What are hard and soft skills?

Hard and soft skills are two broad categories of skills that candidates may bring to the table. Hard skills are the technical know-how and/or formal qualifications a candidate has. These are typically acquired through education, training or on-the-job experience.

Soft skills relate to how a person interacts with others and handles day-to-day workplace situations. Many soft skills are closely tied to inherent personality traits, while others are gained over time through experience and professional relationships.

Hard skills: a closer look

Hard skills are often specific to a job or industry, and you’re likely to list most of them in your job description. Measurable and teachable, they’re usually evidenced through qualifications or previous experience listed on a candidate’s CV. During the recruitment process, it’s common for certain hard skills to be non-negotiable, particularly when they are essential to job performance. While some employers may be willing to make up for skills gaps with training, the time and costs involved need to be carefully considered.

Examples of common hard skills include:

• Proficiency in job-specific software (e.g. Microsoft Office, AutoCAD, Adobe Creative Suite)
• Programming languages like Python, Java or HTML
• Multiple language proficiency
• Data analysis
• SEO and digital marketing tools
• Risk analysis or compliance knowledge
• Operation of heavy machinery or technical equipment
• Accounting and bookkeeping
• Diagnostic testing

Soft skills: a closer look

Soft skills, also known as interpersonal or transferable skills, influence how an employee interacts with colleagues, manages their workload and responds to challenges. While hard skills tend to be easier to quantify and assess, soft skills are often equally important when it comes to long-term performance and team dynamics. Unlike hard skills, soft skills are often considered ‘nice-to-have’, rather than non-negotiable. However, they can make the difference between an employee going above and beyond, adding value and contributing positively to team morale.

Examples of common soft skills include:

• Communication
• Problem-solving
• Teamwork and collaboration
• Adaptability
• Emotional intelligence
• Time management
• Leadership
• Conflict resolution
• Creativity
• Innovation and forward-thinking

How to assess hard and soft skills when hiring

Identifying the candidates with the best combination of skills can be a complex process. Hard skills are often easy to verify on paper or through targeted tests, but soft skills may require a more nuanced approach. Many employers are now adopting a skills-first hiring strategy – prioritising ability over traditional qualifications. So, let’s explore how to evaluate both hard and soft skills at various stages of the recruitment process:

1. When reviewing applications

Hard skills are usually visible on a candidate’s CV and may also be mentioned in a cover letter. You can look for evidence of qualifications, certifications or experience with relevant tools in the candidate’s application. While many candidates may mention their key soft skills in their cover letter, you can also scan for clues like previous leadership roles, team-based projects or examples of problem-solving. A well-crafted cover letter can also indicate a candidate’s writing ability, professionalism and attention to detail.

2. In the interview

Interviews – whether in person or online – are an opportunity to explore a candidate’s capabilities in greater depth. To assess hard skills, ask targeted questions about specific tools, systems or workflows relevant to the role. For example:

• How do you decide which data visualisation to use for different types of insights?
• What SEO tools do you use and how do they shape your content strategy?
• Describe how you would respond to a colleague reporting repeated system crashes.
• Can you give an example of how you’ve used Microsoft Excel to make your workflows more efficient?

To assess soft skills, consider using behavioural questions that prompt candidates to describe how they’ve handled situations in the past. You can also present a hypothetical situation and ask them how they would approach a situation. For example:

• Can you describe a conflict you’ve experienced in a team setting and how you resolved it?
• You’ve been asked to lead a project with team members you haven’t worked with before. How would you get everyone aligned?
• Describe a situation where you had to manage competing deadlines. How did you prioritise your tasks?
• You’re asked to present a solution to a client who has very limited technical knowledge. How would you make sure they understand your proposal?

The content of a candidate’s answers matters – but so does how they respond. Factors like tone, pace and level of engagement can offer insight into their communication style, confidence and emotional intelligence.

3. Skills-based tests

While hard skills can usually be evidenced through paperwork, like degree certificates, certifications or professional qualifications, these don’t necessarily demonstrate the candidate’s level of proficiency, especially if their qualification was completed many years ago. In such cases, skills-based tasks may offer a more objective assessment. Depending on the position, these might include a short technical assignment, a writing sample, a mock presentation or a role-play scenario. Hard skills are typically the focus of skills testing, but role-playing tasks can also assess soft skills such as problem-solving, leadership or teamwork.

What kind of hard and soft skills are becoming more important?

The working world is constantly evolving, but the pace of change today is particularly significant. As some skills grow in importance, others are becoming less relevant. The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, economic uncertainty and the rapid adoption of generative AI are three significant factors driving this shift and change is likely to continue.

The pandemic accelerated the shift towards remote and hybrid working, while economic factors like inflation have contributed to an increasingly competitive job market. Generative AI is already reshaping how people work and how organisations recruit, train and structure their workforce. Beyond these three factors, smartphone reliance and the rise of social media use have introduced new expectations and skill demands for the modern workforce.

In this fast-changing environment, employers may need to prioritise a different mix of hard and soft skills than they have in the past. Here are a few examples of in-demand capabilities:

Hard skills currently in demand:

• Understanding of and experience in working with AI systems
• Prompt engineering
• Remote IT troubleshooting
• Digital skills, including data analytics and cloud computing
• Video production and editing – particularly in short-form content for social media
• Cybersecurity knowledge

Soft skills currently in demand:

• Adaptability
• Ability to learn quickly
• Resilience
• Professionalism in digital communication
• Self-motivation
• Critical thinking
• Ethical awareness

How to boost hard and soft skills in your existing workforce

Developing talent internally can be more cost-effective and sustainable than maintaining a running treadmill of recruitment. It’s also likely to increase employee satisfaction, as workers are more likely to feel valued, recognise their potential and stay invested in their professional growth. Over time, a robust skills-development strategy can build a more agile and high-performing team. Whether you’re looking to upskill your employees in technical areas or strengthen collaboration and communication, below are several practical ideas to consider as part of a broader growth strategy.

• Tailored training programmes: provide access to online courses, workshops or in-office sessions focusing on job-specific tools, systems or certifications
• Cross-functional projects: create opportunities for employees to work outside their usual roles – through secondments, stretch assignments, collaborative projects or job-shadowing schemes – to develop both technical and interpersonal skills
• Coaching and mentoring: aim to pair team members with internal or external mentors to support their professional and personal development
• Feedback and reflection: promote regular one-to-ones and peer feedback to help employees understand their existing strengths and areas for growth
• Learning culture: recognise employees’ learning efforts, share resources openly and encourage curiosity as part of day-to-day work
• Workplace volunteering scheme: getting employees involved in giving back to the local community is a powerful way to boost soft skills like collaboration, communication, compassion and empathy

How to handle skills gaps

Even with a solid recruitment strategy or employee-training programme, it’s still possible to have with team members who aren’t performing as needed or meeting their KPIs. Skills gaps can occur for a variety of reasons, ranging from changes in technology or processes to mismatched expectations or a lack of support. Tackling skills gaps proactively and constructively often starts with identifying the issue through performance reviews, one-to-one conversations or team-wide assessments and eliminating irrelevant factors until you get to the root of the problem.

During this process, you might ask questions like, ‘Is this employee lacking technical knowledge, or are there soft skill challenges at play, like poor time management or communication?’ Once you understand the gap, consider the following actions:

• Set clear, achievable development goals: work with the employee to create a focused plan for improvement, with realistic milestones
• Offer targeted support: including coaching, training, pairing with a more experienced colleague or adjusting workloads temporarily
• Monitor progress regularly: offer frequent feedback and check-ins to keep development on track and adapt plans if needed
• Try redeployment: if the gap is unlikely to be closed in the current role, a different position in the organisation might be a better fit
• Use external expertise: in cases where internal resources fall short, bringing in a trainer or special consultant can help bridge the gap more effectively

Using these strategies to address skills gaps early can help prevent wider performance issues, boost team morale and increase your workforce’s overall capability, productivity and efficiency in the long term.

Hard and soft skills FAQs

Can both hard and soft skills be learned?

Yes, to a certain degree. While the path to learning specific technical skills is often clearer and more structured, the process still depends on the individual’s aptitude. Most employees can become proficient in a skill with the right training, practice and encouragement, but only a few may excel at an advanced level. When it comes to soft skills, they can be more complex to develop since they are often linked with individual personality. However, even if an employee is not naturally a creative problem-solver, they can still build this skill to some degree through repetition and frequent challenges or through mentorship from your most innovative employees.

Are hard skills more likely to go out of date?

Yes, and the rise of generative AI is accelerating that process. Hard skills, particularly those involving specific tools or software, can become outdated as newer technologies emerge. For example, positions that once relied heavily on manual data entry or coding are already being reshaped by AI tools that automate those tasks or simplify them significantly. That doesn’t mean employees with these skills are no longer valuable. It just indicates a need to shift focus.

A digital marketer with strong SEO skills, for instance, may now need to understand how AI-generated content affects search rankings. Soft skills are less affected by technological advances, as most employees will continue to interact with humans for the foreseeable future, ranging from colleagues, managers and stakeholders to customers and the general public.

As more systems become replaced by automation or AI and people start to miss human interaction (think of a supermarket with self-checkouts, for example) strong interpersonal skills may become even more prized.