Do you understand your professional value?
When shopping, many people focus on finding the best value for their money; a fair price for a good or service that is purchased. Employers do the same thing when they hire new employees. An employer will consider what wage is fair for employees who will use their skills and knowledge to perform work on behalf of the organization. Potential employees should be very aware of this! It can put them in a position where they can understand and communicate their professional value. This can maximize earning potential and allow employees to find positions that will suit their skills, interests, experience, and career goals. How can you identify your professional value? Two ways are to identify your hard skills (also called technical skills) and soft skills (also called transferable skills).
There are certain skills, hard skills, that are relevant to the job you will do for an organization and are directly related to your role. Hard skills are taught to be applied for a specific function in a job and/or used to measure success. Examples would be programming languages that a software engineer must utilize to complete projects or methods of drawing blood that a lab technician applies when assisting patients. You are not born with these skills, rather, they are taught to you through education and training methods (including professional certifications). When evaluating your professional value, what hard skills do you possess that directly relate to the jobs that interest you? Identify these skills and make sure that you feature them on your resume. Since they are hard/technical skills, they can be listed in a skills section. If you list a hard/technical skill on your resume in name only, without a designation of proficiency, an employer will assume you possess a working knowledge of it and that you can immediately apply it in the workplace.
Soft skills, also called transferable skills, are more personal in nature and not specific to particular jobs. Soft skills that employers value include leadership, the ability to work on a team, written and verbal communication, creativity, adaptability, critical thinking, and effective problem solving. These skills can be applied to various jobs and careers, and although in many cases they are not formally taught, they can be developed through training and professional practice. How can you utilize your soft skills to be successful in a job? Consider an EMS dispatcher that possesses excellent critical thinking and problem solving skills. Or, a teacher that communicates effectively with students verbally and in writing. Unlike hard skills, soft skills should not be listed on a resume without context. They should be integrated into accomplishment statements within a candidate’s experience section(s). Explain how you effectively used your soft skills to accomplish impactful tasks and goals.
Which type of skills are most important? Believe it or not, most employers I speak to tell me that soft skills are! One employer told me that employees should have a basic level of technical proficiency for jobs at his organization, but that he can teach someone a specific programing language if they have strong soft skills such as curiosity, problem-solving abilities, and adaptability. That said, look for ways to effectively develop both hard and soft skills since they are both needed in the workplace and are key elements in your professional value.
