UNIVERSITY OF ZIMBABWE

NAME: BRIAN TAIMO

REG NUMBER: R203805P
COURSE CODE: SDLSBE 301
PROG: HLHM
LEVEL: 3.1
QUESTION: Survival in the workplace requires a delicate
balance between hard and soft skills. Use this assertion to
identify the common soft skills human resources
practitioners look for when hiring and justify the
importance of these skills in any workplace environment.
Hard skills are the quantifiable skills that workers need to have to successfully perform a specific
job (Malsam.W, 2019). Hard skills are technical skills required for a job. They are learned
abilities acquired and enhanced through education and experience. Hard skills are important for
one's resume, as human resource practitioners look for them when hiring. Hard skills alone don’t
translate into success, as employees also need other skills, such as soft skills. Unlike soft skills,
hard skills can be quantified. For example, a hard skill might be proficiency in a second
language, while a soft skill could be the ability to work well on a team. Examples of hard skills
include computer programming, web development and graphic designing. Soft skills are qualities
that enable employees to work both independently and as part of a team, blending unique
personalities and working styles to find the best possible outcomes and solutions. Unlike hard
skills, soft skills cannot be definitively measured but instead are exemplified through attitude,
behavior, self-expression and motivation. Hard skills generally have rules that remain the same
regardless of the business, industry, or even culture in which they are practiced. The rules of soft
skills can change depending on company culture and the expectations of colleagues. For
example, the rules for how a programmer creates code are the same regardless of where the
programmer works. However, a programmer may communicate effectively to other programmers
about technical details but struggle when communicating with senior managers about a project’s
progress or support needs. Hard skills can be learned via education, training, or apprenticeships,
and on the job. The levels of competency can be defined, and there is a direct path for achieving
them. For example, in the field of accounting, one can take basic and advanced accounting
courses, earn a degree, gain work experience, and pass the certified public accountant (CPA)
exam. Soft skills are not often found in the curriculum of a school or college. But they are taught
in programs that help people develop communication skills, teamwork, or people-management
skills. Some common soft skills include communication, teamwork, adaptability, problem
solving, conflict resolution.
ICIMS Hiring Insights (2017) found that “Ninety-four percent of recruiting professionals believe
an employee with stronger soft skills has a better chance of being promoted to a leadership
position than an employee with more years of experience but weaker soft skills.”
Communication skills are the quantifiable skills that workers need to have to successfully
perform a specific job duties to help them achieve the goals of the organization. Good
communication skills means being able to actively listen to, understand other perspectives, while
also being able to share one’s own effectively. Communication skills are necessary for
productive exchange between individuals, departments and companies particularly when sharing
new ideas, responding to concerns and listening to feedback. Without clear communication,
workplaces cannot operate effectively since the added confusion caused by misinformation or
misunderstanding often prolongs tasks unnecessarily and strains professional relationships.
Communication skills are important to the workplace environment since remote collaborations
have become increasingly common and employees possessing strong communication skills are
more highly valued than ever in the workplace. Communication skills are also important to the
workplace as employees with excellent communication skills are skilled at verbal and written
communication, while they also understand non-verbal communication cues. Strong
communicators know their audience, stick to the point, use clear and concise language and are
empathetic. They are aware of how their body language and tone of voice convey their message.
Employees with strong written communication skills understand how to craft formal emails and
follow proper messaging etiquette on professional platforms like Slack or Microsoft Teams as
they are well versed in online correspondence. Communication skills are of great importance to
an organization in going a long way in strengthening professional relationships as coworkers and
clientele may speak a variety of languages hence, employees can put a little effort into learning
their collaborators language.
Soft skills benefit businesses when they are practiced on a company-wide basis, for example a
collaborative spirit among workers. If the profession one is applying to requires them to work with
others, then teamwork skills are a must. When hiring, companies need to make sure the person will
blend in seamlessly with the culture and can work well with other members. Good team members can
easily collaborate with their team, being able to work and negotiate well. Being able to work well within
a team will not only improve the quality of work produced but also allow for genuine connections to be
formed. Being a great team player is all about realising everyone has something important to
contribute.Team working is significant to workplace environments as it enable employees to work
well with people of different generations and backgrounds and generally become more
productive and better able to focus on common priorities. Efficiency and output is improved as
workers collaborate through sharing knowledge and tools to get jobs done. Teamwork also
improves workers’ ability to learn new methods and technologies hence companies recognize
various learning styles and encourage workers to pursue the methods that work best for them. As
teamwork skills include patience and diplomacy, it allows employees to find common ground
between distinct ideas and professional styles which reduces conflicts from different
perspectives. Without teamwork, tasks are prolonged due to inefficiency and become very hard
to finish when logistical or practical issues arise. With teamwork, projects are easier to manage
since work can be allocated according to each team member’s skill set and input from multiple
collaborators thereby stimulating a wide range of creative solutions. It makes the workplace a
better place to be in. Working well in a team helps achieve common goals while supporting and
complementing the strengths of others. Employees with strong teamwork skills keep their team’s
objectives in mind, understand their own individual responsibilities as well as the responsibilities
of all team members, are supportive and positive, communicate regularly and actively listen to
others.
Whether one is in charge of a team or contribute as an equal member, responsibility is key to
ensuring all necessary tasks are completed accurately and efficiently. Responsible employees
manage their time effectively and take ownership over their work. Being responsible also
translates to building trust in the workplace by owning up to errors and fix their mistakes which
shows a commitment to the job and respect for affected coworkers or customers. Responsibility
can also mean taking on leadership roles like facilitating a meeting or spearheading a particular
project. Taking on responsibility and leadership skills demonstrates motivation, an ability to
prioritize tasks and an aptitude for finding diplomatic solutions based on consensus or feedback.
As human resources practitioners seek candidates with experience in mentoring coworkers or
coaching new employees, these soft skills indicate knowledge of communication techniques and
lay the foundation for effective teamwork. Leadership skills are important to employees in the
workplace as employers will want to know that one can make decisions when pushed and can
manage situations and people. The ability to step up in a difficult situation and help resolve it is
something employers look for in prospective employees.
Critical thinking refers to discerning, anticipating and resolving problems as employees take the
initiative to resolve problems rather than waiting for other colleagues to come up with a solution.
Critical thinking skills help an organization’s employees analyze potential choices and take the
best route. Critical thinking can be enhanced when employees ask a lot of questions from their
colleagues and when their answer conflicts it’s a good sign to delve more deeply to reach a
common ground, as the saying goes, “disagree to agree”. Through good critical-thinking
companies can operate more efficiently and increase productivity when all workers know how to
troubleshoot software problems instead of relying on the information technology department for
every fix. Critical thinking skills are valued in the workplace because they allow for effective
analysis of information given to an employee and make informed decisions. Through this, one
can form successful plans, perform efficiently, take advantage of opportunities and always
respond rationally to situations and challenges. Since addressing problems can lead to
unexpected situations and new challenges can arise even as former ones are resolved, hiring
managers can look for consistent problem-solving as a sign of well-developed critical thinking
skills. Since being an effective problem-solver boosts efficiency in the workplace, human
resources practitioners often screen candidates for an ability to balance independent and
collaborative work.
Problem-solving skills are the ability to identify problems, brainstorm and analyze answers and
implement the best solutions. Problem solving skills are very important in the workplace to know
how to work towards the best possible solution to new and complex problems which will ensure
more successful outcomes as no matter how smooth of a workplace one has, hurdles will always
appear. An employee’s attitude when facing and addressing the problem determines success, thus
it is important to stay positive and believe one can overcome the obstacles. Effective problem
solvers identify the real problem being faced, are diligent in researching the situation and
processes behind the problem, understand all the complexities, break them down into small
manageable tasks which are simpler to tackle then draw on their critical thinking to brainstorm
possible solutions and determine the best possible resolution.
While many workplaces appreciate an employee’s ability to carefully follow instructions when
requested, creativity skills are equally important soft skill. A creative mindset is a huge asset in
any professional role especially for problem solving. Most industries and businesses change
constantly and so to keep up, an organization must be able to adapt its approach and find
unexpected solutions and move away from the norm. Much like adaptability, creativity is often
required to resolve unforeseen obstacles for example, the unexpected absence of a team member
might require the creative reshuffling of responsibilities or the re-envisioning of a formerly well-
structured work plan. Balancing imagination with practical limitations is paramount when
implementing creative solutions. Since finding solutions is not always straightforward, creativity
might sometimes engender experimentation. Employees and the management should be open to
new ideas from whoever they come from within the organization. Creativity can be achieved by
organizing brainstorming sessions with other workers where anyone can suggest anything they
think of, then narrow down the ideas to the most impactful, possible and relevant one.
Employees need to experiment as much as possible, then analyze the results to see if they should
double down on that initiative or iterate. Though testing out different solutions can be more time-
consuming than choosing and executing a single plan, experimentation usually produces a much
more effective result, since various outcomes have been measured and accounted for. Creativity
is important to the workplace as it helps the organization and its employees to stay ahead of the
curve. Moreover, experimentation demonstrates a high level of determination and tenacity,
which builds coworkers’ and bosses’ confidence in the employee’s professional competence.
Interpersonal skills broadly describe one’s ability to interact with coworkers, customers and
colleagues to build and maintain positive working relationships. They are the behaviors you use
every day to interact and get along with people and so underpin positive working relationships.
Strong relationships mean operations become more efficient and productive while generating
goodwill between all parties involved. Interpersonal skills are a key quality that most hiring
managers highly value in potential employees since those with strong interpersonal skills are
active listeners and have a high level of emotional intelligence and also because working with
others is an integral part of the day-to-day in nearly every industry. The major interpersonal
skills needed in the workplace are networking and negotiation. As a powerful tool that allows
professionals to exchange information and contacts, networking often generates new leads for
the company. This exchange also stimulates professional growth for the individuals involved.
Similarly, negotiation requires an ability to relate to others and understand both parties’
objectives. Negotiation skills can resolve conflict, communicate well and collaborate effectively
to maintain mutually beneficial working relationships hence finding common ground. Both these
skill sets are increasingly in high demand as businesses worldwide are becoming more and more
interconnected.
Change plays a major part in the modern-day workplace. With technology continually evolving
and constant workplace changes, having team members with adaptability skills is the key to any
successful business. Employers are now looking for people who don’t shy away from change but
embrace and adapt to it accordingly. Having effective adaptability skills can differentiate one
from other candidates, one needs to be passionate about learning new changes within their
industry and also recognise when they need to make changes.
Critical thinking and problem-solving are closely related skills, both are equally important and
considered vital skills to have by human resource practitioners when hiring new team members.
No matter the position one is in or wants to be in, businesses are looking for team members who
can analyse and make informed decisions to come up with solutions. One needs to be able to
bring new original ideas as well as come up with solutions to address existing issues faced by the
business.
Knowing how to effectively manage time at work helps to take control of the day and alleviate
the stress that can come with not knowing how to prioritize the day-to-day tasks. With the hours
in the working day, time management is a process whereby one intentionally allocates their time
productively and effectively, ensuring they achieves all their most important and urgent tasks
without having to work extended hours for the benefit of the employer, team or career. Time
management skills are important to employees as the skills help the employees prioritize what is
genuinely urgent and important, schedule their days to allocate time to the most essential tasks,
then stay committed to their plan all while retaining a level of flexibility in case priorities shift.
When human resources practitioners look for employees, they look for ones with the right skills
which are both soft skills and hard skills. Hard skills are typically learned through training or
academic learning. By hiring employees with hard skills, employers will benefit from increased
productivity, lower turnover rates and increased employee satisfaction. Hiring employees with
technical skills has an array of positive consequences, from better individual job performance to
increased company-wide innovation (Malsam.W, 2019). When employees learn new hard skills
or strengthen old capabilities, they will become more productive in their roles and hence
increased employee engagement. Plus, a highly skilled workforce only means more
organizational success down the line. Hard skills are necessary in the modern workplace
because they are imperative to organizational success that employees know how to understand
issues, analyze problems and build new solutions throughout the vast fields of technology. For
instance, for an accounting and finance department or firm, a working knowledge of Microsoft
Excel is an essential skill. Excel has become the standard for data analysis and spreadsheet
creation and businesses will continue to rely on Excel as the primary tool for diverse function
and applications. Hard skills do not always take shape in software or online programs. Some
such as the abilities to manage or lead in the workplace, seem interpersonal but have concrete
measurable effects. Possessing technical skills help employees in the workplace become
effective leaders and problem solvers thereby increasing overall job performance and
productivity.
Furthermore, another soft skill relevant when hiring employees to the organization is emotional
intelligence. Emotional intelligence is the link between emotions and performance that drives
corporate interest in the subject (Joseph et al., 2015). Human resource managers believe
emotional intelligent employees have strong situational awareness that allows them to navigate
difficult working environments while still producing positive results. Business managers expect
employees to use their interpersonal skills to demonstrate such emotions as empathy and
sympathy to unhappy clients under the norm that the customer is always right (Prentice, 2016).
Emotional intelligence is of paramount importance to the workplace environment as it facilitates
mutual conflict resolution among affected parties amid rise of industrial problems.
In addition, as businesses leverage on human capital, and individual’s aptitude to learn becomes
more important than his or her existing experience (Galabova & McKie, 2013). Companies are
hiring workers who are self-motivated and who can work independently (Wahl et al., 2012).
Lean workforces have resulted in individuals taking on more work with less time for worker
training. Individuals need to possess the skills to enable them to do the work themselves without
asking others. Thus, the focus is on the creation of a workforce with increasingly strengthened
soft skills during their career (Windsor et al., 2012).
In conclusion, it is imperative that businesses develop and implement strategies for developing
successful soft skills training programs to improve the soft skills provisions. Failure to do so has
far reaching implications in terms of negative business outcomes in this highly competitive
global work environment.
Therefore, employees should still look to improve their hard and soft skills through activities
such as leading a team or even by working on an open source project with other employees.
However, advances in technology have made tasks that require hard skills to decline making
hard skills less important in an organizational workplace.

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