There are two types of skills that employers are looking for: soft skills and hard skills. Soft skills are interpersonal; they’re qualities a person has learned overtime through their experiences and often have naturally. Hard skills are proficiencies that can be learned through education and training and often have physical representations, like certifications or degrees, that can be shown to other people. Both sets are valuable and should be advertised during your job search.
Soft Skills Employers Want
Soft skills are difficult to define, as they aren’t quantifiable. They’re qualities you can recognize in a person after knowing them for a while. They can also be difficult to recognize in us and tell a hiring manager during the interview process. A few vital soft skills every company needs for success are communication, time management, creativity, adaptability, and problem solving. They might seem too obvious that it may seem silly to mention it, but these talents are so important. A lot of people don’t have them, so to have one of these abilities is valuable to your future employer. Your excellent organization or ability to empathize better than your peers may be the missing piece your next company needs.
How to Show Them
Highlighting a soft skill during the interview process is tricky, but can be done. Consider what accomplishments and highlights can be added to your résumé and cover letter respectively to showcase them, by telling a story of a situation in which the ability was used. Do you have incredible integrity? Give an example in your cover letter when you noticed a financial discrepancy in your company’s records, told your supervisor, and made it right. Are you punctual? Show up to every interview 15 minutes early. Soft skills can be demonstrated in words and actions.
Hard Skills Employers Want
Hard skills are easier to define because they’re listed in the job responsibilities within the posting. They consist of tasks you’ll need experience with to do the job well. A few examples of these are data entry, specific technical software like MS Office or QuickBooks, contract negotiation, web development, anything that requires certain training. Of course, these should be dropped in the résumé and/or cover letter to tell the potential employer that you know how to do the job.
How to Show Them
Displaying these skills is far easier. List the education, experience, and certifications you have that show you earned them. Have you had thorough training in paid media? List the Google Ads Certifications you’ve received. Are you a whiz with WordPress? Don’t forget to mention it during the interview. If the job responsibilities consist of technical, clerical, or creative tasks, then your hard skills would benefit here. Flaunt those credentials!
Our hard skills indicate how well we’ll do the job, but our soft skills tell our employers how we’ll perform and work with the team. Each of these are valuable and employers are looking for a well-rounded set of proficiencies. Make a list of each set of skills and put them on your cover letter and résumé. Neither should be disregarded. For more information, keep following our blog, and check back at pdxMindShare for career news and current job listings.
