UNIT: 2
Topic: Soft Skills for Professional Excellence
Prepared by Mirza Mosaraf Hossain
Lecturer in Humanities
MSGP, West Medinipur
Introduction
A preview on Skills and its types
Hard Skills & Soft Skills: Definition and Characteristics
The Main tasks of the Soft Skills module
Integral Parts of Soft Skills
Soft Skills as Life Skills
Use of Hard Skills & Soft Skills in real life situations
Difference between Soft skills and Hard skills
Significance of Soft Skills and Hard Skills
Mirza Mosaraf Hossain, Lecturer in
Humanities, MSGP, West Medinipur 2
Certain ‘awareness’, ‘communicative expertise’,
competence, concentration, determination etc. are
generally kept in mind unconsciously or consciously
while preparing for job interviews, for writing project
reports or collecting various data etc. Though you are
taught the methods of collecting data or the process of
preparing project reports, use of internet, how to e-
mail, use of computers, you are not always taught how
to be ‘aware’ or ‘competent’ or ‘effective’ communicator
for the conversation. In fact, the combination of both
brings the final outcome. Both are the two distinct
qualities each of which is called skill and the former set
of technical qualities is called ‘Hard Skills’ and the latter
is ‘Soft Skills’.
Mirza Mosaraf Hossain, Lecturer in
Humanities, MSGP, West Medinipur 3
Skill refers to the ability to do something well. In other
words, skill is nothing but the ability to use one’s
knowledge efficaciously and readily in execution or
performance. Skill is in common parlance with many
meanings and numerous synonyms such as ability,
competence, knack, aptitude, dexterity and talent.
There are two skill sets: soft skills and hard skills. Soft
skills are subjective skills that are much harder to
quantify whereas hard skills are teachable abilities or
skill sets that are easy to quantify. Soft skills can be
developed by individuals in order to showcase them at
workplaces or interviews and in social life also for
personal and professional growth. Hard skills are taught
by teachers and these can be applied in different
situations.
Mirza Mosaraf Hossain, Lecturer in
Humanities, MSGP, West Medinipur 4
Soft Skills:
Soft skills are those personal, intangible qualities, the cluster of
personality traits, social graces, communication, language,
personal habits, friendliness, managing people, leadership,
etc. that characterize relationships with other people and that
help us to get along with others in the workplace and achieve
long-term career success. Soft skills, also known as people
skills, complement hard skills to enhance an individual's
relationships, job performance and career prospects. It is
often said that hard skills are required for an interview but
soft skills are essential to get and maintain the job.
Soft skills are also defined by abilities that can be practiced,
such as leadership, empathy, communication and sociability.
“Soft Skills” correlates with some terms of a very close
meaning: “Life Skills”, “Emotional Intelligence Quotients”,
“Social Skills”, and “Interpersonal Skills”.
Mirza Mosaraf Hossain, Lecturer in
Humanities, MSGP, West Medinipur 5
Some of the most in-demand soft skills include:
Integrity
Dependability
Effective communication
Open-mindedness
Teamwork
Creativity
Problem-solving
Critical thinking
Adaptability
Organization
Willingness to learn
Empathy
Mirza Mosaraf Hossain, Lecturer in
Humanities, MSGP, West Medinipur 6
Hard skills are commonly defined as the technical skills that are
required to carry out a specific job. Typically, we learn hard skills in
the classroom, through books or other training materials, or on the
job. These hard skills are often listed in our cover letter and resume
and are easy for an employer or recruiter to recognize.
These are tangible skills that can be easily measured to determine if
an employee has the competency to perform the tasks assigned to
him. Hard skills can easily be demonstrated.
Hard skills are the industry knowledge and quantifiable abilities to do
a job, like accounting, web design, word processing, dental hygiene.
Mirza Mosaraf Hossain, Lecturer in
Humanities, MSGP, West Medinipur 7
Some of the most in-demand Hard Skills include:
• Speaking a foreign language
• Typing speed
• A degree or a certificate
• Proficiency in computer programming
• 10 years of customer service experience
• Operating machinery
• Public speaking experience (not to be confused with
communication skills)
Marketing campaign management
Storage systems management
Mirza Mosaraf Hossain, Lecturer in
Humanities, MSGP, West Medinipur 8
The Main tasks of the Soft Skills module are to develop and enhance:
• Critical and Reflective Thinking;
• Self-management and Self Awareness Skills;
• Communication Skills, including Interpretation and Feedback;
• Team working and peer support strategies.
Mirza Mosaraf Hossain, Lecturer in
Humanities, MSGP, West Medinipur 9
1. Self-management and Self-awareness skills: Self Management system
consists of Self-motivation, taking responsibility, task setting/prioritizing,
time-management. Self Awareness includes identifying knowledge gaps,
taking responsibility for own learning and development, understanding the
impacts of self-efficacy, dealing with pressures and emotions, reflective
practice, professional development and current awareness.
The mentioned skills assist students in understanding the learning process
and constructing their own selves in academic and professional activities.
Such skills become apparent in
• Surface / deep / strategic learning
• Self-efficacy
• Required reconstruction of known events in their own lives
• Constructing a self-MAP
• Motivation
• Ability
• Personality
Mirza Mosaraf Hossain, Lecturer in
Humanities, MSGP, West Medinipur 10
2. Critical and Reflective thinking: Critical thinking is the
ability to question and to cope with uncertainty.
Critical thinking includes logic; imagination; risk;
“accepting nothing, questioning everything”, reaching
own conclusion; being prepared to change that
conclusion in the light of emerging evidence.
Reflective thinking is a form of thinking used to fulfill a
purpose or to achieve some anticipated outcome. It is
largely based on further processing of knowledge and
understanding that we already possess.
Mirza Mosaraf Hossain, Lecturer in
Humanities, MSGP, West Medinipur 11
3. Communication essentially means that you are
transferring information. This can be via verbal, visual
communication or body language. An excellent
communicator can interact easily with others and impart
information to them as well as can accept feedback.
Effective communication is an integral part of your
career– without this there can be misunderstandings,
wrong timings, and personal issues with other
employees. When you have mastered this, you will find
that your work runs more smoothly and there is never
any confusion about what you are doing and why.
Mirza Mosaraf Hossain, Lecturer in
Humanities, MSGP, West Medinipur 12
4. Group work is one of the most useful ways of learning about
cooperation, shared responsibility, project planning, and time
management. Learning how to work successfully in a group has a
close association with how we participate in the work place.
It includes:
• Social responsibility
• Using logical and rational arguments to persuade others
• Identifying the needs of others and building positive relationships
• Understanding group dynamics
• Understanding yourself in relation to others and how they might
perceive you.
• Reflection on the image you portray
Mirza Mosaraf Hossain, Lecturer in
Humanities, MSGP, West Medinipur 13
Soft skills could be defined as life skills which are behaviors used
appropriately and responsibly in the management of personal affairs. They
are a set of human skills acquired via teaching or direct experience that are
used to handle problems and questions commonly encountered in daily
human life. The subject varies greatly depending on social norms and
community expectations.
Life skills have been defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) as
“abilities for adaptive and positive behavior that enable individuals to deal
effectively with the demands and challenges of everyday life”. They
represent the psycho-social skills that determine valued behavior and
include reflective skills (such as problem-solving and critical thinking),
personal skills (such as self-awareness) and interpersonal skills. Practicing
life skills leads to qualities such as self-esteem, sociability and tolerance,
competencies to take action and generate change, and capabilities to have
the freedom to decide what to do and who to be.
Mirza Mosaraf Hossain, Lecturer in
Humanities, MSGP, West Medinipur 14
Showing up on time (punctuality)
Maintaining eye contact (active listening)
Speaking clearly when prompted (effective
communication)
Answering questions about your resume and experience
honestly (integrity)
Asking follow-up questions (active listening)
Mirza Mosaraf Hossain, Lecturer in
Humanities, MSGP, West Medinipur 15
Elaborating on our experience and training
Providing a portfolio (digital or physical)
Effectively answering technical questions related to the
work
Asking follow-up questions related to the work
Effectively working through skill tests (if required at
the interview)
Mirza Mosaraf Hossain, Lecturer in
Humanities, MSGP, West Medinipur 16
Both soft skills and hard skills are equally important when it
comes to job applications. It is also important to understand
their differences in various aspects. The most basic difference
between soft skills and hard skills is that the latter require the
use of the left brain, or the logic centre, whereas the former
require the right brain, or emotional centre to be used.
Therefore, IQ is the key to hard skills, and EQ is the key to soft
skills.
Hard skills are those that are gained through formal education,
training and experience. Soft skills, on the other hand, are
subjective skills that are acquired through the way you
relate, interact and work with others on projects.
Hard skills are the ones that you need to be able to perform a
particular job. This may differ across various fields and
industries, according to their requirements; for instance, a data
analyst should have a fair amount of expertise in computer
programming. Soft skills, however, are not very specific to a
job. They are valued by all employers, no matter what field they
operate in.
Mirza Mosaraf Hossain, Lecturer in
Humanities, MSGP, West Medinipur 17
Hard skills can be defined and quantified whereas soft skills are
hard to quantify. Providing an evidence of your hard skills is fairly
easier when compared to evidence of your soft skills. For instance,
if your employer is looking for someone skilled in computer
programming, a certificate or program can be pointed to.
Hard skills are useful in a specific area of activity. However the soft
skills are useful in all areas of activity. There is a limit to hard
skills but not for soft skills. Besides, soft skills are useful not only
in your professional life but also in your personal and social life.
However, hard skills can be used at the workplace alone thus
limiting the scope for hard skills. Hard skills may get defunct over
a period of time due to the changing technology. But soft skills
stay on forever.
Besides, the importance of soft skills will increase due to the
growing complexity as people need to be dealt with lot of care and
caution to get the tasks executed effectively and efficiently.
Colleges and universities are increasingly recognizing the
importance of soft skills - to work efficiently and live life happily.
Mirza Mosaraf Hossain, Lecturer in
Humanities, MSGP, West Medinipur 18
“The way we communicate with others and with ourselves
ultimately determines the quality of our lives.”—Anthony Robbins
Soft skills help you become a successful professional. These
skills help in fine-tuning your personality. These are the skills
that help you present yourself professionally. These are the skills
that make leaders stand out from the pack. Being good at soft
skills promotes better relations among the people. It minimizes
the gap across various departments in an organization thus
promoting effective communication and performance. Soft skills
close the barriers and build the bridges among the people at
workplace.
All these things ultimately lead to better productivity and
performance. The mushrooming knowledge workers and the
growing services sectors led to the challenging work
environment which needs soft skills badly. The growing human
interaction at the workplace led people to work in teams for
achieving organizational goals. It would not be possible without
equipping the people with soft skills.
Mirza Mosaraf Hossain, Lecturer in
Humanities, MSGP, West Medinipur 19
Finally soft skills help you grow as a true human being. At the personal
front, soft skills build self-esteem and self-confidence among the
individuals. These ensure both personal and professional advancement for
the individuals. At the professional front, these create lot of opportunities
both for the employees and employers. Handling difficult people becomes
easier with these skills in organizations. Handling and negotiating with
clients promotes business opportunities for the employers. Companies
can outsmart their rivals. For students, these skills enable employment
opportunities as the recruiters look for plug-and-play recruits.
Since hard skills refer to the expertise you have acquired in any particular
field, they also happen to be one of the most important skills listed in
your resume. Although soft skills eventually determine whether you’ll get
the job, a certain level of proficiency is always required to give you an
edge over the other candidates. That proficiency is determined by hard
skills. For instance, you wouldn’t be hired as a graphic designer if you
didn’t know how to use editing software.
That being said, every job requires a different kind of balance between
hard skills and soft skills.
Mirza Mosaraf Hossain, Lecturer in
Humanities, MSGP, West Medinipur 20
Best of luck, dear students!
Thank You !
Mirza Mosaraf Hossain, Lecturer in
Humanities, MSGP, West Medinipur 21
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Mirza Mosaraf Hossain, Lecturer in
Humanities, MSGP, West Medinipur 22
