SOFT SKILLS ARE BETTER FOR THE WORKPLACE
By: Emily Beebe, Opinion Editor
When students get a job after graduation or during their academic journey, employers look for candidates who have soft and hard skills. Soft skills include good communication, collaboration or creativity. Hard skills are more specific and technical abilities such as knowing how to use various programs like JavaScript or Adobe InDesign.
Even though hard skills are beneficial in the workplace, soft skills are more advantageous to employers.
Having good communication skills is pivotal in the workplace because regardless of your occupation, you’ll have to talk to and work well with others.
Soft skills can help you be successful in the workplace. For example, if you have good listening and collaboration skills, you can work well with your coworkers. If you have good conflict resolution skills, you can stay calm when approached with tough situations.
Even though having hard skills can also be of great importance, soft skills are what will make you successful in your job. You can always learn hard skills throughout your job, but soft skills are what make you an approachable and good employee.
HARD SKILLS ARE BETTER FOR THE WORKPLACE
By: Sofia Didenko, Opinion Columnist
Soft skills are a set of capabilities that can be useful in many jobs and fields. Some are time management, empathy, professionalism and creativity. They often focus on how individuals interact with others and navigate their work environment.
Hard skills are technical capabilities that tend to be specific to a particular job or duty. For instance, a programmer knowing a coding language like Python or Java, or a painter knowing color theory and composition.
Possessing soft skills can enhance a potential employee’s value but they are often seen as positive supplementary qualities rather than key requirements. Having the hard skills to perform a job well is nonnegotiable. Soft skills can, however, distinguish candidates who are qualified with technical abilities by showing how someone collaborates, problem solves or can think quickly on their feet.
That being said, employers typically don’t say “I want a pure personality hire.” Employers know that even the most likable candidate is not able to deliver results without the technical abilities needed to succeed at the many tasks of a particular job.
However, soft skills play an important role in growing within a job. Employers value a person who is understanding, organized and timely because these traits foster a stable workplace environment. These qualities are not the primary reason for hiring someone, but they can be the reason someone gets a promotion.
At the end of the day hard skills are more important for a job, but having soft skills can make a person more successful.
A good mix of hard skills and soft skills will make an employee most successful. Hard skills might get you the job but soft skills are needed to harbor success within it. Not working on complimentary soft skills can be someone’s downfall at a job or stop them from progressing as networking and possessing self initiative are important aspects in a successful career.
