Difference Between Hard And Soft Skills

In today’s world where the survival of the fittest is the norm, it has become critical to sharpen soft skills along with hard skills. Soft skills play a vital role in the success of an organization and therefore, their significance cannot be overlooked in this age of information and technology. Considering the fact that during the last decades, the role of soft skills for a successful career has increased notably, it is of high importance to acquire adequate soft skills beyond technical knowledge and expertise.

There is infinite growth in well-paying job opportunities due to liberalization, privatization and globalization. However, an infinite number of fresh graduates are produced every year, but there is a lack of employable graduates since the focus is always on academics and theory. Developing soft skills along with hard skills has become a must across most disciplines and industries.

Success at workplace for engineers and other graduates is determined by a blend of two skills sets; the hard and soft skills. Therefore, before going further in discussion it is necessary to understand the difference between the two.

Hard skills refer to an individual’s IQ i.e. Intelligence Quotient. These skills are easy to teach, recognize, and measure by taking test or examination. Hard skills are the specific skills that are used on specific jobs. Some examples of hard skills are technical expertise, degrees, certifications, job titles and so on.

The word soft skill is a