Regardless of what stage you’re at in your career, chances are you have a good list of skills which you can use to help you stand out from the crowd when you’re applying for jobs. The hard part is knowing which ones employers are looking for, and making sure you include them effectively in your CV.
Below is our guide to hard and soft skills, and how to effectively combine the two to get that job.
What are hard skills?
Hard skills are skills and abilities which are specific to a certain job. Generally they are taught, which means you need training to achieve them. For some careers certain hard skills will be vital.
Hard skills require specific knowledge or experience. Common examples include a degree or academic qualification, an industry specific certification, foreign language skills, IT skills, coding ability, proofreading or SEO (search engine optimisation) marketing.
How do I show hard skills on my CV?
It’s generally quite easy to back up hard skills with credible evidence. For certain jobs the first thing employers will scan your CV for are the necessary hard skills and qualifications. As such you should try to highlight and emphasise the skills picked out in the job description, and focus your CV on your strongest attributes.
What are soft skills?
Soft skills are more general, self-developed attributes that you normally pick up from different life and work experiences, rather than through formal training. They can be applied to a wide range of roles and industries and as such are very valuable. Some common examples include interpersonal skills, problem solving, teamwork, leadership, communication skills and project management.
How do I show soft skills on my CV?
Soft skills are more difficult to prove than hard skills, particularly when it comes to a CV. The best applications will include credible examples as proof of soft skills being put into practice.
For example, instead of saying “I have good leadership skills”, instead say something along the lines of “I have good leadership skills as demonstrated when I completed X task”. If you’re stuck for ideas on what skills to talk about, go through the job description and see what’s highlighted by the employer and tailor your CV accordingly.
Hard skills vs. soft skills
Neither hard skills nor soft skills alone will be enough to land you that dream job. Although hard skills demonstrate the specialist knowledge and technical ability needed for some roles, soft skills are vital for ensuring that you are able to fit into the organisation and work well within their team.
Ideally, your CV should demonstrate a healthy combination of both hard and soft skills. This will show employers that you have the necessary knowledge to fulfil the role, but also that you’re equipped to deal with other important elements of the job.