Hard skills and soft skills

A candidate looking for a job should know that hard skills are used by employers in short listing applicants for an interview, but they are not the only skills that employers look for in candidate. Beyond that,employers look for other skills to distinguish one candidate from another.These,skills are known as soft skills

What are hard skills and soft skills?Hard skills are the basic skills required for a person to do a certain job.Examples of hard skills are writing a computer programme or flying a plane.They can be easily taught or gained from experience.Most people who have had the same level of education and experience have about the same level of hard skills.

Soft skills,however are often intangible and,for that reason, cannot be taught easily.Many soft skills include personality traits such as leadership,creativity eagerness to learn, and friendly and work ethics that include honesty,accountability and reliability.Social skill are those personal values and interpersonal skills that determine a person's ability to fit into a particular structure such as a project team or a company.

Therefore, job seekers can gain a competitive advantage over other candidates by identifying and understanding their own soft skills and then  clearly exemplifying those skills to potential employers.

Is there a perfect way of finding out whether or not one possesses soft skills?Although, there are tests that measure personality, the result does not always indicate that person possesses specific soft skills.Therefore,most employers will pose questions to candidates to find out whether they have certain soft skills required by the job.

For job applicants going for an interview,they must be able to convey the soft skills the possess,in addition, to the soft skills stated in the job advertisement.Then, they should think of a way to demonstrate each of these skills.Remember, hard skills will get applicants an interview, but soft skills will get them a job.