Text 1. Soft skills VS hard skills

Compiled by B.Jolamanova

(http.v/en.wikipedia ore wiki/Soft skills

http://www.bettersoftskills.com/research.htm

http://www.praxisconsulting.org/PeopleSkills.pdf)

PRE-READING

Activity 1. Guess what the terms “soft skills” and “hard skills” may mean.

Part 1. Definition:

 

Soft skills is a broad sociological term which refers to the cluster of personality traits, social graces, facility with language, personal habits, friendliness, and optimism that mark people to varying degrees. Soft skills are personal attributes that enhance an individual's interactions, job performance and career prospects. To be good at soft skills usually takes Emotional Intelligence or EQ (also known as your right brain – the emotional center).

Part 2. Differentiation

In the world of work, “hard skills” are technical or administrative procedures related to an organization’s core business. Examples include machine operation, computer protocols, safety standards, financial procedures and sales administration. These skills are typically easy to observe, quantify and measure. They’re also easy to train, because most of the time the skill sets are brand new to the learner and no unlearning is involved. Hard skills, which are the technical requirements of a job, complement soft skills.

 

Unlike hard skills, which are about a person's skill set and ability to perform a certain type of task or activity, soft skills are interpersonal and broadly applicable. Soft skills (also called “people skills”) are typically hard to observe, quantify and measure. People skills are needed for everyday life as much as they’re needed for work. They have to do with how people relate to each other: communicating, listening, engaging in dialogue, giving feedback, cooperating as a team member, solving problems, contributing in meetings and resolving conflict.

Part 3. Rationale

 

To get and keep a job you typically need a repertoire of technical skills. Dentists need to know how to fill cavities. Secretaries need to type 100+ words per minute. Accountants need to be certified.

Beyond the technical skills, though, which dentist do you go to? The one who is pleasant and takes time to answer your questions; or the one who treats you like a number in a long line of numbered mouths?

Which secretary do you retain when times are lean? The one whose attitude is positive and upbeat, and who is always willing to help; or the one who is inflexible and has a hard time admitting mistakes? Likewise, think about accountants. The one who has a great work ethic and encourages his colleagues is the one who will, most likely, excel in his position and organization. In these situations, and all the others like them, it's the soft skills that matter.

 

While your technical skills may get your foot in the door, your people skills are what open most of the doors to come. Your work ethic, your attitude, your communication skills, your emotional intelligence and a whole host of other personal attributes are the soft skills that are crucial for career success. With these soft skills you can excel as a leader. Problem solving, delegating, motivating, and team building are all much easier if you have good soft skills. Knowing how to get along with people – and displaying a positive attitude – are crucial for success.

 

Computerworld's 2007 hiring and skills survey reported that IT executives are increasingly looking for staff who demonstrate a broad range of soft skills in addition to their technical abilities. Survey respondents said writing and public speaking are two of the most important soft skills they look for when hiring new employees. Additionally, they favor candidates who understand the business process, can work well with a team, know how to get their points across, are inquisitive, use initiative, and are willing to take risks.

 

The overwhelming majority (93 %) of the HR managers surveyed said technical skills are easier to teach than soft skills. The most in-demand soft skills cited by the managers are organizational skills (87%), verbal communication (81%), teamwork and collaboration (78%), problem solving (60%), tact and diplomacy (59%), business writing (48%), and analytical skills (45%). According to recent surveys when hiring administrative staff - 67% of human resource (HR) managers would hire an applicant with strong soft skills whose technical abilities were lacking. However, only 9% would hire someone who had strong technical expertise but weak interpersonal skills.

The problem is, the importance of these soft skills is often undervalued, and there is far less training provided for them than hard skills. For some reason, organizations seem to expect people know how to behave on the job. They tend to assume that everyone knows and understands the importance of being on time, taking initiative, being friendly, and producing high quality work. Assuming that soft skills are universal leads to much frustration. That's why it's so important to focus as much on soft skills training and development as you do on traditional hard skills.

 

Leaders at all levels rely heavily on people skills, too: setting an example, teambuilding, facilitating meetings, encouraging innovation, solving problems, making decisions, planning, delegating, observing, instructing, coaching, encouraging and motivating. It's often said that hard skills will get you an interview but you need soft skills to get (and keep) the job. So organizations, particularly those frequently dealing with partners and customers face-to-face, are generally more prosperous if they train their staff to use these skills. For this reason, soft skills are increasingly sought out by employers in addition to standard qualifications.

 

Part 4. Classification

Personal qualities:	Interpersonal skills:
optimism common sense responsibility a sense of humor integrity initiative inquisitive mind willingness to take risks emotional intelligence	empathy teamwork leadership good manners negotiation sociability the ability to teach communication skills (writing ability, public speaking, the ability to get a point across)

VOCABULARY FOCUS

 

Activity 2. Do the crossword on definitions:

Across 3) not profitable or prosperous5) an evaluative response6) to make easier; assist the progress of sth9) the ability to understand other people’s emotions, feelings10) that can be quantified Down 1) people answering the survey questions2) very strong, complete, total4) be exceptionally good at sth7) that can be applied8) eager to know

 

Activity 3. Mark the odd word:

1) enhance, increase, improve, extend

2) frustration, annoyance, satisfaction, disappointment

3) upbeat, cheerful, optimistic, merry

4) crucial, crude, important, decisive

5) facility, ability, agility, capacity

6) soft, hard, rigid, warm

GRAMMAR FOCUS

Activity 4. Open the brackets using the Complex Object:

1) The author (anybody, not want) undervalue soft skills.

2) Do employers want (employees, have) hard skills rather than soft ones?

3) Employers expect (job applicants, show) initiative.

4) Organizations seem to expect (people, know) how to behave on the job.

5) We’d prefer (you, be) more positive and upbeat.

Activity 5. Change complex sentences into simple using the Complex Object:
1) It is wrong to believe that soft skills are easier to master than hard ones.

2) We expect that he will become our team leader.

3) They consider that everyone knows and understands the importance of being on time, taking initiative and producing high quality work.

4) People generally believe that soft skills are universal.

5) I believe that they are good at getting along with the clients.

Activity 6. Complete the sentences using the Complex object:

1) The most demanded soft skills that employees expect job applicants to demonstrate are…

2) The managers encourage personnel to be/have…

3) They consider soft skills to be hard to…

4) With strong soft skills people find it much easier to…

5) Good teachers try to make their students develop/acquire such skills as ….

WHILE-READING

Activity 7. Which part focuses on:

1) definition of soft skills; 2) types of soft skills; 3) the reasons why they are important; 4) what kinds of skills there may be differentiated.

Activity 8. Read the text part by part and answer the questions:

Part 1. Which definition of soft skills do you think is the best? Why?

Part 2. Show the difference between hard and soft skills graphically.

Part 3. What are the (5-10) reasons why soft skills are crucially important?

Part 4.Can any soft skills be deleted from the list or added to it?

 

POST-READING

Activity 9. Make a list of the soft skills which you do (not) possess. Discuss which of them you need to develop and how?

 

Activity 10. Evaluate the role of English classes as to their potential in developing various soft skills.