Soft vs Hard Skills

You’ve heard the phrase, “I’m my own worst enemy” or, “I’m my biggest critic”. How true is that for you?

Now, I’m not saying that critique and holding yourself to a high standard is always a bad thing, but if your inner critic has no grace and a standard of perfectionism, then you need to find a new critic!

What does all this have to do with soft and hard skills? I’m glad you asked… ;) 

Talking yourself out of an opportunity

Has there ever been a leadership position at your work or in a group you’re in but you’ve listened to that inner critic tell you that you don’t have what it takes?

If your answer is "yes", STOP IT.

Generally speaking, most women won’t apply for a job or ask for the next step if they feel like they don't meet 100% of the qualifications. Whereas most men who don’t meet 100% of the qualifications will still apply or take the next steps.

Hear me out:

You’ve got the skills and they aren’t as “soft” as you think.

This is where I want you to stop talking yourself out of going for that next step in your career. Think soft skills versus hard skills. 

What are the soft skills?

Soft skills are those personality behaviors like time management, taking initiative, communication, listening, and speaking skills. I bet you’re reading that list and thinking, those are some pretty valuable skills. You’re right! And it’s actually debated whether to call it a soft skill because it makes it sound like it's easier, but actually, these are the harder skills to learn compared to a hard skill.

What are the hard skills?

The actual specifics of the job are the hard skills. A lot of people call them domain skills as well. These skills are the more learnable skills whereas soft skills take more training and practice to develop.

The thing is women actually tend to possess more soft skills, which again, are the harder to learn skills that good leaders need. So when you see a list of requirements in a job description, a lot of those things listed can be learned before or on the job.

It's the soft skills that are harder to develop that you naturally possess more of.

So what I'm trying to say is just go for it and stop talking yourself out of it! Are you ready to go for more at work?