In the times we live in, skills are a crucial part of the world around us! Every single visual you come across, all the machinery you see, the arts and craft around you, the devices, furniture, and crockery you use and most of the things you here and see are the results of a multitude of skills. To survive in such an age, you must also be aware of the skills you have and those you could develop. Let’s explore some of the most important skills for intermediate students in Pakistan.

What are Skills?

A skill is an ability which indicates a person is good at something. If you are good at a task, you may have the skills required to do that task. Sometimes you have natural abilities you are born with. These are your natural skills. There are also other skills that you can learn as you grow up.

Soft and Hard Skills  

There are two types of skills,

Soft Skills: Definition and Example

Soft skills are the skills that originate from your personality, character, and personal development. Such skills are also called as your interpersonal skills that define your social conduct and ability to navigate through human interactions.

Essential Soft Skills

Some of the most important soft skills of 21st century include,              

• Communication
• Emotional intelligence
• Creativity
• Problem solving
• Leadership
• Critical thinking
• Time management
• Conflict Resolution

Example of a Soft Skill

Suppose, you are working as a customer support representative, and someone has called you complaining about a defect in their device. Your company is known because of good quality, but the customer keeps on complaining about how untrustworthy of a company you have.

One of your options is to just tell them such an issue isn’t possible and respond aggressively. This will lead to a conflict and potential bad publicity.

Your other option is to listen attentively. Then empathize with the customer something like, “I understand your concern/ frustration. Don’t worry I will do my best to solve this problem. (After this you proceed to suggest solutions or ask for the actual problem in detail)”. This can potentially calm the customer, and you are more likely to solve the issue.

You have effectively used active listening, empathy, emotional intelligence, and communication skills in this matter!  

Hard Skills: Definition and Example

Hard skills are the technical skills. These are the tools and techniques you need to learn according to your field and area of interests. While it is possible to learn any kind of skills, you need to understand that you aptitude will decide a great deal of which skills you will be good at.

Essential Hard Skills

A number of hard skills can match your fields, and job requirements. It is always better to learn technology related skills, bcz they can help you prepare for a wide range of jobs.

Please know that these skills can help you at your jobs. You can not rely on these alone to decide your professional journey. You need to understand that professional degrees, and your skills will go hand in hand.

You must focus on some of the basic technology related skills. These include,

• Microsoft Skills (Applications like Word, excel, powerpoint, etc)
• Graphic Designing
• Video editing
• Programming
• Data Analysis
• Social Media Marketing (Basic Knowledge At least).
• Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

You can decide which of these skills you want to master. It is better that you know the basics of most of the above skills, while master a few of them also.

For high school and university students, it is important that they learn hard skills that are specific for their fields of studies. This will help them gain practical knowledge of the job market, and potential opportunities that they can access.

If you are interested in knowing your career options after FSc, click here for careers after pre medical and pre engineering. 

Example of Hard Skills

Suppose you are applying to a job that requires you to work with or manage different data sets. Through your CV and interview, you can reflect your experience with Microsoft excel, google sheets, or other such platforms. If you know these platforms well you will be able to easily convince the employers that you have knowledge of efficient data entry, formatting of data, and use of formulas etc. This increases your chances of employability.

Soft Skills Vs. Hard Skills

Soft skills are interpersonal skills that you will be using in pretty much all the environments you live and work in while hard skills are skills are the ones that can help you to earn a living.

Remember, you must ensure that you have a balance of both soft and hard skills. Your professional success depends upon your interpersonal skills greatly. Even if you are really good at the technical side of your job, but you do not have leadership, communication, and team working skills, you may not be going far in your profession.

Similarly, if you have good interpersonal skills, but you lack technical skills, you are bound to be left behind by your fellows. Employers and businesses, highly value people who have multiple technical skills. Such skills diversify your career opportunities and experiences in one or more lines of work.You should know the importance of both soft and hard skills in your professional life, and develop your personality accordingly.

Also read: How Can BBA Students Start Earning