Technical job skills, commonly known as hard skills, are specific talents and expertise that individuals acquire through practice and learning. These skills differ significantly from soft skills, which pertain more to character and personality traits.
Technical skills enable individuals to perform specific tasks efficiently. For instance, proficiency in coding is a highly sought-after technical skill for job candidates in software and technology companies.
Key Takeaways
- Technical skills are critical to helping organizations achieve their functions efficiently.
- Acquiring Technical Skills: These are obtained and honed through education, practice, and repetition, whether manual (e.g., sewing) or cognitive (e.g., accounting).
- Validation: Technical competencies can be proven through aptitude tests, certifications, degrees, apprenticeships, or work experience, unlike soft skills.
Understanding Technical Job Skills
Technical job skills are crucial to list on your resume as they highlight your abilities. However, it is essential to tailor your skills list to fit the job at hand to increase your chances of being hired.
New or prospective employees may undergo an aptitude test to measure their proficiency in various technical skills. Unlike general intelligence or knowledge tests, aptitude tests measure particular skills or propensities, and you can’t prepare for them in advance.
Employees with technical job skills are often considered skilled labor, contrasting with unskilled labor.
Technical Skills vs. Soft Skills
Employers look for candidates with a blend of both hard and soft skills during job applications, cover letters, resume submissions, and interviews.
Hard Skills
- These skills are teachable and easily quantifiable, such as certificates, degrees, language fluency, machinery operation, or computer program development.
Soft Skills
- These subjective qualities are more inherent and much harder to quantify, such as communication, teamwork, time management, persuasiveness, flexibility, and patience.
What Employers Want
Employers value a combination of technical and soft skills that allow employees to complete tasks efficiently. Despite being easier to teach, some basic technical skills are complemented by inherent soft skills like customer service and satisfaction.
In-Demand Technical Job Skills
- Programming and Coding: Relevant for IT staff, developers, customer service teams, and project managers.
- Project Management: Key for delivering projects efficiently across various industries.
- Data Analysis: Crucial for businesses to retain market share and build a competitive advantage.
- Information Security: Essential to prevent data breaches that can devastate business operations and brand reputation.
- Design: Involves mastering software tools and technical knowledge of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.
- Content and SEO: Goes beyond writing to include digital skills like content management systems, SEO, and basic web development.
Example of Technical Job Skills
Accounting: A Prime Example
Accounting is a profession that requires a specific set of technical skills. These include not only familiarity with accounting practices and tax laws but also proficiency in industry-specific software like Great Plains, QuickBooks, Peachtree, and SAP.
**Essential Accounting Skills: **
- Preparing and interpreting financial statements and reports.
- Developing efficient financial reporting mechanisms.
- Planning and implementing accounting controls.
Many of these skills are complemented by soft skills such as effective communication with regulators and external auditors, and staying updated on current industry regulations.
Related Terms: hard skills, soft skills, skilled labor, unskilled labor, programming, project management, data analysis, information security, design, SEO.
References
- Goodwill Community Foundation, Inc. “Hard Skills vs. Soft Skills”.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. “Computer Programmers: What They Do”.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. “Computer and Information Systems Managers: What They Do”.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. “Construction Managers: What They Do”.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. “Market Research Analysts: What They Do”.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. “Management Analysts: What They Do”.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. “Information Security Analysts: What They Do”.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. “Graphic Designers: What They Do”.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. “Web Developers and Digital Designers: What They Do”.
- Google Developers. “Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Starter Guide”.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. “Writers and Authors: What They Do”.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. “Accountants and Auditors: What They Do”.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. “Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks: What They Do”.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. “Accountants and Auditors: How to Become One”.
