our technical skills. In other words, those that we learn through education (hard skills). In short, those in which professionals are specialized and which appear in the work resume. For example: accounting, finance, economics, programming and speaking a language fluently. These are clearly highly valued, as without them it would be impossible for anyone to apply for any job or profession. They are even easier to quantify, making it more efficient and simple to evaluate a candidate. However, in the future, they may not be sufficient to achieve results and to achieve career progression.
Over the past few years, globalization and technological innovations have allowed soft skills to be affirmed, which are here to stay, since the personal touch makes more and more the difference in the success of a business. Today, due to increased schooling, continued education and innovation, almost all professionals have the same technical skills (hard skills), so what will differentiate them from others is their behavioral skills (soft skills). The main purpose is to recruit a person who stands out, who is unusual. It is no longer enough to have a degree, or to be specialized in something, it is essential to have something more to add. Examples of soft skills are perseverance, dedication, interest, patience and the willingness to work as a team.
When people are unable to progress in their careers it is when they notice that there is a lack of "knowing how to be" on the part of the professional. Therefore, to be different in our field we have to know how to deal with others and the environment around us.
It is important to be adapted to the new requirements of the working world. Automation and IA are trends that are shaping the labor market, and as these are revolutionizing industries and professions, the strong social skills are vital, since this is the one aspect that machines cannot replace.
We can even make an analogy with school: "knowing how to do" and "knowing how to be" are both considered, however cognitive skills "weigh" more than social ones. It is, therefore, necessary to adapt to both to differentiate ourselves. Thus, we often observe that although someone is endowed with great cognitive abilities, he or she cannot achieve the desired success. And it is from this analysis that we often distinguish those who are only good professionals from those who are excellent ones.
In our professional life we are constantly evaluated through our technical skills. In other words, those that we learn through education (hard skills). In short, those in which professionals are specialized and which appear in the work resume. For example: accounting, finance, economics, programming and speaking a language fluently. These are clearly highly valued, as without them it would be impossible for anyone to apply for any job or profession. They are even easier to quantify, making it more efficient and simple to evaluate a candidate. However, in the future, they may not be sufficient to achieve results and to achieve career progression.
Over the past few years, globalization and technological innovations have allowed soft skills to be affirmed, which are here to stay, since the personal touch makes more and more the difference in the success of a business. Today, due to increased schooling, continued education and innovation, almost all professionals have the same technical skills (hard skills), so what will differentiate them from others is their behavioral skills (soft skills). The main purpose is to recruit a person who stands out, who is unusual. It is no longer enough to have a degree, or to be specialized in something, it is essential to have something more to add. Examples of soft skills are perseverance, dedication, interest, patience and the willingness to work as a team.
When people are unable to progress in their careers it is when they notice that there is a lack of "knowing how to be" on the part of the professional. Therefore, to be different in our field we have to know how to deal with others and the environment around us.
It is important to be adapted to the new requirements of the working world. Automation and IA are trends that are shaping the labor market, and as these are revolutionizing industries and professions, the strong social skills are vital, since this is the one aspect that machines cannot replace.
We can even make an analogy with school: "knowing how to do" and "knowing how to be" are both considered, however cognitive skills "weigh" more than social ones. It is, therefore, necessary to adapt to both to differentiate ourselves. Thus, we often observe that although someone is endowed with great cognitive abilities, he or she cannot achieve the desired success. And it is from this analysis that we often distinguish those who are only good professionals from those who are excellent ones.
