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To improve your chances of getting a job, look to expand your skills. Whether we’re talking about your technical ability, communicating with people, or your critical thinking skills, working hard to get better will ALWAYS help with your job hunt.

Hard Skills vs. Soft Skills

When it comes to job skills, they can be broken down into two types: hard skills and soft skills. Both are necessary to be successful on the job.

Although they can be listed on a resume alongside hard skills, soft skills are best shown through your actions. That can be during the interview or your first few days on the job. Being confident, adaptable, and open can make a strong impression.

Learn more in our Hard Skills vs. Soft Skills tutorial.

Miscommunication

Whether you’re speaking with a coworker or a friend, good communication is vital. Things tend to run smoother if you choose your words carefully and truly listen to others.

Learn more in our Communication Basics tutorial.

Body Language

The way you carry yourself matters. That’s because your body language affects how people see and interact with you, whether they’re a customer, co-worker, or friend.

If you’re struggling to see your own body language, ask a family member or a trusted friend to describe what they see. They might point out a few things that you’ve never noticed about yourself.

Learn more in our Body Language lesson.

Listening

When you’re in a conversation with someone, do you give them your full attention? If you’re not listening, you’re not truly part of the conversation.

If you make a point to listen closely and engage with what someone is saying, you may get a better understanding of that person. That could lead to a stronger relationship with them down the line.

Learn more in our Listening Skills lesson.

Phone Anxiety

Most people use texts, emails and social media to communicate these days. But at some point you’re going to have to make an actual phone call.

Remember: you’re just talking to another person on the other end of that phone call.

Learn more in our Phone Anxiety lesson.

Hard Skills

Hard skills are specific skills that relate to your job and are required for you to actually do your work. For example, if you're a chef, cooking would be a hard skill. Or if you're a computer programmer, coding would be an example.

Hard skills are generally learned through school, training, or previous work experience.

One of the best hard skills you can have right now is a good understanding of popular software programs like Microsoft Office.

Learn more about Word, Excel, and PowerPoint in our comprehensive tutorials.

Need more lessons?
We've got lots of tutorials on other important software programs.
Check our ALL TOPICS list.

Future Skills

While good soft and hard skills are critical for general, long-term success there are also other important "future-facing" skills that you should look to develop as well. These are skills that will continue to be in high demand in the future.

Critical Thinking and Decision Making

Critical thinking is all about looking at a situation, thinking about it, and then coming to a better understanding of it. Whether the problem is big or small, taking the time to think long and hard will help you make better judgments in the end.

We all make decisions every day, like choosing our breakfast or what we’re going to wear. But sometimes making a decision can be really hard.

Here are some strategies to help you with decision-making.

Keep in mind that Identifying the problem is the first step to making a good decision.

Learn more in our Critical Thinking and Decision-Making tutorial.

Adapting to Change

Change is always happening. Sometimes we make it happen, other times it happens to us.

Not all changes are equal, of course. But no matter how big a change may be, you get to choose how it will end up changing you.

Stress

Looking for a job is stressful. Everyday life can be extremely stressful as well. Because we live and work in an ever-changing environment, everyone experiences stress to some degree.

There are good and bad ways to cope with stress. When properly managed, stress can help you complete goals and improve the quality of your life.

Learn more in our Coping with Stress and Anger tutorial.

Lifelong Learning

There are many reasons to learn: To build job skills, develop new hobbies, or just feed your curiosity. You may even learn something about yourself in the process.

Learning something new may not sound like the most exciting way to spend your time. However, learning can be a powerful thing, as it can change the way you see the world around you.

Learn more in our Learning Tips tutorial.

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