What are hard and soft skills? What is the difference? What's more important? What is "skill" and how does this concept differ in different games.

All skills are divided into two large groups: hard skills(“hard” skills) and soft skills(“soft” skills).

To hard skills refers to professional, technical skills that are easy to observe, measure and demonstrate. This category includes, for example, the skill of touch typing, possession English language, driving, etc. The concept of "hard skills" corresponds to the technical or administrative procedures that are present in the company's activities (programming, working with equipment, process management, etc.).

Against, soft skills are skills that are difficult to track, test, and demonstrate. This group includes communication and management skills, for example: establishing relationships, working in a team, listening and understanding the interlocutor, negotiating, persuasion skills, oratory, giving presentations, leading discussions, solving problems, making decisions, leadership, educating others, motivating, building effective teams in a culturally sensitive way, resolution conflict situations etc. The concept of “soft skills” is related to the way people interact with each other, that is, “soft” (in other words, “social”) skills are equally necessary for both Everyday life as well as for work. Indeed, leaders at all levels always rely heavily on social skills, whether it be demonstrating on own example or team building, delegation or conflict resolution, mentoring, coaching or motivation, as evidenced by numerous studies.

Thus, the results of a study conducted in Harvard University(Harvard University) and Stanford Research Institute (Stanford Research Institute) say that the contribution of hard skills to the professional success of an employee is only 15%, while soft skills determine the remaining 85%.

Perhaps this result will seem surprising, but we should not forget that business is always associated with society and involves establishing contacts and communicating with people, as well as positioning yourself and the company in the most “favorable light” and convincing form. And that's what soft skills are for. On the other hand, soft skills are a way of expressing hard skills.

Determining the range of skills that managers need for the prosperity of the company, one cannot ignore the psychological concept of emotional intelligence proposed in 1990 by P. Salovey, J. Mayer and D. Caruso. According to which, emotional intelligence (EQ) is defined as a group of mental abilities that contribute to the awareness and understanding of one's own emotions and the emotions of others. Emotional intelligence includes four components: self-awareness, self-control, social sensitivity and relationship management. In the West, the concept of "Emotional Intelligence" is very popular, although it is believed that with scientific point There is no content in the concept that is different from the concepts of communication skills and communicative competence previously accepted in psychology

Thus, some experts believe that the concept of "emotional intelligence" is an alternative name for communication skills. Although, from the point of view of the definition of “soft” skills that we presented earlier, emotional intelligence differs from soft skills, at least in the presence of such a component as “self-awareness”. And the skills included in the EQ component “relationship management” completely fall into the category of soft skills.

Research conducted as part of the development of the concept of emotional intelligence indicates that the factors of emotional intelligence largely coincide with “soft” skills. For example, as a result of a study by D. Goleman and his colleagues, the purpose of which was to determine what abilities of managers determine the outstanding performance of companies, it was found that the exceptional success of a leader is determined precisely by his intellect, and cognitive skills are especially important - the breadth of outlook and the ability to foresight. At the same time, the more high level occupies a manager in the management of the company, the more significant role is played by the abilities associated with emotional intelligence, while the differences in functional skills are not so important. That is, the higher the rank of the leader, the more emotional intelligence skills are laid in the foundation of his success.

The results of this study correlate with those of another study conducted by the Stanford research institute(Stanford Research Institute) in collaboration with the Carnegie Melon Foundation, among CEOs(CEO) of Fortune 500 companies. An analysis of the results of which showed that the long-term and stable success of company executives in their work is 75% determined by soft skills and only 25% by hard skills. Thus, it is soft skills that determine the success of a manager to a greater extent. In the context of which disciplines are most important in a management training program, noteworthy is the opinion of one of the management gurus, Henry Mintzberg (Henry Mintzberg): important soft skills - leadership, teamwork, communication, thinking outside the box - these are the skills that distinguish the best from the worst in the world of management. And the consequences of this approach are threatening - the market is overflowing with certified young leaders who have no real leadership qualities. Such a system is undeniably dysfunctional.”

To hard - disciplines also include mathematical modeling, statistics, economic and investment analysis, marketing planning, financial management, etc. A to soft - disciplines: team-building (“Team building”), the art of presentation, leadership, etc. It is rather difficult to draw a clear line between hard and soft disciplines, since many courses involve the use of both “hard” and “soft” skills (for example, “Human Resources” is not only planning, job descriptions and budgets, but also communications, psychological tests and corporate culture). In the program of the course "Project Management" one can also highlight hard and soft - segments .

And finally, the main, and pretty controversial issue, - can skills be taught ?

It is generally accepted that teaching communication and management skills (soft skills) as part of trainings and master classes in MBA programs and other courses consistently gives positive results. However, as studies show, skills are indeed quickly acquired, but the slightest deviation from the scheme, any unresolved issue, in fact, easily leads participants to confusion. For example, a well-trained sales manager, entering the door with the inscription “director”, maniacally, as taught, clarifies: “who makes your decisions? “. And there are many such examples.

Skills training is usually based on the principle of dividing a certain skill (for example, sales) into small and final, functional operations (acquaintance; presentation; active listening; questions and work with objections; making a deal), which allows you to train, consolidate and demonstrate the result of mastering the skill. More difficult to master, management skills are often divided into groups: time management, delegation of authority, negotiation, and groups, in turn, are divided into specific actions: goal setting, planning, decision making, analysis, motivation. But the use of “soft” skills in practice requires integrity and consistency, understanding of one’s own and common interests, a vision of the whole, the ability to use various behaviors, prioritize and make choices. Effective use soft skills involve not only the ability to see and distinguish goals and objectives, but also take into account the multiplicity of solutions and the importance of individual aspects. A contradiction arises - skills training is based on the principle of fragmentation, and business requires consistency and integrity.

On the other hand, it is easy to find that the principle of dividing a skill into separate operations (processes) is best suited for teaching specific professional and production skills, that is, hard skills within the industrial model of the division of labor (in other words, within the framework of the conveyor production model) . That is, the performance of those operations in the company's activities, the result of which is predictable and measurable, can be taught. But the principle of teaching hard skills, based on a rigid norm and the final division of labor, is not enough for teaching soft skills in communication and management skills.

How, in this case, to master soft skills?

First, you need to remember that a skill is only a path, a tool for solving problems. Secondly, soft skills work under certain circumstances. According to experts, the key condition for ensuring integrity in teaching “soft” skills is knowledge and understanding of the tasks and context of application. That is, a vision of the whole, setting professional and corporate goals will ensure integrity in the development and application of “soft” skills.

So many times already heard this word - skill. Initially when playing WOT tanks. Then, when I started playing poker. And everywhere this skill, skill, skill ... It is constantly mentioned everywhere. I heard similar phrases: a lot in this game depends on the skill of the player; you need to pump your skill; what skill do you have; this is a skill game; such a game does not depend on skill”; and others like it. And ignorance of the answer did not even make me ask a question in Google or Yandex - “what is a skill?”. And the answer is still coming. Sooner or later. Although it is better to always try to find out about the topic of interest early or even immediately.

Skill- this is a collective concept that includes the skill of a person (player) in a certain area, consisting of knowledge, skills, as well as his physical and mental state at the time of action or decision making (at the time of the game). This definition contains the answer to our question. In essence, skill is professionalism or mastery.

Command skill- this is the total (total) skill of all team players.

Skill comes from the English word « skill"- which means skill, skill, ability, skill, talent.

Examples English words associated with the skill:

communicative skills - communication skills;
practical skill - practical skill;
driving skill - driving skill;
diplomatic skill - diplomatic talent;
communication skills - communication skills.

It's a pity that at school, and then at the university I studied German, not English. Still, it's much more important to know him. Although I barely know German either ... But the article is not about this, but about skill.

To better understand what a skill is, let's look at it in more detail with a few examples. It seems to me that it can be used anywhere where there is a certain activity that depends on the skills and knowledge of a person. And not only in the field of computer games, where it has become widespread.

Skill on the example of poker is defined as follows:

knowledge of the game of the type of poker that you play (I personally played and sometimes play no-limit hold'em in the CIS - and there is also a game of cash, Tournaments, there is also Omaha and other types of poker);
knowledge of poker mathematics;
knowing how to play optimally at a given moment, and the ability to play the way you need;
psychological stability and immunity to tilt;
ability to multitabling;
physical condition and ability to play poker for a long time (perseverance);
presence good computer(it is possible that even with the presence of several monitors), a comfortable mouse and fast Internet;
availability of statistics on players (hud) and the ability to use it in an optimal way;
knowledge of poker programs;
knowing how to play against certain players (regulars, maniacs, nits);
the physiological state of the poker player (it depends on proper nutrition, sports, daily routine, sleep);
other skills and knowledge.

Skill on the example of tank gamesWOT is defined as follows:

knowledge and ability to play a particular tank;
knowledge and ability to penetrate this or that tank;
the presence of good technology (powerful computer) and a comfortable mouse;
presence good internet, which does not hang at a crucial moment;
installed allowed modifications (mods) that help to play better and see various statistics, especially data on other players;
the physical and mental state of the gamer;
knowledge of playing cards and their most the best places for dealing damage, for shelter and for illuminating the enemy;
experience (usually, the more games played, the more chances to play next time better);
pumping of the tank crew;
the presence of equipment installed on the tank (for example, a stereo tube, camouflage net, etc.);
other skills and knowledge.

The skill of a webmaster is defined as follows:

knowledge on topics (for example, you need to know the CMS you work with and understand the html code);
the ability to create websites and customize their work;
skill, or;
the ability to buy links and select high-quality sites for these purposes;
skill
Skill on the example of Dota

There are games where skill is defined a little differently. For example, skill in Dota is determined not by the skills of the person himself, but by the unique skill of each game character. A hero in Dota and similar games is able to fight with the help of his skills (magic spells). For each character, these skills are individual and they are called skills.

I think that I normally explained the concept of skill with examples, and also gave it a definition. If you think you missed something, you can add it in the comments below. Will be glad to read it.

That's all. All the best! And learn English!

Today you will learn what soft skills are and what skills you need to train in order to grow to the head of a company.

Today I will reveal to you what is hiding behind another newfangled word that has firmly entered the lexicon of personnel officers, company owners, HR managers and just those who like to trump with all sorts of foreign terms.

We'll talk about what are soft skills.

Do not be afraid, everything is extremely simple (I was surprised when I found out what it is), but today it is vital for people who want to make a career.

Why did I get interested in what soft skills are?

Here, no one will reproach me, and my parents too, with nostalgia for the Soviet Union.

Firstly, because we are not used to looking back at all, and secondly, because it really was a terrible era of repression, lies, propaganda and total shortages.

In short, there is absolutely nothing to regret.

But, when I observe how difficult it is today, and even more difficult to make a career, then willy-nilly I think about how much easier it was before with this business.

Everyone worked, there were more vacancies than the inhabitants of a giant country.

To rise to the rank of chief, one had to be a specialist in his field and unconditionally believe in the precepts of Ilyich.

Today, even super-duper professionals are forced to spin like a squirrel in a wheel, constantly improve their skills, not get out of training, study all their lives in order to be a sought-after specialist.

And anyway, some new trends appear every day, such as, for example, soft skills, which have been talked about in our country not so long ago.

What is this mysterious soft skills?

I think that those who know English well, after reading the phrase, understand what it is about, because soft skills are translated as “soft skills”.

That is, these are skills that cannot be demonstrated instantly, such as, for example, a red diploma of higher education, the ability to disassemble and assemble a Kalashnikov assault rifle or recite a poem in Japanese in a minute.

Soft skills are also called social skills because we are talking mainly about the interaction between people.

If you get a job as a car mechanic or storekeeper, then it is unlikely that your future employer will be interested in whether you have these very soft skills or not, but if you are applying for a managerial position or want to work in the service sector, you will have to improve your social skills.

Today, more and more employers are demanding from their subordinates (especially those who leadership positions) and job seekers who only want to get a job in a company, the presence of soft skills.

And this is not surprising, because, according to the latest research of scientific minds from Harvard, the success of a person in professional field 85% depends on soft skills and only 15% on hard ones.

Therefore, do not be surprised if you are asked to take tests or are asked interesting questions which, at first glance, have nothing to do with professional skills.

What skills does soft skills imply?

So, we figured out the decoding of the term soft skills, what is it this, I think, is understandable, but what skills and abilities you need to acquire in order to stand out favorably among other job seekers or applicants for a leadership position, you need to dwell in more detail.

You can confidently say that you have soft skills if you:

Show flexibility.

For example, don't make a face like you're having a toothache if your boss asked you to stay an hour after the end of the day or recommended you work on a report over the weekend.

Don't be afraid to take responsibility.

Leaders who, in a difficult moment, try to throw their subordinates into the embrasure, and sit out in the bunker themselves, should disappear like a class.

Get along well with people.

Alas and ah, misanthropes, no one loves you as before.

You know how to work in a team, do not stick out your “I” at every step, but understand that “We” have passed a successful project.

You can teach others.

Without an ora, psychos, screams, obscenities, without narcissism and humiliation of a beginner.

Discussing how well-mannered person and not a wild monkey.
Able to quickly and accurately set tasks for people, at the same time, they are on high-quality work.
Even a person without a car and a driver's license can be convinced to buy these cool tires.
Smooth out conflicts rather than provoke them.
Always ready to offer interesting idea to make the company perform even better.

There are soft skills, but what are hard skills?

Logically, if there are soft skills, then there must be hard skills.

Of course, they exist and are translated literally as stupidly as soft skills: "hard (hard) skills."

That is, these are the skills that, in fact, make you a professional in your industry, which you can easily demonstrate to management or a future employer.

Hard skills include:

possession;
the ability to type at the speed of sound;
the ability to change 4 wheels in a car in 5 minutes;
the opportunity to draw a portrait of the future boss right at the interview;
knowledge of the structure of the internal combustion engine, etc.

I think you understood exactly what I wanted to say.

Hard skills are knowledge and skills that you directly need to work in a company and directly correspond to its activities.

And to become a good leader for your subordinates

watch the following video:

Why was the career of a former teacher ruined by ignorance of what soft skills are?

Right now, many have heard what I was talking about soft skills here, and they thought: “It hurts! And I can live without them."

Of course, you will live: in a low-paid unpromising position!

And to confirm my words, I will tell you a sad story about the failed career of my former teacher.

The smartest person, a brilliant scientist, an intelligent teacher simply raved about a career, and not a scientific one.

He dreamed of becoming a big boss with many subordinates.

During the time of our shameful ex-president Yanukovych, he managed to make a rapid career and in just two years to rise to a high position in the regional administration.

He stayed on it for exactly a year and, despite the fact that he coped with his direct duties flawlessly, he was let down by the lack of soft skills.

Even in those troubled times when rudeness flourished in the offices of power, an authoritarian regime, when it was the norm to tremble with fear of the boss and perform his stupid tasks, my teacher was fired, explaining: “You don’t know how to get along with people at all, you don’t even have minimal flexibility and are absolutely not a team player ".

Do you still think that you can build a great career without soft skills?

That's what you found out what are soft skills, and what skills need to be trained first of all in order to grow to big boss in big company.

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At trainings, I am often asked the question what is it and what is the difference between them. Having “rummaged” on the Internet, I was surprised to find that no one particularly distinguished or explained these two concepts. I fill in the gap.

What are Soft skills?

soft skills("soft skills", English soft skills - "soft skills" or "flexible skills") allow you to be successful regardless of the specifics of the activity and the direction in which the person works. Traditionally, in psychology, they are classified as social skills: the ability to convince, find an approach to people, lead, interpersonal communication, negotiation processes, teamwork, personal development, time management, erudition, creativity, etc. Note that none of the many skills listed above applies only to a particular specialty. and only to her.

soft skills important in both work and life. Most of the skills used to achieve goals are Soft skills. However, the higher you climb career ladder, the more important social skills play in your life, while professional skills fade into the background. After all, the higher the position, the large quantity subordinates and employees can advise you on all sorts of issues. Therefore, 70% of training programs and courses are focused on mastering skills from the Soft skills range.

Where are hard skills used?

hard skills(“hardskills”, English Hard skills - “hard skills”) - technical skills associated with activities performed in the field of formalized technologies: office work, logistics, touch typing, driving, programming, etc.

Since these skills are stable, visible, measurable and identifiable with concrete structures, they are included in the list of requirements set out in job descriptions, are easily decomposed into a number of simple and finite operations.

Hard skills are easy to observe in everyday life. For example: the pilot of an aircraft, without hesitation, will tell the sequence of actions for takeoff and landing. His instructions will be schematic, specific and consistent. In the presence of practical exercises, a person learning a skill of the Hard skills category is able to bring the acquired skill to automatism and then apply it in everyday practice, following a clearly established sequence of actions or “according to a template”.

In general, program courses aimed at developing both "hard" and "soft" skills require the obligatory consolidation of a behavior model in daily use. However, skills development programs soft skills are necessarily built on the principle of sequential development of skills with the help of exercises and practical simulations that force you to make independent decisions. Only in this case they give a stable result. Otherwise, the slightest deviation from the scheme, any question not considered in the proposed (ready-made) model instantly confuses the student.

The degree of mastery of skills from the category soft skills difficult to track, verify and visually demonstrate. Therefore, it should be noted that the use soft skills It is possible only if you have the ability to use different models of behavior, to holistically understand your own and common interests, to prioritize and make choices. The effective mastering of skills from this category is always aimed at developing the ability to see and distinguish between the multiplicity of halftones and variants of the situation. So, if we summarize the above and conduct comparative analysis between skills, you get the following:

HARD SKILLS:	SOFT SKILLS:
◊ Competence ◊ Expertise ◊ Technical knowledge/qualification ◊ Critical in the short term ◊ Development is faster ◊ With less effort and a guaranteed result (subject to the basic criteria: motivation, learning, etc.) ◊ Virtually not subject to reverse development	◊ Competencies ◊ Values ◊ Action-relevant behavioral pattern ◊ Critical in the long run ◊ Development is slower ◊ With great effort, the achievement of the required level is not guaranteed (“limit” of competencies, deep integration in the personality structure) ◊ In specific conditions - subject to reverse development

The role of universal competencies, or in Western terminology soft skills, on modern market labor is growing. Soft skills are mental and interpersonal competencies that, unlike hard skills, are not quantifiable or certifiable. Sometimes they are called personal qualities, because they depend on the character of a person and are acquired with personal experience. Soft skills include: organization, curiosity, good memory, ability to plan, etc. In this article, we will talk about soft skills that are valued by modern employers.
Read more about contrasting hard and soft skills.

Why is the "baggage" of your soft skills important for building a career

Without differences in the set of soft skills, all graduates of the same faculty who received the same education could apply for the same position and job. And they would do the same job. It is obvious that this is not the case.
Imagine two nuclear physicists. They have red diplomas from the MEPhI University, they work in a design bureau on the design of a power unit of a nuclear power plant. Their professional skills do not differ, education and place of work are the same. But their "baggage" of universal competencies is different.

One of them works well in a team, is confident and friendly. And the second prefers to work with drawings, rather than communicate with colleagues, but at the same time he is methodical in performing calculations. Most likely, their further career will develop in different ways. The first will be able to remain a specialist or work in the analytical department, but he can also be entrusted with leadership positions with career and salary growth prospects. And the second will be able to grow only as a specialist or analyst, that is, develop within the framework of their professional skills.
The described situation shows that a set of soft skills affects the breadth of professional choice: The more competencies a person has, the more more options professional development is possible in the future.

4 types of soft skills

To expand your opportunities in the profession, you need to develop 4 different groups of universal competencies: social, intellectual, strong-willed and leadership.

1. Social competencies responsible for successfully interacting with people.

Sociability
Competent written and oral speech
Ability to speak in public
Emotional intelligence (the ability to recognize the emotions and motives of other people)
Flexibility and acceptance of criticism

2. Intellectual competencies responsible for constant Professional Development within their area.

Analytical mind
Ability to see and solve problems
Good memory
Learnability
Creativity

3. Volitional competencies responsible for achieving work goals.

Result Oriented
Time Management
perseverance
Stress tolerance
Willingness to do routine work

4. Leadership competencies responsible for the successful use of resources to achieve common goals.

Ability to make decisions
Responsibility
Ability to form a team
Mentoring
Ability to resolve conflicts

Full list of competencies, which will help you in writing a resume, download from our website. But remember that simply listing soft skills will not impress an employer. The list must be supported by real facts and your achievements. Soft skills cannot be put on the table in front of a recruiter like a diploma, they should be shown during the interview and during the trial period.

When and how to develop soft skills

The foundations for some universal competencies are given to a person from birth, for example: perseverance, good memory, curiosity. But most soft skills can and should be developed throughout life. They are not taught in schools, but there are many ways to acquire them.

Parent example: helps to adopt some of the competencies inherent in parents. So, if adults can find right exit in conflict and stressful situations, the child learns the line of their behavior: he learns flexibility, calmness, the ability to find compromises.
Sections and circles for children develop all kinds of competencies. Sports develop strong-willed competencies, and team sports teach, among other things, to work in a team. Music and drawing develops both hemispheres of the brain and gives impetus to all intellectual competencies. Logical thinking develops while playing chess.
Project work at school allows you to develop social, leadership and intellectual competencies. The project imitates real job in a professional team, where there is a leader, specialists, communicator, innovator and other roles. At each stage of project development, training different kinds competencies: distribution of roles (leadership), discussion (social competencies), research(intellectual competencies), project presentation (social competencies).
Children's camps- a place where children constantly communicate with each other. Especially relevant camp in adolescence, which accounts for the peak of the development of social competencies. Developing camps bring even more practical benefits - a language, sports or career guidance camp, like the "Professionals of the Future" camp.
Development training- most effective option soft skills training, available to both children and adults. During the training, the development of competencies is not a background, but a target task that the leader sets and monitors the implementation of. About trainings for teenagers and the competencies they are aimed at, you can.

And, of course, many competencies come with experience. Learn and develop soft skills to live interesting and achieve more!

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