Hard vs soft skills

 

Introduction

In the realm of Human Resource Management (HRM), skills are categorized into two main types: hard competencies and soft skills. Even though both skill sets are equally important to the overall success of the field, they are individually valued and the employers use them differently This blog post will examine the differences between hard and soft skills in HRM, their role, and how they together create a winning formula for the organization.

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Fischer & Partners Recruitment

Hard skills vs. Soft skills | 

Understanding Hard Skills

Hard skills, also known as technical skills, relate to skills that are specific, measurable and those that can be demonstrated. Generally, these abilities have been learned through the formal education, the training programs, or the direct involvement in the works and they can be used directly to the certain job or task. In the HRM field, the hard skills may include competency with HRIS (Human Resource Information Systems), data analysis, recruitment methods, and the understanding of employment laws and regulations.

The role of hard skills in HRM is to reinforce the professional competency in the completion of essential job tasks fast and accurately. Such professionals as HR analysts have their data analysis skills enhanced by analyzing the HR analytics data in order to ensure that they make informed decisions with regard to hiring, retention, and workforce planning. On the other hand, proficiency in HRIS enables human resource experts to maintain employee information, automate processes, and improve workflow production inside the human resources function (Goleman, 1998).

 

Understanding Soft Skills

In contrast to hard skills, soft skills are not technical and intangible in nature, which makes them different. These skills are what enable an individual to interact with others and to navigate the complex interpersonal dynamics. The broad category of the soft skills, otherwise called transferable skills, includes communication, empathy, emotional intelligence, teamwork, leadership, and conflict resolution.

Soft skills play a key role in HRM because they help to develop a good communication and team-working environment with the employees, managers, and stakeholders. HR professionals equipped with excellent soft skills can create an environment that is suitable for people, solve conflicts at work, and promote the growth of employee engagement and morale. Besides, soft skills are typically crucial for the leadership positions in HR, allowing leaders to instill and maintain the team spirit, implement all the necessary changes and to work through the difficult situations with grace and diplomacy (Boyatzis, R. E., Goleman, D., & Rhee, , 2000).

The Interplay Between Hard and Soft Skills

Technical hard skills are something that HR personnel require in order to perform complex jobs at the required level of efficiency. These skills are measurable and concrete, frequently obtained by completing informal training, formal education, or hands-on experience. As an example, the ability to handle HRIS (Human Resource Information Systems) will empower HR professionals to process the data of employees correctly, simplify processes, and raise the efficiency level of the enterprise. Furthermore, being aware of employment laws and regulations makes certain fair labor practices and reduces the potential of facing legal problems.

Conversely, soft skills are the skills that are hard to be quantified and they are the ones that empowers HR professionals to communicate with the employees, managers and the other stakeholders effectively. The set of these skills varies from one person to another and its scope is vast including communication, empathy, emotional intelligence, teamwork, leadership, and conflict resolution. The soft competences can help to create working atmosphere, resolve conflicts, and build relationships with workers. In fact, HR professionals usually have to do a balance both hard skills and soft skills whenever they are in real situation. Take for instance, the use of a constantly evolving and expanding applicant tracking systems and data analysis (hard skills) by the HR specialist in the recruitment processes of the organization. While their hard skills consist of analyzing data, writing job descriptions, and selecting the right screening method, their soft skills (active listening, empathy) enable them to conduct interviews, assess cultural fit, and build a strong rapport with candidates (Campion, M. A., Campion, J. E., & Hudson, 2011).

Conclusion

To conclude, separating hard and soft skills in HRM is important as its nature is multidimensional. Soft skills contribute to establishing interpersonal relationships, team cooperation, and organizational success, which are as important as the hard skills that ensure technical task performance and meeting the duties. By developing a combination of both hard and soft skills the HR professionals can become better at what they do, they can lead to a more effective organization, and with this they are able to provide a meaningful contribution to employee involvement and organizational culture.

Reference

Boyatzis, R. E., Goleman, D., and Rhee, K. (2000). Clustering competence in emotional intelligence: The results of the Emotional Competence Inventory (ECI) are also very useful for me to understand my strengths and weaknesses in emotional intelligence. Emotional intelligence handbook, Vol. 2 (2), pp. 343–362.

M. A. Campion, J. E. Campion, and J. P. Hudson (2011). Structured interviewing: An addition on a test-retest reliability and various question types. A study, Journal of Applied Psychology, 96(2), 371, discussed this topic.

Goleman, D. (1998).What makes a leader? Harvard Business Review (2013) Vol 76, No 6. pp. 93-102.

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