What are technical and soft skills at work?

Updated on 27.05.2024

What are "soft skills”?

Soft skills are those related to your character, such as adaptability to the work environment, ability to work under pressure, communication skills, etc. Soft skills are not specific to certain occupations, but are universally needed and applicable everywhere. They are an important part of the work process and if you have  soft skills, your job can be greatly facilitated and improved. Soft skills can also help you in your relationships with colleagues, so you should not underestimate them.  

Types of soft skills

There are many different types of soft skills that we advise you to:

• list on your CV or cover letter when applying for a job;
• describe during your job interview.

Here are some of the more popular types of skills:

Communicaion skills

Communication skills mean being able to clearly communicate your thoughts and needs to others, either verbally or in writing, and being able to listen and understand what is being said to you. Being able to communicate effectively and clearly with people is important not only if you work in a field where you serve people, but also for building strong and good relationships with colleagues.  

Ability to work in a team 

It is extremely important to be able to work collaboratively with others in a team. This skill is closely linked to your communication skills to avoid conflict in the workplace. Any employer would prefer a person who visibly respects teamwork and tries to maintain good relations with their colleagues. 

Effective time menagement

This is one of the most valuable soft skills at work. It consists of not leaving tasks for the last moment, to distribute your work evenly so that you can do it calmly and without creating additional tension due to time running out and to complete your tasks within the set deadlines. Allocating and planning your time will also help you do your job better. 

Adapdability

This skill involves being able to adapt to working conditions and to changes as they occur. It is important to keep abreast of new developments as they occur. For this skill, it is useful to be flexible, to not give in to tension and to maintain a positive attitude in order to be able to adapt to changes calmly. 

Problem solving 

In any line of work, it's useful to be able to solve problems that arise in the process. This means that when questions and problems arise, you can come up with a solution through creativity, or find an answer by research. For this, it will be helpful to think strategically and analyze the situation that arises.

There are many other soft skills, some of which you may not even know you possess such as:

• A good work ethic;
• critical thinking;
• creativity;
• leadership skills;
• emotional intelligence, etc.

Demonstrating such skills undoubtedly makes a good impression on your employers and colleagues, but most importantly, it makes it easier to get the job done. While there is no specific way to acquire them, these skills can be developed and improved through experience. 

What are "technical skills"?

Technical skills are those skills that you have acquired through your education, certain courses, or experience in a particular job. Such skills are, for example, are the ability to program, use Photoshop, draw or make blueprints, and others that are specific to the work you will be doing.

In most cases, having only soft skills or only technical skills is not enough to get a job, and this is why you need a combination of both. Some positions may be willing to teach you the necessary technical skills, but most require that you already have them beforehand.  

When applying for a job, employers list the technical skills needed in the job announcement. Therefore, you should also list them on your CV and describe them in more detail in your cover letter if you posses these skills.

How to creat a CV and a cover letter ?

Depending on the field in which you are looking for a job or are already working, the technical skills required will vary and therefore cannot be listed exhaustively. Some of the more popular technical skills are:

Compute literacy

This means being able to use a computer and more specifically - being able to use the Microsoft Office suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint), Google Workspace (Docs, Calendar, Sheets), being able to handle emails or other communication channels and other programs needed for the specific job. 

Programmer

Programming is a more specific skill applicable to the Information Technology (IT) field. Employers may require you to be proficient in a particular programming language such as JavaScript, Python, C/C++, Swift, etc. 

Skills specific to yur industry 

Depending on the field you work in, many different technical skills may be required. If you work as a builder, you will need to be able to work with a variety of tools, machines and materials. If you work in design (graphic, interior), you will need to be able to draw and illustrate your ideas and use different programs to do this.

For some jobs, you must have a university degree and a diploma. For example, if you work in healthcare or such, you will need to have a specific medical/legal diploma, and you will also need to handle medical equipment/legal information systems, etc.