CV Hard and Soft Competencies
Hard competencies compared to soft competencies: What they are and how to use them to your advantage.
Hard competencies and soft skills, which are undoubtedly key to your successes, not only clearly demonstrate your suitability for the role you are applying for but also constitute an important element of your professional image. In today's complex world of behaviors, where diversity and dynamism prevail, a simple division into two broad categories of competencies may seem insufficient. Nevertheless, a harmonious combination of an employee's technical and interpersonal skills is essential for their achievements and simultaneously contributes to strengthening teams and entire organizations.
The Key to Success: How Combining Hard and Soft Skills Distinguishes Candidates in the Job Market
Understanding the difference between hard and soft competencies is not only important but also crucial for job seekers, as employers often look for candidates equipped with both. It is worth noting that the specific required skills may vary depending on the position and the specifics of the industry. Therefore, the ability to demonstrate both types of competencies can not only be beneficial but often determines a candidate's professional distinction among the competition. Effectively using these skills improves your chances of finding your dream job.
How to properly combine hard and soft skills in your CV?
In this article, we will explore the topic in more detail, considering key issues such as the differences between hard and soft skills. We will discuss the characteristics of soft competencies and what distinguishes hard skills. We will also address ways to effectively develop both types of competencies. In the context of a CV, we will focus on how to effectively present both hard and soft skills.
It is worth noting that hard and soft skills do not function in isolation but are often used together.
**What is the difference between hard and soft skills?**
Hard competencies are technical skills necessary for work, developed through education and training. Soft competencies, encompassing personality traits, facilitate collaboration and success at work, and are shaped through experience.
**What are soft competencies?**
Soft competencies, being personality traits, affect work performance and team interactions. They are attributes developed during work that allow effective response in various situations. Employers value them as they can contribute to increased productivity. Examples of important soft competencies include:
Resourcefulness
You never know what fate will bring – what challenges or obstacles you will encounter. Developing imagination is key, as it helps you get out of trouble. So, when you encounter difficulties, don't give up, but look for solutions. Move forward, using wit and creativity to achieve your goal.
Positive Attitude
You might assume that a positive attitude is a fixed character trait, but in reality, many soft skills are related to optimism. Moreover, mental resilience and calm optimism are key. Perseverance and the ability to complete tasks stem from the motivation to act. Furthermore, positive thinking allows transforming every failure into success.
Collaboration
Achieving the best results often comes from effective collaboration and striving for a common goal, which is a key soft skill. At the same time, directing a diverse team to unanimous action is a challenge. It is also important to have empathy for people with different views and the ability to resolve conflicts, especially in emotional situations.
Examples
Teamwork
Leadership
Empathy
Interpersonal Skills
Tolerance
Conflict Resolution
Adaptability
It is crucial to adapt actions to the situation. How do you cope when the situation becomes unstable? Can you manage stress and clearly communicate ideas
when anxiety arises? As a flexible thinker, you are seen as a leader in uncertain times, to whom others turn for advice.
Examples
Flexibility
Following Instructions
Stress Management
Communication
Customer Service
Work Ethic
The value of perseverance is immeasurable, as it develops endurance. Turning obstacles into challenges, not barriers, becomes a habit that effectively strengthens our motivation. Additionally, seeing difficulties as opportunities, not threats, is a key soft skill. Furthermore, developing productivity brings remarkable benefits.
Examples
Determined
Motivated
Focused
Deadline-oriented
Time Management
Critical Thinking
Critical thinking is crucial as it allows us to make the right choices, especially when there are multiple options. By absorbing external opinions and meticulously researching facts, we often come to the best solution. Moreover, critical thinkers effectively influence the project and contribute to leading the team.
Examples
Observation
Negotiation
Persuasion
Analytical Skills
Strategic Planning
What are hard competencies?
Hard competencies, i.e., technical and practical skills, are essential for employees to effectively perform tasks. They are acquired through work and are developed through practice and education. A lack of these skills can hinder job searching, although employers also value the appropriate soft competencies. These skills, including technical, sales, and marketing, are becoming increasingly important in various professions.
Technical Competencies
Technical competencies play a key role in many professions, and their growing popularity stems from their ability to simplify processes. Additionally, these skills connect companies with customers and effectively optimize outcomes. The path to acquiring these skills is not only proven but also well-documented. Since technical skills are easy to measure, they represent a concrete goal for professionals striving for excellence in their field.
Examples
Network Security
Programming
Data Science
Cloud Computing
HTML
AI – Artificial Intelligence
Others
Mastering various hard competencies can significantly increase your value in the workplace, for example, knowledge of an additional language opens doors to unique opportunities, and the ability to write clearly saves time that would otherwise be lost on unnecessary explanations. Meanwhile, mastery in efficient project management often remains a challenge for many. Regardless of the job, the right hard competency can significantly improve your performance.
Examples
Languages
Graphic Design
Copywriting
Project Management
How can you develop hard and soft competencies?
Hard competencies are acquired and developed through participation in courses and higher education, and then refined and perfected in professional practice. This requires mastering specific skills and their effective application.
Soft skills develop through experience and reflection. The unpredictability of situations requires flexibility, and the assessment of the effects of actions comes over time. Lessons learned from mistakes and awareness of the impact on others are key to developing these skills.
Employers assess soft skills through behavioral and situational interviews. They simulate situations, asking about solutions to problems, and your reactions shape their image of your suitability for the role.
Highlighting Practical and Soft Skills in a CV
In a CV, it is necessary to demonstrate the development of practical and soft skills. Identify and present competencies that are key to a particular role, ideally matching your experience. Additionally, share achievements where these skills were decisive.
Where to Present Hard and Soft Competencies
You don't need to separate hard from soft skills in a CV; both can be supported by examples of achievements. So, confidently combine
them, mentioning both types. You can present these skills in sections such as:
Summary
The summary section should be reserved for the most significant stories from your career. If you have a rare, specialized technical skill, this is where you should share it. Rarely is any soft competency so unique – they are harder to succinctly quantify, so consider leaving them for later in the CV.
Skills Section
The skills section is key to highlighting your hard and soft competencies; however, caution is needed. While you may want to list a unique soft competency that distinguishes you outside of work, such skills without the context of achievements may seem worthless. On the other hand, hard competencies and qualifications are impressive and worth listing if they give you a competitive edge. But avoid long lists, as common hard skills are often shared by many candidates.
Employment History
The employment history section is where both your hard and soft competencies can be presented in practice. Assuming your CV will be read by an expert in your field, you sometimes don't even need to explain which skills were involved in a particular achievement. Make a list of the most important hard and soft competencies required for the position, find the best fitting achievements from your career, and let your story speak for itself.
Key Takeaways
Providing information about your hard and soft skills is essential to landing your dream job. Recruiters often overlook soft competencies, as they are difficult to measure. However, during an interview, every word you say will matter. So, ensure your CV creates a cohesive story about how your skills contribute to making positive changes.
Choose matching competencies, both hard and soft, in line with the demands of the role. Show how you developed them through short examples from your career. Present them in the appropriate sections of your CV and cover letter, maintaining uniqueness to stand out.
Author: Piotr Królczyk
Senior Data Architect with over 25 years of experience in designing, building, and delivering large, complex data solutions supporting transactional systems and data warehouses, including 6 years of delivering cloud data solutions in Azure, mainly in the United States and Western Europe.