Hard Skills

vs
Soft Skills
By: Pringle, Dan, Javion, and Maikael
What are Hard Skills and Soft Skills?

Hard Skills – Techniques and knowledge learned through

training and schooling. These can be represented through
scores, certifications, portfolios, or skill assessment tests.

Soft Skills - Related to your personality, work ethic, and

people skills. These skills were not taught but a natural
result of having relationships. These skills cannot be
measured by tests and certificates. The term “emotional
intelligence” is often used when referring to soft skills.
 Examples of Soft Skills
• Time management
• Teamwork
• Communication
• Adaptability
• Ability to perform under pressure
• Innovation
• Listening
• Creativity
• Work ethic
• Leadership
Examples of Hard Skills
• Bilingual or multilingual
• Database management
• Adobe software suite
• Network security
• Statistical analysis
• Data mining
• Mobile development
Improving Your Skills
• 1. Prioritize Specific Skills to Develop
• 2. Ask for Feedback
• 3. Step Outside Your Comfort Zone
• 4. Self-Reflect
• 5. Find Online Courses
• 6. Actively Listen
• 7. Improve Writing Skills
• 8. Take on a Leadership Role
• 9. Communicate Often
• 10. Work on Critical-Thinking Skills
 Affecting Job Interviews
You can highlight your soft
skills by:
• Being punctual
and dependable
• Using integrity
• Active listening
• Speaking clearly when
asked a question
You can highlight your hard
skills by:
• Elaborating on your experience
and training
• Providing a portfolio 
• Effectively answering technical
questions related to the work
• Effectively working through
skills tests (if required)
 Used in Daily Life

Soft Skills are primarily used in everyday life, mostly by talking to

other people, having good teamwork capabilities, and being a good
leader. People who use soft skills with other people make them
very sociable and relatable.

Hard skills are not that useful in daily life, mostly due to them
being specific subjects of knowledge with little applicability in the
real world. If you only related with other people using your hard
skills, you would be very lonely and unrelatable.
Cultural Importance
• People in the world are proud and prefer their own
language and culture. Learning languages is a hard
skill, it requires work and brain power. If you were to
speak the interviewer’s same language, they will prefer
you and do business with you over more suitable
people.
• An example of this would be if someone wanted in the
United States wanted to do business with a company in
China. The company would want to do business with
someone who speaks Chinese, preferably. 
• Being able to relate and be openminded to new cultures
is a soft skill, that may be seen as a valuable
contribution to a business or corporation.
Which is better? Hard Skills or Soft Skills?

No singular skill is better, they are both

needed in life. Without hard skills you
wouldn't be able to perform in a job
and soft skills are needed to develop
and hone in on your hard skills.
 Sources
• Barnard, Dom. “The Importance of Soft Skills.” VirtualSpeech, VirtualSpeech, 25 Mar. 2019,
https://virtualspeech.com/blog/importance-soft-skills#:~:text=Soft%20skills%20are%20personal
%20attributes,and%20dependability%2C%20and%20lead%20teams. 
• Bartlett, Michele. “Soft Skills Need Sharpening? 10 Ways to Improve Soft Skills.” Post University, 24 Aug.
2022, https://post.edu/blog/7-ways-to-sharpen-your-soft-skills/. 
• Birt, Jamie. “Hard Skills vs. Soft Skills: What's the Difference? | Indeed.com.” Indeed.com, 10 Mar. 2023,
https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/resumes-cover-letters/hard-skills-vs-soft-skills. 
• Case, Aaron, et al. “Hard Skills vs Soft Skills: Definitions & Lists of Examples.” Resume Genius, 16 Feb.
2023, https://resumegenius.com/blog/resume-help/hard-skills-vs-soft-skills. 
• Geerlings, Rieke. "Soft Skills vs. Hard Skills – Which is More Important?" TTI Success Insights, 22 May
2019, https://blog.ttisi.com/soft-skills-vs.-hard-skills-which-is-more-important#:~:text=Both%20types%20of
%20skills%20are,use%20your%20hard%20skills%20successfully.
• Team, Lorman. “Why Hard Skills Are Necessary in the Workplace.” LORMAN Education Services, 28 Jan.
2021, https://www.lorman.com/blog/post/hard-skills-in-the-workplace#:~:text=Hard%20skills%20represent
%20the%20requirements,to%20carry%20out%20job%20functions.