Effective communication, for example, is a key soft skill many employers seek.

Published Wed, Apr 26 2017 1:35 PM EDT Updated Wed, Apr 26 2017 1:43 PM EDT.

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There is an ongoing debate about the relative importance of soft and hard skills that imply a competition between the two. First month is free. The phrase ‘soft skills’ is often used by employers, particularly when they are bemoaning a shortage of suitable candidates for jobs. The term succeeds in making a distinction between the two types of skill sets, but also diminishes the value of this skill set by using the word "soft". Key Points. Soft skills are personal habits and traits that shape how you work, on your own and with others. Like this post? I prefer to think of “hard” as in “hard data,” something easy to quantify with objective measures. While most of us have been using Word for decades to draft everything from school essays to resumes to important work documents, Google Docs web-based platform is a total game changer for editing and sharing documents in the connected age. Soft skills are a combination of people skills, social skills, communication skills, character or personality traits, attitudes, career attributes, social intelligence and emotional intelligence quotients, among others, that enable people to navigate their environment, work well with others, perform well, and achieve their goals with complementing hard skills. Learn the basics of effectively using Microsoft Word, including how to format images so that they can be moved freely around your document and positioned where you want them to be. If an employer wants to … Synonyms for soft at Thesaurus.com with free online thesaurus, antonyms, and definitions. Soft skills tend to be transferrable between jobs or industries but are more difficult to quantify on a resume than hard skills. What are those pieces? Having great soft skills will help you communicate more effectively with your colleagues and improve your performance at work. Soft skills are typically interpersonal “people” skills or desirable personality traits that revolve around character, teamwork, communication, and work ethic. “Hard” skills aren’t “harder” to learn than soft skills, and soft skills aren’t easier or less important. The quality of being empathetic. Soft skills is a synonym for "people skills." Some others include dependability, effective teamwork and active listening. What are Soft Skills? Hard Skills vs. Soft Skills The term describes those personal attributes that indicate a high level of emotional intelligence . Marguerite Ward @forwardist. In addition to defining the soft skills of interest to employers, the report presents these conclusions: • Soft skills are at least as critical as technical skills to entry-level employment. Here are three suggestions for a more accurate description of “soft” skills.