In looking at the literature on hard and soft skills it is interesting to see the variety of meanings given to these terms depending on the academic discipline, profession or human resource view point adopted.

However, as key elements of career readiness we do not want to get bogged down in an academic exercise but rather gain a practical understanding of two types of skills that are essential for the workplace.

Hard Skills

Hard skills are commonly defined as the technical skills needed to carry out a specific job. These are tangible skills that can be easily measured to determine if a person has the competency to perform the tasks of a position. This set of skills is typically gained through post-secondary education and/or hands-on training.

A small sampling of hard skills includes:

• a plumber being able to read blue prints, drawing and specifications to layout a plumbing system;
• a mechanical engineer being able to investigate mechanical failures or unexpected maintenance problems; or
• a specialist physician being able to assess a patient's disease to determine an appropriate medical procedure.

Ultimately, an easy way to remember hard skills is to think of them as skills that can be demonstrated.

Soft Skills

On the other hand, soft skills are not as easy to measure, but are increasingly recognized as being vital to success in the workplace and in other parts of our lives. These are non-technical skills that allow us to manage ourselves and interact with others in a positive manner.

Soft skills include:

• being able to work as part of a team;
• verbal and written communication skills;
• critical thinking skills;
• mental energy;
• creative problem solving skills;
• effective support networking skills;
• conflict resolution skills;
• flexibility;
• integrity;
• treating others well;
• time management skills;
• leadership skills;
• positive attitude;
• sense of humour;
• being assertive not aggressive;
• continuous learning.

Often, finding employees with outstanding soft skills is more elusive than finding employees with top notch hard skills. For this reason, companies have become acutely aware of recruiting workers with strong soft skills who they believe can be taught the hard skills of a position. However, the best approach to adopt on your path to career readiness is recognizing hard and soft skills as a dynamic duo for making yourself a valued commodity in the work place.

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