Hard skills are undoubtedly something you’ve heard of if you’ve ever talked to a career counselor or spent a lot of time studying the job search process.
But what are hard skills specifically, and how do they differ from soft skills? What hard skills are most in demand among employers? Here we’ll see examples of top hard skills and how to highlight them on a resume.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hard skills are professional aptitudes you need to carry out your job responsibilities, and they pertain to specialized information you can acquire through school, professional development programs, or training. Knowledge tests or professional exams can be used to assess mastery of hard skills.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hard skills vary depending on the job. As a result, a professional chef’s resume requires a different set of hard skills than a resume for a software engineer. Examples of hard skills for a chef include food preparation, cleanliness and hygiene, flavor blending, menu planning, and staff management. Examples of hard skills for a software engineer include programming languages, software testing, full-stack development, and others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hard skills are the fundamental know-how required for your line of work. Soft skills, on the other hand, are character traits that affect your approach to challenges, creativity, and capacity for collaboration. They are also known as people skills. While you can acquire hard skills through education, training, or coursework, you can build soft skills by examining your own behavior and working with qualified coaches.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When discussing hard skills vs. soft skills, some debate about which is more crucial. But in actuality, a competent employee needs both. Why? Because working with professionals who lack soft skills can be quite challenging.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hard skills are a crucial component of the skill section on a resume<\/a>. They may also be mentioned in other sections of the resume, such as the work experience or resume profile.<\/p>\n\n\n\n These job-specific skills must be in line with the demands of the position. For instance, if the job description for a teacher specifies that “Essential duties include lesson planning for K\u201312 STEM curriculum, performing student evaluation using appropriate assessment techniques, and accurately maintaining all required records,” then the hard skills on a resume for a teacher would be lesson planning, familiarity with K\u201312 STEM curriculum, student evaluation, and maintaining administrative records.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It is advised to pick about 5-7 hard skills to list on a resume and to counterbalance them with 2-3 soft skills that are pertinent to the position.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Any job requires a certain set of hard skills. They allude to the skills and information required for the job, such as possessing a driver’s license and being aware of traffic laws for truck drivers. Employees won’t be able to carry out their tasks efficiently without those hard skills.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It’s important to periodically review your knowledge and skills because they are necessary for the job. Even if you are an expert in your profession, new innovations may introduce techniques and solutions that help simplify your work, particularly if your position requires computer expertise or other technical skills.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The kinds of hard skills required to qualify for and succeed in a profession vary by industry. Hard skills are usually listed as necessary in job descriptions by employers. Typical hard skills are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n The top-trending hard skills in 2022, according to statistics from LinkedIn, are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Specialized knowledge and expertise in disciplines like IT, engineering, or science are examples of technical skills. The ability to operate specialist software or equipment falls under the category of technical skills.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Examples of technical hard skills include the following:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here are some examples taken from resumes:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Your ability to operate hardware and software, from the most basic and generic to the most specialist, is what is meant by computer skills.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Computer skills are a must across all industries in the modern employment market. If the job posting calls for specifics or you’re looking for office employment, make sure to list them on your resume.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Listed below are some fundamental computing abilities:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here are some examples of common programming skills:<\/p>\n\n\n\n You can get them to work on your resume in the following ways:<\/p>\n\n\n\n The ability to collect data, analyze it, interpret its meaning, and communicate it are all skills of analytical skills.<\/p>\n\n\n\n No matter what position you’re applying for, the recruiter will give you extra credit if you can demonstrate that you’re skilled in data analysis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Some analytical skills to list on a resume include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Along with the general knowledge of sales, advertising, and consumer research, marketing skills also need a wide range of highly technical digital skills to succeed in today’s internet marketing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Candidates in the media, advertising, social media, e-commerce, and product management industries regard marketing hard skills the most.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Several instances include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n The list may continue on forever. But which marketing skills are still most important today?<\/p>\n\n\n\n The following are the top marketing skills for your resume:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Not sure how to best demonstrate your marketing knowledge on your resume? Use these examples of hard marketing skills on resumes as inspiration:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Highlights of marketing skills:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Say what? Presentation abilities aren’t soft skills, right?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Not quite. Certain soft, transferable skills, such as self-awareness, adaptability, or stress management, are undoubtedly necessary for successful presentation delivery. But\u2014<\/p>\n\n\n\n You’ll need at least a handful of these hard skills to help you with your presentation or report:<\/p>\n\n\n\n And here’s how to demonstrate on a resume that you’re a skilled presenter:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Again, you might believe that effective management and leadership depend largely on interpersonal skills. Again\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n That is just partially true.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You also need some job-specific skills, including the following, to be a competent manager:<\/p>\n\n\n\n The following is how to demonstrate your management experience on an executive resume:<\/p>\n\n\n\n In other words, project management skills ensure that tasks are completed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Actually, more than that: completed on schedule and within budget. Any job where you need to coordinate procedures or other people’s work will benefit from your project management expertise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n General managerial knowledge, as well as expertise with specific frameworks and tools, are all skills of project management. PM hard skills examples include the following:<\/p>\n\n\n\n These examples will demonstrate how to highlight your experience as a project manager on a resume:<\/p>\n\n\n\n If your employment needs any type of writing, having a strong understanding of writing skills will help you advance professionally (think typing up quarterly reports, onboarding documents, presentations for clients, sales pitches, etc.).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Look at these instances:<\/p>\n\n\n\n The ultimate writing task is to demonstrate your writing skills on a resume. Here’s how to go about it:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Another item on our list is somewhat evident. However, that does not lessen its significance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Any job in a firm that works with international clients or stakeholders will give you an advantage over the competition if you speak more than one language.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Create a section for languages first. Include a list of all the foreign languages you are proficient in along with each one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n However, you can also highlight your multilingualism in other skills.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Modern employers will compete with one another to hire you if you are a great illustrator. No, not just if graphic design is your specialty. In all job settings, having the capacity to produce professional-quality visual products is quite advantageous.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here are some illustrations of graphic design skills.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here are some examples from various resume sections:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Now that you are aware of the hard skills to emphasize on your resume, it is crucial to understand how to persuade employers that you are the ideal candidate for the position.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To properly highlight hard skills on your resume, follow these three steps:<\/p>\n\n\n\n The hard skills that companies are most interested in seeing on a resume are those.<\/p>\n\n\n\n How then can you learn what people want to see? Read the job description and conduct research on the role first. The majority of jobs require hard skills, thus hiring managers will always list the skills they’re looking for in the “Requirements” part of the ad.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here is an actual example of a job posting for a web developer position that details all the hard skills they are looking for candidates to possess:<\/p>\n\n\n\n For the majority of job searchers, using a typical resume structure that emphasizes the candidate’s work experience is the best choice. The skills section should be added at the top of your resume if you are seeking a profession where certain hard technical skills are more important than anything else, such as a position in software engineering.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Tip<\/strong>: Hard skills are ideal for displaying skill levels on your resume using a skills bar or other comparable elements.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n By doing this, you make sure hiring managers can access the most crucial information they need\u2014your technical skills\u2014quickly and simply. This straightforward tweak could mean the difference between getting an interview for a position where having certain hard talent or not can make all the difference.<\/p>\n\n\n\n While many employers would accept a resume that just lists your hard skills, this isn’t the only way to highlight your strengths. The best way to demonstrate your knowledge in a certain field is to give concrete examples of how your hard skills have aided you in achieving particular goals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To do this, include bullet points in the work experience part of your resume that show how you used your hard skills to help your prior employer achieve important objectives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here’s an illustration of how one applicant successfully used the experience area to highlight their aptitude for hard programming:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Utilizing ASP.NET, C#.NET, and MS SQL to develop and improve systems, which expedited procedures and reduced expenses by $170k<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Every job, from battling fires to running a marketing department, requires a certain skill set that frequently combines hard and soft skills. Knowing what hard skills are required and acquiring them will increase your skills of being recruited or promoted in your sector of choice, whether you are exploring new work or applying for your first job.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Some hard skills, like the ability to use a computer effectively, analyze data, or comprehend at least the fundamentals of using social media, will frequently be helpful in a variety of occupations and careers. Many trades require the specialized hard skills needed for employment in the fields of construction, architecture, plumbing, and electricity, as well as engineering.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You’ll need a combination of hard and soft skills, both of which you can continuously improve, to land a job and succeed at work.<\/p>\n\n\n\nWhat Makes Hard Skills So Important?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Types of Hard Skills<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Common Hard Skills<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Examples of the Top 10 Hard Skills for a Resume<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
#1. Technical Skills<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
#2. Computer Skills<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
#3. Analytics skills<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
#4. Marketing Skills<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
#5. Presentation skills<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
#6. Management Skills <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
#8. Project Management Skills<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
#9. Writing skills<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
#9. Language skills<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
#10. Design skills<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
How To Include Hard Skills on a Resume<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
#1. Identify the skills that employers in your sector are seeking.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
#2. Include a section for your skills at the start of your resume.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
#3. In your experience section, emphasize hard skills.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Related Articles<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
References<\/h3>\n\n\n\n