Name _____________ Date___________

Hard and Soft Job Skills*

Som Sarawong has been working as an automotive technician at George’s

Auto Repair for over 5 years. Today was a special day for Som, a 35-year-old Thai
immigrant, because he received the Employee of the Year Award. According to Ed
Overton, Som’s boss, Som received the award “because he’s a great ‘people person’
and he has superb technical skills. I even have him work on my own car!”

Som has the two kinds of skills that are necessary to be successful and move
up in his career: soft skills and hard skills. Soft skills are personal and social
skills. Som gets along with his co-workers. He has a strong work ethic; in five
years, he has never been late or absent from work. Customers trust him. Hard
skills, on the other hand, are the technical skills a person needs to do a job. Som
can repair cars, trucks, and motorcycles. He learned from his father, who was also
a mechanic. Then he took classes and got a certificate as an auto technician.

Soft and hard skills are equally important, but hard skills are easier to teach
and assess than soft skills. People can learn how to use a machine and then take a
test on their knowledge. However, it’s harder to teach people how to be
cooperative and have a good work ethic. George Griffith, the owner of George’s
Auto Repair, explains, “I’ve been working in this business for over 30 years, and
most of the time when I’ve needed to fire someone, it was because of weak people
skill, not because they didn’t have technical abilities.” Soft skills and good
technical knowledge are a winning combination, and today, Som Sarawong was the
winner.

*Taken from “Ventures4 Classware,” p. 102. Cambridge University Press 2010.

Part A. Directions: Find the vocabulary word(s) bolded in the text above. Then
find a similar word or phrase that matches the definition and write the word(s) in
the blanks.

_______________ to bring things together

______________ something you learn in school or were taught how to do for a job

______________ to believe in working hard

______________ to be excellent

______________ work well with other people

______________ this is what someone else says

Part B. Directions: Answer the questions below using whole sentences.

1. Who is Som’s boss? __________________________________

2. Where does Som work? ____________________________________

3. What is Som’s job title? ___________________________________

4. What is the name of the garage where Som works?

_________________________________________________________

5. How did Som learn how to do his job?

__________________________________________________________

Part C. Directions: Now make the questions to go with the answers given.

1. Q: ____________________________________

A: Soft skills are personal and social skills.

2. Q: ____________________________________

A: Hard skills are the technical skills a person needs to do a job.

3. Q: ____________________________________

A: No, Som has not been late or absent for five years.

4. Q: ____________________________________

A: It is harder to teach soft skills than hard skills.

Part D. Directions: Are these soft skills or hard skills? Write ‘soft’ or ‘hard’ in
the box next to the skill.

_____ being punctual ______ using Zoom on a computer

_____ boiling an egg ______ getting along with coworkers

_____ using your cell phone to text ______ listening to directions

Part E. Directions: Think about the job you have right now. Are you a homemaker
or parent? Or do you work outside the home? Write a short paragraph below and
tell me about 2 soft skills you need to do your job and 2 hard skills.
 Soft Skills
When thinking about careers, professional advancement, or even job hunting, we usually emphasize
so-called “hard skills,” meaning skills that are directly connected to our ability to perform a
particular task or do a certain job. These skills can be evaluated or measured, as they are the result
of degrees, certificates, specialized knowledge, seminars, continuing education, vocational training,
and so on.

“Soft skills,” on the other hand, are more difficult to measure or quantify, as they usually do not
come from a degree or specialized training, but from life experience, personality, and attitude. They
are often called “people skills,” as they typically relate, in some form, to how we deal or interact
with other people. For example: Are we able to motivate and lead people? Can we communicate
well with others?

Some commonly mentioned soft skills would include, among others: creativity, team work, written
and verbal communication, management and leadership, flexibility, and organization. These types
of skills are important, as they help to form a well-rounded person and employee. They can provide
a competitive edge in a job search. Soft skills are relevant to just about every industry or job, because
people are always key, in one way or another.

For both a job-seeker and an employer, these are so-called “transferable skills,” and are highly
sought after. The employee can utilize these soft skills across various jobs or settings, and this is also
a plus for employers, which look favorably on adaptability and strong interpersonal skills.

Please answer the following questions of understanding:

1. Hard skills are directly connected to performing...

a a particular task or certain job c quantities

b motivation d measurements
2. Soft skills are often called...

a people skills c light skills

b irrelevant d vocational skills
3. One example of a soft skill would include...

a continuing education c written and verbal communication

b a specific job d employee benefits
4. Another soft skill would be when one...

a goes to a seminar c transports people

b motivates and leads people d gets a college degree
5. Soft skills are also...

a transferable skills c semi-soft

b hard skills d industrial skills