Do You Possess Both Hard and Soft Skills?

Recently, I was catching up on all my books that I never seem to get too and constantly put aside.

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Many of the books I have recently been working my way through discussed the new research into Emotional Intelligence (EI) or what used to be called in non-psychobabble speak: empathy. Empathy relates to a set of skills that many companies and other industries/businesses are really in need of nowadays. We all have skills - question is, are your skills hard AND soft?

Empathy relates to a set of skills that many companies and other industries/businesses are really in need of nowadays. What is often referred to in corporate speak: soft skills. What are soft skills, simply put soft skills are those abilities one needs to be successful in a workplace where interpersonal connection and communication is vitally important, which is pretty much every professional job out there (unless you’re some lonely researcher collecting data in some remote part of the world).

Hard skills, on the other hand, are those specific technical skills one needs to acquire in order to competently complete an occupational assignment. Usually, these types of skills are learned in a specific training program or on the job. For instance, welding or computer programming can be considered hard skills. On the other hand, customer service based skills can be considered soft skills. You are involved in a direct relationship with someone (albeit it may be brief), perhaps selling them an item or assisting them in some manner.

A person without soft skills cannot understand the subtle nuances which may occur in this type of interaction, both verbal and non-verbal (and most interpersonal communication is non-verbal by the way). Empathy helps us relate to a person; therefore it is an important aspect to cultivate. Many times empathy comes across to others through facial expressiveness if one is interacting in person or perhaps a tone of voice. Think about this, have you ever had an interaction with a customer service rep that you felt could have cared less about your situation or needs? How did that feel? Empathy, face it, you need it and others want it from you!

Are your skills hard AND soft now?