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Hard Skills vs Soft Skills Employers Value

Employers look for two kinds of skills: soft skills and hard skills.

In job descriptions, employers often ask for a combination of hard and soft skills. Hard skills are related to specific technical knowledge and training while soft skills are personality traits such as leadership, communication or time management. Both types of skills are necessary to successfully perform and advance in most jobs.

What are hard skills?

A hard skill is related to specific technical knowledge and training, which is measured by a test. It doesn’t matter what job they are used for, these skills can be learned through formal education or on-the-job training. In contrast, soft skills are driven by characteristics such as leadership, communication, or time management. Soft skill is not a specific skill but is one that applies to all occupations.

Hard Skills Examples

  • Gathering Software Requirements
  • Forklift Operation
  • Marketing Skills
  • Phlebotomy
  • Financial Modeling
  • Shelf Stocking
  • IT Skills

What are soft skills?

Soft skills are character traits and interpersonal skills that characterize a person’s relationships with other people. In the workplace, soft skills are considered to be a complement to hard skills, which refer to a person’s knowledge and occupational skills.

Soft Skills Example

  • Interpersonal Skills
  • Communication
  • Collaboration
  • Problem Solving
  • Leadership

Difference between hard skills and soft skills?

Hard skills are something which you learn to adapt to a new career. example: Accounting, Engineering, Design, etc.

Soft skills are something that you learn or adapt from. the very childhood example communication, attitude, mental mindset, flexibility, etc

Out of the two hard skills can be learned through sheer will and dedication, but soft skills are a bit tricky as it is ingrained in our bio-physiology, but it can be learned through proper guidance, training and ability to observe from a distance.

During the interview process, highlight your skills

During an interview, you will demonstrate both your soft skills and your hard skills.

What Do Employers Look For?

Include your most impressive skills in your resume summary-Highlight your best relevant skills in your resume summary. Recruiters can also find evidence of your skills in the experience section of your resume. You can prove you have experience using your skills in real-world situations by providing specific examples of how you applied them in previous roles. When you demonstrate your skills in your cover letter, you stand out as genuinely qualified. Employers look for proof you’ve got the right hard and soft skills. The throng of unwashed applicants says, “I’m hard-working, energetic, and a great communicator. ”That’s like a soft drink can that says”, “Tastes Great!” It means nothing. You need to pick the exact resume skills the employer wants, then prove them. I’ll show how in a bit.

Top Growing Career Fields In 2022

You have the best chance of getting hired if you are pursuing any one of these top careers in 2022.  These are the jobs with the highest demand for hiring and the greatest increase in growth. The world is back to work and so are you! So, you need to make your steps (or should I say interviews) count.  Let’s look at the highest-paying careers that are growing the fastest and careers that will be hiring the most in 2022.

Back Office

A back-office job is where the tasks comprise manufacturing or developing the product. The ‘back office/front office’ construct can exist in a variety of industries. In finance and banking, it refers to the difference between roles in revenue-generating positions (trading & sales, investment banking, asset management etc) and roles in those areas that support and enable those activities (operations, technology, finance, compliance etc).

Information Technology

Of course IT has been a growth field for years. What’s different is that an increased focus on remote work and smartphone development has increased demand for software and app developers. Although this field has traditionally required a bachelors of science degree, companies are now recruiting people who learned to code online. So if you’re thinking about a career change and are tech orientated, you may want to consider taking some coding classes. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) The Occupational Outlook Handbook (OOH) predicts that by the end of the decade, the software development field will grow by 22% –– which means over 300,000 new jobs with a median salary over six figures. And if you tend to be introverted, software or app development is a great career choice.

 Supply Chain Management

You probably aren’t surprised to find that this is a growth field. The panic buying that began before last year’s lockdowns upended the just-in-time delivery methods that so  many retailers had long relied on. Jobs in this field include Purchasing Agent, Logistics Analyst, and Distribution Manager. Although many start out with a bachelor’s degree, top earners have graduate degrees as well. Industrial engineers are also plentiful in this supply chain management. If you are skilled with math, statistics, and engineering principles and love making systems work more efficiently, this could be the right field for you.

 Telecaller /BPO 

BPO is one of the easiest jobs to get and you get a good salary but the backdrop is experience is never counted if you are applying somewhere else. Companies having thousands of customers always require a strong customer support team to handle their customer queries, complaints, feedback providing service to their customers or solve their queries either by making a call or attending one. 

Healthcare

The COVID-19 pandemic had an outsized impact on health care workers. Some caught the virus, many became ill or even lost their lives.  After enduring a months-long onslaught of patients, studies suggest over one-third are thinking about leaving the profession. Although there has been a shortage of skilled nurses for years, the pandemic made it even worse. That’s one reason healthcare is a top field of the future.

Financial Management

Careers in this field are expected to grow by 15% over the next decade. Financial managers are hired to examine a company’s spending and income while looking for ways to maximize profitability. Fortune 500 companies often seek candidates with an MBA –– although smaller organizations hire financial managers with bachelor’s degrees too.Management consultants enjoy similar high rates of growth and high median incomes. 

Actuarial and Statistician 

Actuaries enjoy an almost 20% growth rate by the end of the decade and a median income over six figures. If you enjoy data and statistics, this could be the perfect high-growth field. Most work for insurance companies, deciding whether or not to insure a potential customer. Being able to evaluate risk is an in-demand skill. Actuaries often have a degree in actuarial science and have passed a series of licensing exams. Statisticians fulfill a similar role for companies by analyzing data and projecting future sales, profits, and obstacles to growth. Data Scientists, who help companies better utilize information, enjoy a projected 30% growth in employment by 2030.

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Top skills are suitable for any job

In each profession, regardless of whether you are an employee, representative, business person, entrepreneur, and free specialist requires various abilities, information, and involvement with the request to accomplish headway, capability, and achievement. Employability skills are the most general skills that you need in all types of jobs such skills are –

Communication skills: 

This doesn’t mean just good English speaking skills. Be able to communicate and convey your thoughts and ideas to people.

The ability to work with others: 

Very rarely will you work in isolation. Know how to work with other people, even if they are difficult to deal with. It’s tough, yes, but most jobs require collaboration and at the end of the day, work needs to get done.

Confidence: 

Can’t stress this enough. Lot of people don’t display enough confidence though they have the know-how. Confidence is a key skill many recruiters look for, as this shows the ability to work and get things done.

Positive attitude:

any career, maintaining a positive attitude (even in the most tiring of situations) will greatly benefit you. If you portray yourself as a rude, non-civil, and negative individual, chances are the career you pursue won’t be achieved.

Teamwork:

By being able to cooperate with other individuals (regardless of their background, race, gender, and such), objectives/tasks can be accomplished at a faster rate. This also guarantees that you’ll adhere to the manager’s requests, which is something every organization seeks: compliance.

Problem-solving capabilities:

Sometimes, a manager may not be present to solve an issue with a machine. At that moment, it will be up to you to correct any mistakes/errors that occur. Companies highly acknowledge individuals that are able to solve problems without assistance. This kind of behavior asserts your intelligence, independence, and attention to detail.

Willingness/need to learn:

The more you learn, the more you know. The more you know, the better you get.

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Top Interview Questions Most Common

Most candidates break out in a cold sweat at the mere thought. How do I prepare? What are they going to ask me? What should I ask them? Those are just a few of the questions that run through the mind of the average interviewee.

Tell Me About Yourself: Interviewer Favorites

If you’re the interviewer, there’s a lot you should already know: The candidate’s resume and cover letter should tell you plenty, and LinkedIn and Twitter and Facebook and Google can tell you more.

The goal of an interview is to determine whether the candidate will be outstanding in the job, and that means evaluating the skills and attitude required for that job. Does she need to be an empathetic leader? Ask about that. Does she need to take your company public? Ask about that.

If you’re the candidate, talk about why you took certain jobs. Explain why you left. Explain why you chose a certain school. Share why you decided to go to grad school. Discuss why you took a year off to backpack through Europe, and what you got out of the experience.

When you answer this question, connect the dots on your resume so the interviewer understands not just what you’ve done, but also why.

Why Do You Want to Work Here??

“I want to work here for several reasons. Having researched your company it is clear you support your employees, you have ambitious plans for the future, and you are responsible for everything you do.

I want to work for a company where I will feel proud to go to work every day, and where I will be pushed and challenged in my role because this will help me to continually develop as a person.

Finally, I want to work here because you have a track record of achievement. We spend a lot of time at work and I want that time to be put to good use with a successful organization.”

Why should we hire you?

Ans: If you hire me, it will be a great platform to showcase my skills. Whatever goals I set, I ensure to complete them within the stipulated time.

Reasons behind leaving your last job?

Ans: In order to enhance my skill set, I am looking for better opportunities.

 Why have you been unemployed for such a long time?

Ans: I enrolled myself for some advanced personality development course with some freelance work.

 Tell me your ability to work under pressure?

Ans: I keep myself calm and focus on multitasking while being patient.

 What are your expectations from the job?

Ans: Professionally advancement and good future.

 Describe your management style?

Ans: I will be constantly keeping  tab of assigned work with my subordinates and seniors, finishing the assigned job before deadlines.

 Are you a team player?

Ans: Yes, The team which I was part of have successfully completed the projects within deadlines.

 What irritates you about co-workers?

Ans: I believe in teamwork. Even if I find anything irritating, I try to avoid it unless it personally affects me.

 How long would you expect to work for us if hired?

Ans: As long as I feel challenged professionally.

 How do you see yourself 5 years from now?

Ans: I see myself in a senior position managing an important portfolio of this company.

Do you consider yourself successful?

Ans: Yes, apart from appraisals I think I have earned a bunch of good colleagues in my life.

 What is your weakness?

Ans: I concentrate on one thing at a time.

 What is your strength?

Ans: I am a quick learner and a great team player.

 What position do you prefer on a team working on a project?

Ans: It doesn’t matter till I learn something new in every project.

Do you have any question for us?

Ans: No Thanks Most of Time unless there is any genuine doubt?

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Top Online Work From Home Jobs

Whether you’re looking for a respite from your 9 to 5, are unable to commute to work, are a stay at home parent, or have some other constraint that prevents you from finding a full-time job, there’s no need to waste your earning potential.

Online teaching

Because of lockdown and growth of home schooling in India, online tutoring jobs have become very popular and there are many online tutoring websites offering assistance to students in various subjects.

If you have work experience as a teacher, work-from-home or home teaching jobs may be the best online teaching jobs for you. You can get part-time online teaching jobs from home helping kids with their homework over the internet by registering with online tutor apps and online teaching sites.

Online teaching jobs for teachers are some of the most lucrative and satisfying online jobs without investment and you can earn $30 to $50 an hour as an online tutor, teaching college students or kids who really need help with their homework.Unacademy, WhiteHat Jr, Byjus, Mentor, SkillShare, Udemy are a few popular companies offering teacher jobs

Blogging

Over the past decade, blog monetisation has gained momentum. To monetise your blog, you can sign up for Google Adsense , which will allot you ads to place on your blog. After this, it’s a waiting game to see if your account is approved. If it is, you can continue to receive ad placements and earn a steady, if not large, income from it. Adsense pays on the basis of clicks and views the ads receive.

Alternatively, you can take up affiliate marketing (promoting another seller’s products on your blog) or product sales through your blog to turn it into a money making venture. If your blog already attracts a significant amount of traffic, you could choose to enlist blog sponsors, which includes selling ad space on your blog to merchants, which offers a more stable source of income over time.

Potential earnings: Ads can pay Rs 2,000-15,000 a month for a 2”x2” space, depending on your niche and readership. Adsense earnings vary widely depending on the blogger’s reach and popularity.

Web development

Do you have some understanding of coding and web design? Then you can easily work from home as a web developer. Even if you are a novice who is interested in the job, you can find dozens of easy online tutorials that can help you get started. Web development is usually outsourced by companies, and is therefore an area where finding work should be easy.

However, keep in mind that there are plenty of freelance web developers out there who can give you a run for your money. It’s important to find your niche, build a good reputation and keep your pricing reasonable.

Potential earnings: Depending on the client and job, a single project can fetch you anywhere between Rs 20,000 and Rs 1 lakh

Data entry

If you have no real skills or qualifications, but can type on computer, you can find online data entry jobs from home without investment. It doesn’t require much skill to earn money online without investment by typing jobs from home.

To fine online data entry jobs without investment, all you need to have is a computer with an internet connection and the ability to type at least 10 words per minute.

However, there are many kinds of kind of data entry specialization for home-based data entry jobs, such as online form filling jobs, and you may have to specialize in one of them to find work-from-home data entry jobs.

Digital Marketing Jobs

With so many companies going to online, digital marketing is one of the best online “work from home” job. It requires expertise in domains SEO, social media marketing, PPC (pay per click), conversion optimization, digital analytics, content, mobile and email marketing.

If you want to learn digital marketing, you can do a free digital marketing course. But Best way to build your skills and credibility as digital marketing consultant to brand yourself online.If you learn these skills, you won’t find it difficult to start a digital marketing carrier and find a digital marketing remote job or SEO work-from-home job as an online marketing specialist.

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Growth Of Remote Working And Virtual Hiring

Traditional hiring has lost its charm amid the Covid-19 pandemic. With the sudden turbulent move, companies have shifted their hiring strategies and adopted new ways of attracting and onboarding talent. 

As millions of employees are working from home/ remotely, the work landscape has changed dramatically. The massive transformation to remote work during the pandemic raised the need for virtual recruitment and onboarding. 

Here are some intriguing remote work and virtual hiring stats amid and post-pandemic.

– Remote Work Is Good for Business

Research shows that businesses lose $600 billion a year to workplace distractions and that remote workers are 35-40% more productive than their in-office counterparts.

Among performance-based remote work statistics in 2020, 94% of surveyed employers report that company productivity has been the same (67%) or higher (27%) since employees started working from home during the pandemic.

More than 2,100 people who worked remotely during the pandemic found that 51% report being more productive working from home, and 95% say productivity has been higher or the same while working remotely.

While there are many reasons why performance has improved (in spite of the stresses of the pandemic), some of the top reasons respondents gave for their increased productivity include:

  • Fewer interruptions (68%)
  • More focused time (63%)
  • Quieter work environment (68%)
  • More comfortable workplace (66%)
  • Avoiding office politics (55%)

According to data collected through March 2021, nearly six out of 10 workers reported being more productive than they expected throughout the pandemic. On average, respondents’ productivity at home was 7% higher than they expected, and 40% of workers reported they were more productive at home during the pandemic than they had been when in the office.

Researchers hypothesize that continued remote work could increase overall worker productivity in the U.S. by 5% compared with the pre-pandemic economy.

– Remote Work Leads to Better Mental Health

For better or for worse, the work environment has a direct impact on mental and emotional health. The 10th Annual Survey found that 70% of respondents said a permanent remote job would have a considerable improvement or positive impact on their mental health. Additionally, nearly one in five (18%) said one of the biggest mistakes their company made during the pandemic was not offering mental health support.

In a survey with Mental Health America, found that respondents with flexible work options (including remote work) report better mental health. In fact, employees without access to flexible work are nearly two times more likely to have poor or very poor mental health.

Of those who have flexible work options, 48% say their work-life balance is excellent or very good, and 54% have the emotional support they need at work, compared to 36% and 45%, respectively, for respondents without flexible work.

The same survey found that more than three-quarters (76%) of respondents agree workplace stress affects their mental health, leading to depression or anxiety, and 17% strongly agree.

For 56%, having flexibility in their workday is overwhelmingly listed as the top way workplaces can better support employees. Encouraging time off and offering mental health days were tied for second and third at 43%, and 28% felt that increased PTO and better health insurance were the next best ways companies can provide support moving forward.

 Remote Workers Save Money

From skipping lunch out to not having to dry clean work clothes, remote workers save money.  estimates that people who work from home save, on average, $4,000 a year.

Respondents March-April 2021 survey ranked “cost savings” as the number two benefit of remote work (75%), second only to not having a commute (84%). Additionally, 38% estimate that they are saving at least $5,000 a year working remotely, while one out of five estimates that they save more than $200 per week, or $10,000 a year.

 Remote Work Is Environmentally-Friendly

One silver lining of the pandemic is that it necessitated human behavioral changes that have led to slowed deforestation rates, reduced air pollution, and improved water quality worldwide.

This positive environmental impact is due, in part, to the millions of people who transitioned to working from home, thereby reducing traffic congestion and air pollution from commuting.

For example, it’s estimated that when 3.9 million employees work from home at least half time, they reduce greenhouse gas emissions by the equivalent of taking more than 600,000 cars off the road for an entire year. According to one estimate, nearly 36.2 million Americans could be working remotely by 2025, reducing commuter miles by 70 to 140 billion every year.

And by making environmentally sound choices—like opting to use less paper and monitoring air-conditioning, heating, and lighting—remote workers have the same potential impact on air quality as planting an entire forest of 91 million trees.

 Remote Work Is More Favorable in Certain Areas

According to research by WalletHub, not all states are considered equal when it comes to working from home, with some having more favorable remote conditions than others.

Based on 12 metrics, Delaware, North Carolina, Georgia, New Hampshire, and Tennessee came out on top. Some of the data points that helped determine which states were most suited to remote work include:

  • Number of people working from home
  • Internet access and cost
  • Price of electricity
  • Median and average home square footage