Hard vs Soft Skills - What are the key differences?

10 Jan 2025

Hard and soft skills are crucial for a successful career. They’re transferable skillsthat allow you to thrive in a range of jobs in different industries. When you master how to showcase your skills in your job application, you’ll increase your likelihood of landing a role. This article will explore everything you need to know about hard skills and soft skills, including how to include them in your CV.

What are soft skills?

Soft skills are characteristics and personal attributes that allow you to interact well with others in both in work and non-work settings. This could include being a team player or an effective communicator. Others include:

Organisation.
Leadership.
Motivation.
Creative thinking.
Critical thinking.
Collaboration.
Enthusiasm.
Empathy.

What are hard skills?

Hard skills are obtained through practice, training and education. These skills are measurable and applicable to certain jobs. For example, accountants need strong numeracy skills and technical skills in using specific software for accounting and data analysis. . . All industries and roles will require different types of hard skills.

What’s the difference between soft and hard skills?

The difference between soft and hard skills is that soft skills revolve around an individual's personality and characteristics, so they rely more on personal development. Whereas hard skills are normally learnt through education and qualifications. It’s good to work on both your soft and hard skills to get a good balance that will be attractive to an employer.

How to develop soft and hard skills

Developing hard skills can help you stand out from the crowd when applying for roles or looking to progress in your current role. You can do this by:

Undertaking further training or education. Search for courses, qualifications and apprenticeships online.
Undertaking personal learning through online training or tutorials.
Practising putting your hard skills into practice in projects or tasks.
Asking someone to mentor or coach you.
Researching and reading about the areas you feel you need to develop.

For example, you may want to work on your communication skills if you find it difficult to interact and collaborate with your colleagues. You can work on improving your communication skills in several ways. Preparing ahead of time and practising regularly can be an effective method. You can also consider different types of communication such as looking at body language and maintaining eye contact with others. Check out our article on 'what are communication skills and why are they important?'.

How to include soft skills and hard skills in a CV

It’s important that you highlight your soft and hard skills in your CV and job application as they help you stand out from your competition. The job description should indicate the types of skills they’re looking for, giving you a guide on what to include.

For example, if the job description says they’re looking for a strong communicator to work on the social media team, you could list communication, teamwork, organisation, analytical skills and editing skills in your CV. When you align your skills with the requirements of the job description, you’ll significantly increase your chances of being contacted for the next stage of the job process.

When setting out your CV there are a few sections you can include your soft and hard skills in, such as:

The professional summary

Your professional summary is an excellent opportunity to weave in your hard and soft skills. You should provide a brief overview of your abilities and experiences that relate to the job description.

Example professional summary:

I’m a creative social media executive with excellent attention to detail and editorial skills. I’m experienced in Canva and Photoshop enabling me to create assets that meet brand guidelines.

In the example summary above you have highlighted your soft skills, creativity and attention to detail, and your hard skills - being proficient in Canva and Photoshop.

The experience section

The experience section of your CV is a simple way to showcase your abilities while highlighting your soft and hard skills.

Example experience section:

During my GCSE coursework I organised my time appropriately to help meet deadlines and deliver high quality work. I researched and analysed industry trends for my coursework topic and consistently communicated with my teacher throughout.

The skills section

This section often lists your skills and is a great way to add in ones you were unable to fit into other sections.

Example skills section:

Hard and soft skills are important transferable skills to have and applicable to all industries. Showcase your skills in your CV and demonstrate your capabilities to potential employers.

Blog