Soft vs hard skills? What is more important in today’s world?

Done are the days when one could earn a living based on a single skill. One needs to be multifaceted to survive in the competitive work culture. This is why there has been a lot of discussion on soft vs hard skills. Recent research on the workplace environment has shown that having the most talented employees does not guarantee success. They also need other skills, such as teamwork and the ability to sort out conflicts. Working at a company means not only working but also tackling issues that may not even be related to their work.

When talking about soft vs hard skills, one must understand that both are important. Depending on the job, the importance of one skill may increase or decrease. 

Also Read: The EU AI Law, Explained in 2 Minutes

Soft vs hard skills

What are hard skills? 

Hard skills, such as technical knowledge and expertise, can be measured and are teachable. These hard skills are the ones that you have made your career. Usually, these are job-specific skills that can change from job to job. For example, If you join an organization as a software developer, your hard skills can be described as your knowledge of languages such as Python, C++, R, etc.

While hard skills are usually learned in college, they can also be learned through upskilling while working.

What are soft skills? 

Soft skills are a person’s emotional intelligence and situational awareness that he uses on a day-to-day basis. Unlike hard skills, soft skills are not teachable and cannot be measured. They are also ingrained in one’s nature, which means it is next to impossible to change them. Some examples of soft skills are leadership, situational awareness, and leadership roles. 

Also Read: What is Star Method Interview Technique? Quick Guide

Hard skills in interview 

Despite the importance of soft skills, an interview’s primary focus, especially when you are in your initial years in the industry. This is why interviewees start with hard skills to assess an employee is competence at his job. Then, they can follow it up by asking questions on soft skills to get a complete view of the candidate.

Here are some examples of hard skills:

• If you have worked as a software developer, hard skills questions will ask their expertise in their coding skills
• If you are joining the company as a data analyst, you will be asked how adept you are at Excel and data visualization tools such as Tableau and PowerBi.
• If you are applying for a job at an embassy, you must be well-versed in the language spoken in that country.
• If you are applying for a management role, you must be well-versed in handling various projects, logistics, budgeting, and financing.
• If you are applying for a sales job, you have to be adept at CRM platforms and business communications.
• If you are applying for clerical work, you must be skilled at typing, research, data entry, and taking minutes of meetings.

Soft skills in interview 

The rise of soft skills questions in interviews has become mandatory now as teams look for multifaceted employees who can take the workplace to new heights. The aim of soft skills is to analyze how a candidate fares when faced with specific challenges. For example, a candidate may be extremely talented at their work but can they work as a team member without causing conflicts in the workplace? 

Some examples of soft skills interview questions are as follows:

• How would you resolve it if your team was involved in a conflict during a crucial project?
• Was there a time when you had to work with someone you didn’t gel at the office? How did you handle such a situation?
• Have you ever committed a blunder at your workplace? How did you rectify and react to it?
• How helpful do you think criticism is in improving a candidate? How do you react to such criticism?
• How do you react when different members of your team have diverging views on any project?
• Tell me about a time when you knew your senior was wrong. How did you approach the issue with him?

Also Read: What is Quiet Quitting And How to Respond to It?

Soft vs hard skills- Which is more important 

So, we now come to the original questions which are better soft or hard skills. There are no clear answers to this as it can vary on different factors ranging from roles, work environment among other things. For example, a company looking to decrease their attrition rate might look for employees who are not only talented but also make the work environment more positive.

Earlier, the scales were heavily tipped in favor of hard skills as recruiters focused on talent rather than emotion, or empathy. However, recent times have seen huge changes. Covid-19 pandemic was a major reason why this happened. Due to the lockdown, the majority of the workforce shifted to work from home(WFH). Employees took time to adjust to this new reality. 

However, this meant that for the first time soft skills were necessary for effective functioning of the organization. Even now most of the companies focus on a hybrid model where they alternate between office work and WFH.  

Also Read: What is Personality Assessment? How to adopt it in hiring

Having a set of employees that are equally skilled at soft and hard skills helps companies have a diverse set of employees. 

However, conducting such hiring is easier said than done. Recruiters are already experiencing burnout, and this just burdens them with more work. It is where companies can rely on the AI interview intelligence platform BarRaiser, which takes your interview to the next level.

Our state-of-the-art tool gives companies the perfect interview tool that makes quality hiring easy. With BarRiaser users get our AI Interview Copilot that helps the recruiters in conducting a smooth, flawless interview.

Our product analyzes the interview and gives helpful suggestions to the interviewers on what questions to ask and to maintain the speed of the interview. In addition, it also analyzes the recruiter to ensure the interview process is not discriminatory in any way. Our tool can raise an alert if the hiring manager is asking for information which may be pertinent to the interview or the job description. This ensures perfect checks and balances in the system.

We also provide interviewer training to ensure organizations  have the perfect team for the job. Furthermore, we also provide interviews as a service in which we will conduct the entire interview process on the behalf of an organization.

Using BarRaiser, we guarantee you quality hiring that will also bolster diversity and inclusion. BarRaiser is the best AI interview platform that features structured interviews, AI-generated interview notes,  and tools to ensure quality hiring while eliminating biases from the recruitment process. With BarRaiser’s support, you’ll be well-equipped to build a strong team of sales associates who will drive sales and deliver exceptional customer service.