It is often said, \u201cSkills are the new professional currency of the 21st century\u201d.<\/p>\n
For these job candidates, the world we live in today is a \u2018show me, don\u2019t tell me\u2019 culture. Recruiters want solid evidence. They want to see tangible value and benefit in hiring a new employee. <\/p>\n
Recruiters today, are looking for actual and quantifiable hard skills<\/strong>. Hard skills<\/strong> refer to a specific set of competencies required to execute the roles and responsibilities of a specific job. Quite simply, hard skills allow you to perform the job.<\/p> \n If you are an engineer for example, your set of hard skills include performing mathematical calculations, equations and testing. Hard skills are not confined to heavily technological positions though. <\/p>\n People-oriented positions, such as sales involves hard skills such as product knowledge, research analysis, lead generation, data mining, managing customer information. These classified hard skills enable both the engineer and salesperson to perform their respective job duties.<\/p>\n Hard skills apply to and fall into multiple categories:<\/p>\n Professions such as teaching, administration, project management and banking, often have distinct methodologies and systems that govern how they perform their responsibilities. Hard skills for such people-oriented roles include building lesson plans, project budgets, filing systems, risk assessment policies and financial management<\/em>.<\/p>\n Hard skills can also be analytical in nature, where they can be used to extract, interpret and present information. Translating, statistical analysis, transcribing and word processing<\/em> are such skills where data is used to generate relevant ideas or solutions.<\/p>\n These hard skills can include electrical, plumbing, woodwork, construction, manufacturing and carpentry.<\/em><\/p>\n These hard skills usually take intensive study and training to develop over time. The professionals with these competencies can specialised and open their own practice. Or, they may be certified or licensed to work as professionals in various corporations and institutions. Professional hard skills include legal work, healthcare, dentistry, accounting, computer programming and engineering.<\/em><\/p>\n These are skills employed by animators, sculptors, chefs, copywriters, graphic designers, photographers and musicians<\/em> to create their respective forms of art as per their job or client specifications.<\/p>\n The modern workplace is a computerised environment. Many company systems and even jobs have already been automated. Therefore, modern job seekers are expected to have atleast an intermediate skill level of Microsoft Office, search engine navigation and cloud computing. Recruiters would anticipate candidates to have working knowledge of relevant software pertaining to their industry and proficiency in data storage, management and presentation.<\/p>\n Communication may not be universally regarded as a hard skill. However, depending on the job description, specialised communication capabilities may be required. Marketing, sales or communication jobs for example may ask for copywriting, speechwriting or content marketing skills. Ability to speak foreign languages or creating User Experience (UX) designs would be valuable skill<\/em>s to list on your resume for a sales position.<\/p>\n Modern workplaces value efficient project management. Agile project management principles such as teamwork<\/a>, flexibility<\/em>, collaboration and resource management would be exceptional skills to list on your resume.<\/p>\n Digital marketing covers a range of abilities such as Search Engine Optimisation (SEO), Google Analytics, data mining, content creation, measuring Return on Investment (ROI)<\/em> and email marketing. Being skilled in these lucrative practices would distinguish your resume from other candidates.<\/p>\n With apps streaming movies, navigating geographic locations and even finding a local doubles man nearest to you, this hard skill is tailored for the 21st century. Consumers in Trinidad & Tobago can perform their banking, order food, watch entertainment and browse company catalogues through websites or apps.<\/p>\n With a high crime rate in Trinidad & Tobago, and the increasing threat of viruses, hacking and online theft, recruiters would value skills such as risk assessment, building firewall security systems, anti-virus and anti-hacking software to preserve the integrity and safety of their data and premises.<\/p>\n On your resume, create a skills section,<\/strong> preferably at the top or at the side, that demonstrates clearly the hard skills you have developed. In this section, you should also state certifications, licenses and specialised trainings<\/strong> you would have completed to reinforce the hard skills you claim. <\/p>\n Remember, this is a \u2018show me, don\u2019t tell me\u2019 culture. Your skills must be actionable in your resume. To make them actionable, each skill must illustrate an achievement. For example, did you use your knowledge of SEO to create an online campaign that acquired 5,000 new subscribers? <\/p>\n Were you instrumental in building a company\u2019s app that would allow customers to conduct transactions and reduce cashier waiting lines? In your work experience, state concisely how you used a skill you\u2019ve listed to perform a task, achieve a result or solve a problem.<\/p>\n To determine your problem-solving ability, recruiters typically ask for examples<\/strong><\/em>. A time you would have used your marketing skills to generate revenue or explain how your programming skills were able to rectify a technical issue. Recruiters need solid evidence to back up your claims.<\/p>\n Employers also ask about irate customers, disgruntled team members or manager and employee conflicts when you highlight your communication skills. They can also look at the responsibilities in the job description and ask how you will handle a random situation or task. The solution you provide illustrates to them if you are the candidate, they\u2019re looking for their team.<\/p>\n Depending on the type of hard skill you\u2019re attempting to improve determines which method is best.<\/p>\n Manually skilled, professional, creative and research skills can be learnt and improved through specialised training, coursework or vocational programs. To improve your skill set for the workplace, you can enrol in multiple programs, some of which are government funded, throughout Trinidad & Tobago. Business schools, universities \u2013 UWI<\/a> & UTT<\/a>, as well as training agencies such as MIC Institute of Technology and National Training Agency of Trinidad & Tobago, are some resources that offer additional training for skill improvement.<\/p>\n Some skills such as people-oriented hard skills need to be practiced in order to be improved. Practicing a skill such as content creation or graphic design allows a candidate to develop new techniques, become more proficient and allow their work to be more effective.<\/p>\n Often, guidance from a seasoned professional allows us to gather in-depth knowledge about a particular skill and mirror their success. Coaching can offer first-hand, practical advice and may allow you to learn new things at a faster rate.<\/p>\n\n
Not all skills are created equal. They can be categorised into different subsets, each holding more importance than the other. The same is true for hard skills<\/strong>.<\/p>\nWhat are hard skills?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Types of Hard Skills<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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People-oriented<\/strong><\/em><\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
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Research & Analysis<\/strong><\/em><\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
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Manual Skilled Labour<\/strong><\/em><\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
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Professional Services<\/strong><\/em><\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
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Creative Hard Skills<\/strong><\/em><\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Hard Skills for Your Resume<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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Computer\/Information Technology Skills<\/strong><\/em><\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
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Communication Hard Skills<\/strong><\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
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Agile Project Management<\/strong><\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
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Digital Marketing<\/strong><\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
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Web\/App Development<\/strong><\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
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Security control\/Risk Management<\/strong><\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
How to Make Your Hard Skills Stand Out on Your Resume?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Common Interview Questions about Hard Skills<\/strong><\/h2>\n
How To Improve Your Hard Skills in The Workplace?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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Personal Investment<\/strong><\/em><\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
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Practice makes Perfect<\/strong><\/em><\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
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Find a Coach<\/strong><\/em><\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Hard Skills Recommended reading<\/strong><\/h2>\n