THE IMPORTANCE OF SOFT SKILLS IN

THE HIRING PROCESS

Hard skills are the technical, specific abilities which can be taught. Soft skills, on the other hand, are
generally more subjective and elusive, referring to personal and interpersonal qualities and
characteristics. The advantage with soft skills is that they give employers a deeper insight into their
potential hire.
Below you will find some of the most important soft skills to consider when recruiting for your next
vacancy:
Communication: We know it’s an obvious one but it bears repeating; communication skills should
never be under-estimated in recruitment. Communication means being able to articulate well, listen
and also be aware of body language. We don’t mean great writing skills as these are seen as a hard
skill. We mean the ability to understand and be understood, coupled with the willingness and ability
to listen.
Collaboration: Take a look at most resumes and they focus on individual achievements, but in the
majority of roles you will need a team player, someone who is able to collaborate. Some companies
evaluate this through the use of assessment centers but it isn’t an appropriate strategy for every
employer. Ask candidates about group projects they’ve taken part in either as a leader or in a
support role and always ask the question about teamwork when carrying out reference checks.
Motivation: All employers want self-starters who are able to work with minimal supervision.
Motivation is a difficult one to measure but a resume that reflects a varied and active life outside of
the working environment is a good indicator of someone who is curious and therefore more likely to
be self-motivated.
Creativity: Creativity is one of the most sought after skills as it generally brings with it innovation and
problem solving abilities. It is also an innate, rather than a teachable, skill. Competency based
questions and psychometric tests can help to evaluate the extent of a candidate’s creative skills.
Flexibility: Creativity is often accompanied by flexibility which brings with it a positive attitude.
Flexible candidates demonstrate an ability to think outside the box and are confident that everything
will work out for the best. They possess the ability to adapt to change and challenges rather than
remain on a fixed path.
Patience: An often under-rated soft skill, patience is essential for the success of long-term complex
projects that require in-depth work and high levels of concentration. It’s not an easy quality to
measure but a very useful trait in a candidate. To evaluate patience, look for evidence of on-going,
long term projects within a candidate’s resume.
Strong work ethic: Of course, this soft skill is high on every employer’s list. The top performers
have a strong work ethic and a determination to achieve targets. This is another difficult one to
assess but should be apparent from the candidate’s achievements and again confirmed by reference
checks.
Hard Skills vs. Soft Skills in Recruitment
Hard skills.

Hard skills are quantifiable, and can be taught in a classroom or gained from on-the-job
experience. According to The Balance, these are some examples of hard skills:

 Proficiency in a foreign language

 A degree or certificate

 Typing speed

 Machine operation

 Computer programming

These types of proficiencies can be identified easily in a resume or cover letter. So, why
are these important? These are factual things that have been learned by the candidate.
These skills can be proven to employers to demonstrate a candidate’s worth. These are
often listed as must-haves for employers and can guide you in determining who is a
good fit for their needs.

Soft skills.

Unlike hard skills, soft skills are not quantifiable, and are also referred to as
interpersonal skills. These relate to the way a candidate interacts with people, including
other colleagues and customers. Some examples include:

 Communication

 Time management
  Conflict resolution

 Flexibility

 Leadership

 Motivation

 Work ethics

 Soft skills cannot often be taught. Proficiencies such as typing and machine operation

can be taught through experience, whereas people skills are harder to train.

What are Soft Skills and Hard

Skills?
Admin in Career Tips and Advice

26 Apr 2017

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In a job application, the majority of employers look for two sets of skills among
applicants. You might have heard about soft and hard skills already. But, are you aware
what these skills mean? Do you want to know the difference between soft and hard
skills? Get to know the essential information by reading through this article.
Soft Skills – Defined
Commonly known as “interpersonal or people skills”, soft skills are the subjective skills
that a person possesses. These skills are harder to measure. Generally, soft skills help
an employer determine how you connect or interact with co-workers in the corporate
setting.

What are some of the soft skills?

  Flexibility and versatility
 Communication skills (oral and written)
 Leadership
 Problem-solving capacities
 Work ethics
 Patience and persistence
 Teamwork
 Stress management
 Networking skills
 Self-confidence
 Management abilities

Now, that you get a background about soft skills. Let’s go to the definition and
description of hard skills.

Hard Skills – What Are These?

If soft skills are something that’s difficult to calculate, hard skills are those that are easy
to measure. These are teachable skills that we acquired from either education or
training. You might not be aware but hard skills are knowledge and abilities that we
learned from the classroom, reading books and other materials that you encountered.

Below are hard skills that you may find necessary for your job
hunting.
 Bilingual language (foreign and local)
 Certificate or degree
 Computer skills (programming, software applications etc.)
 Technical skills (machine operation)

Hard skills can also include those basic skills in physics, finance, chemistry, accounting,
statistics and other subjects that you took up in your education. In a business setting,
hard skills are which the company rules stay and stick. Meanwhile, soft skills are where
the company rules can change for some time based on how the culture and orientation
of the company change in the passing of time.

The kind of people and environment that you work with can somehow affect your soft
skills. While hard skills may not be changed but can be improved along with the
advancement of education and knowledge acquired.

Your employer can easily determine your soft and hard skills even if you don’t label
them separately. Most employers do recognise every skill and ability that you possess
but they give importance to some essential skills that they require for the company.