Soft Skills vs Hard Skills

Soft skills and hard skills are two types of skills in the workplace that split into two different categories which are different in characteristics, application and importance for job performance and career success. Soft skills, often called interpersonal skills, people skills, or emotional intelligence, are all the personal attributes, personal qualities, and personal behavior that facilitate effective communication, partnership, relationship-building, and problem-solving in any social setting. Contrary to soft skills, the technical or job-specific skills and knowledge known as hard skills are obtained through education, training, and experience and are directly applicable to fulfilling specific jobs, functions, or roles within a particular industry or field of work.

Example of Soft Skills vs Hard Skills

An IT project manager requires a set of both soft skills and hard skills to successfully manage complex technology projects within their organization.  The project manager's soft skills include:

Communication: The skill of articulating the objectives of a project, requirements, progress, and expectations to stakeholders, team members, and clients through face-to-face, written, or interpersonal channels is one of them.
Leadership: The ability to motivate, inspire, and empower people to achieve targets, overcome obstacles, and show best performance through coaching, mentoring, and team building activities.
Collaboration: The ability to work harmoniously with cross-functional teams, departments and external partners in coordinating resources, resolving conflicts and aligning efforts toward a common outcome are some of the essential traits
Adaptability: The capability to adjust plans, strategies, and resources to the ongoing

In addition to soft skills, the IT project manager also possesses a range of hard skills, including:In addition to soft skills, the IT project manager also possesses a range of hard skills, including:

Project management: Skills related leading the project using project management methodologies, tools, technique and to plan, execute, monitor, and control the project timescale, budget, milestone, and risk.
Technical knowledge: Competency in IT concepts (software development, network infrastructure, etc.), systems and tools applicable to the above scope, for instance, software development, networking, database management or cybersecurity.
Risk management: Willingness to put in action the capability to identify, assess, mitigate, and monitor project risks and uncertainties to decrease the negative effects that the project may encounter to achieve expected project outputs and objectives.