Hard skills versus soft skills: A comparison
Can you recall a moment when you saw someone was so good at what they did? Someone with strong ‘hard’ skills but weak, soft skills. Or perhaps you’ve met someone you assumed to be good at their job, but you get disappointed when you see them in action? (The person with strong, soft skills but weak hard skills).
In this article, I will examine the differences between hard and soft skills and compare the various abilities that are required; and why they ALL matter.
What are Hard Skills?
Technical skills can be referred to as hard skills, like the skills you’ve learned from attending school and varsity. These are the skills that get you the job. You don’t apply for a software engineering job and say: ‘Well, I can’t code, but I am good at making people laugh.’ No, that won’t work.
Hard skills are what we tend to be most proud of as people. And why not? You just trained for years to become skilled in playing football or cricket or went to varsity for several years to become a medical doctor, lawyer, engineer etc. You’d have to be insane not to be proud of yourself for achieving that.
So, it is understandable why, as people, we tend to believe that as long as we can do our job, nothing else matters: ‘I don’t have to worry about what I said to my co-worker as long as I write the most efficient code, right?’ WRONG!
Bill Gates did not become one of the best-known software developers because he could write the best code. He was also a great leader -knowing how to communicate his ideas to other software and non-software engineers. That’s where soft skills come in.
What are Soft Skills?
Soft skills can also be called interpersonal skills. Unlike hard skills, soft skills tend to develop as we grow. You don’t need a degree or hard-core training to possess them. However, that does not mean you have to take them lightly. You need hard skills to get a job but soft skills to keep the job and move up the ladder as you build your career.
Unlike hard skills, soft skills don’t have a specific definition, so let me give you three things you should aim for as you build your soft skills.
- Leadership skills:
I’ve listed these skills first because they usually dictate whether a team becomes successful or not. I will not get into the traits of what defines a great leader (that’s an article for another day). In a way, most soft skills can be considered leadership skills.
Do not wait for a specific leadership position to ask yourself whether you are capable of moving a group of people from point A to point B. You need to be able to move from point A to point B first.
To quote Douglas MacArthur: “A true leader has the confidence to stand alone, the courage to make tough decisions and compassion to listen to the needs of others. He does not set out to be a leader but becomes one by the equality of his actions and integrity of his intent.”
You can lead without a title!
2. Communication skills:
- This is not an introvert vs extrovert thing. It is simply the fact that if you are part of a team, each move you make will affect that team just as every move the team makes will affect you, thus it is crucial to keep up to date with your team and to keep your team up to date with you at all times.
3. Work Ethic and Motivation:
- This is heavily linked to “If you don’t love your job, then don’t do it”; however, if you don’t have motivation for what you do, then what’s the point? Forget the money trap because if that’s your motivation, you’ll most likely fall into wasting your time and be unhappy. You’ll end up doing things you don’t like, and that’s just foolish.
Think about it; would you trust someone who works because he expects something in return (i.e. money) or someone who works because he wants to?
- It is essential for other people to know whether they can count on you. It would help if you took responsibility for your work, were willing to take the initiative, showed self-direction, and, most importantly, met deadlines and time management expectations.
Many skills are related to soft skills, and explaining them would probably require an extra five blogs, but the type of philosophy you should gain from here is that the higher you climb the ladder, the more soft skills you need and the less your hard work skills matter.
But don’t believe that soft skills matter more than hard skills. Elon Musk is not a great public figure just because he is charismatic; he understands that his real work begins when the spotlight is off. That’s where his hard skills (business and engineering) shine!
Always remember never to take your hard skills lightly. They are what makes you unique. Yet, without soft skills, you can never go far with just having hard skills. People must understand that you are competent without showing them your work (Soft skills) and that mastery is the key to happiness (Hard skills).
