Employee skills are like a toolbox for work. Hard skills act as the tools, like a drill or a wrench. Soft skills are knowing when and how to use each tool.
Both types of employee skills are essential. But in recent years, human-based skills have become increasingly valued. LinkedIn’s Global Talent Trends report shows that 92% of hiring managers believe soft skills are just as, or even more important than hard skills.
Here, we’ll explore the nuances between hard and soft skills, knowing which ones are most in demand, and how blending both is the key to creating a solid team.
In this post:
- What are employee skills?
- Hard skills vs. soft skills: What’s the difference?
- Top 10 hard skills employees need today
- Top 10 soft skills for today’s modern office
- Skills that make a great leader
- Why AI literacy is a growing must-have
- How an LMS supports employee skill development and tracking
- Workplace skills inventory list
- FAQs
- Key takeaways
What are employee skills?
Employee skills are a person’s ability to do their job well. They include technical and interpersonal skills, which can be everything from data analysis to communication. Some of the good skills for a job span both hard and soft categories. A mix of these skills makes up highly effective employees.
Hard skills vs. soft skills: What’s the difference?
Hard skills are the nuts and bolts of a job. They’re teachable, technical abilities you pick up from training or hands-on experience. Think of things like using a CRM, or analyzing data. Hard skills tend to be more straightforward to measure, and role-specific.
Soft skills are all about how you show up and work with others. They’re less about what you do and more about how you do it. Unlike hard skills, they’re trickier to measure. These qualities often make the biggest impact on team dynamics and overall success.
Comparing hard and soft skills
| Skill type | Description | Examples |
| Hard skills | Technical, trainable, measurable | Excel, SQL, foreign languages |
| Soft skills | Interpersonal, behavioral | Teamwork, empathy, resilience |
When you blend hard and soft skills, you create employees who not only know what to do but can collaborate, adapt, and communicate while doing it. While different roles require different abilities, there’s a core set of skills to have for a job that nearly all employers are looking for.
Top 10 hard skills employees need today
Technical proficiency is a non-negotiable in today’s digital world. Even non-technical roles benefit from employees who understand data, systems, and digital tools. While the hard skills you need will vary greatly depending on your job, let’s take a look at the ten most common skills that office-based job roles require today:
- Data analysis
Being able to extract insights from data informs smarter decisions. Roles in marketing, operations, HR, and sales increasingly rely on data-driven strategies.
- Digital literacy
This includes knowing your way around productivity tools. Slack, Zoom, and CRMs have firmly found their way into most enterprises. Content management systems and basic troubleshooting with online platforms are often a part of the job.
- Using cloud-based tools
Whether it’s Google Workspace or an enterprise LMS, cloud-based systems are everywhere. Employees should understand the basics of cloud navigation, storage, and collaboration.
- Cybersecurity awareness
With the rise of phishing and data breaches, it’s important to understand the basics of cybersecurity. Being able to identify suspicious emails or use strong passwords protects both your data and the company’s reputation.
- Project management
Whether you’re leading initiatives or managing your own workload, using tools like Trello or Asana is key to productivity. Inside, you can plan, time-track, and prioritize tasks.
- SEO and digital marketing
Understanding how online content ranks and drives traffic benefits not only your marketing team, but also your entire organization. Even HR or operations can use this knowledge for recruitment, internal comms, or brand visibility.
- Financial literacy
From budgeting a team retreat to understanding P&Ls, financial know-how helps employees make cost-effective decisions.
- Technical writing and research
Clear documentation helps teams share knowledge efficiently and reduces onboarding friction for new hires.
- Software development (basic understanding)
Gaining even a surface-level understanding of how developers build digital tools empowers you to collaborate more with tech teams and help identify automation opportunities.
- Foreign language proficiency
As businesses become more global and place teams across regions, speaking a second language is invaluable. Even just understanding cultural nuances can enhance communication across markets.
These hard skills aren’t just for IT or data teams. They empower employee across a wide set of roles to work smarter, communicate better, and contribute meaningfully. Taking a blended learning approach, where instructors combine digital tools with live training, can strengthen technical and interpersonal skills.
Top 10 soft skills for today’s modern office
Soft skills are what set top performers apart. When it comes to good skills to have for a job, think beyond technical know-how. These skills can be automated or outsourced, but interpersonal and problem-solving abilities give professionals a leg up. So, what are good skills of an employee? Let’s take a look.
- Communication
It’s not just what you say, it’s how you say it. Good communicators know how to tailor their message to each audience. From client updates to Slack messages with a teammate, good communication is clear and targeted.
- Critical thinking
The ability to objectively analyze a situation, weigh pros and cons, and make sound decisions is a skill that can make a huge impact. Critical thinkers challenge assumptions and find better ways forward.
- Problem solving
Great employees don’t always wait for instructions. Instead, they identify issues and actively work to solve them. They remain solution-focused, not problem-focused.
- Adaptability and flexibility
With shifting technologies and team structures, being able to pivot is a huge asset. Adaptable employees handle change without losing productivity.
- Emotional intelligence (EQ)
EQ involves self-awareness, empathy, and the ability to manage the emotions of yourself and others. Teams with high EQ have stronger collaboration and less conflict.
- Teamwork
Even independent roles require collaboration. Employees who can work well with others across functions, geographies, and perspectives are essential. Those who can collaborate effectively also help preserve institutional knowledge. Overlooking this crucial asset is common.
- Leadership
Leadership isn’t only for managers. Anyone can lead by inspiring others, taking initiative, and owning their work.
- Time management
With the constant influx of tasks, emails, and meetings, knowing how to prioritize and deliver on time is a vital skill.
- Creativity
Creativity goes beyond designing and writing. It’s about approaching challenges in new ways and contributing fresh ideas.
- Resilience
If we’re being honest, work is stressful. Having resilient employees means they can bounce back from tough situations. Modeling this behavior is a resource you can’t buy. They become the backbone of a team and its strength.
Cultivating soft skills helps with all of the challenges HR teams face. It boosts things like engagement, productivity, and retention. Soft skills create a workplace culture where people feel seen. It’s good to keep in mind that the top five employability skills, according to most HR professionals, include communication, teamwork, problem-solving, reliability, and time management.
Skills that make a great leader
Leadership goes beyond a job title. It’s a mindset paired with competencies that allows someone to guide, motivate, and grow others. Leadership is currently evolving to meet the demands of hybrid teams, economic uncertainty, and continuous disruption.
What makes a strong modern leader?
- Strategic thinking: Leaders must connect their daily actions to long-term goals.
- Empathy: Having a deep understanding of team dynamics, individual challenges, and emotional needs fosters trust.
- Decisiveness: Making informed decisions without getting bogged down with analysis paralysis.
- Conflict resolution: Addressing conflict swiftly and constructively so that the impact is minimal.
- Vision: Communicating a clear path forward, even when outcomes are uncertain.
Strong leaders today have evolved from commanders to coaches. Think of Ted Lasso. He operated from a place of kindness with clarity and strategy while staying focused on lifting people up. Employees who exhibit these traits, regardless of their rank, help build strong teams.
Why AI literacy is a growing must-have
AI has turned the world on its head. Its integration into how we work has been swift, and it’s crucial we adapt. From writing emails to automating repetitive tasks, artificial intelligence isn’t coming; it’s here. And it’s changing the definition of being “tech-savvy.”
So, why does AI in the workplace actually matter? Because it’s here to stay. Tools like ChatGPT, Copilot, and Jasper are becoming staples. Understanding how to prompt them and use them productively is now a core skill.
Leaders are reimagining jobs as they integrate AI into the workplace. Roles that once involved manual tasks now involve supervising or partnering with AI.
A big misconception for many is that AI is just for engineers. From marketers using AI for ideation to HR teams using automation in recruiting, AI is a tool for everyone.
Since knowing how to use AI at work is now the norm, here are a few core AI skills to develop:
- Basic understanding of how AI models work.
- Prompt writing for generative tools.
- Data ethics and bias awareness.
- Comfort with automation platforms.
Working with tools is the first step. Thinking critically about how those tools shape outcomes, with the critical next move.
How an LMS supports employee skill development and tracking
Employee skills development is a must to keep a competitive advantage in your business. Doing it at scale isn’t easy. You need structure and strategy.
Having a Learning Management System (LMS) makes all the difference.
What an LMS does to help employee learning
- Personalizes learning by offering custom paths based on roles, departments, or employee goals. Features like learning path insights and advanced admin control make an enterprise LMS even more powerful.
- Conduct skills assessments to evaluate where employees excel and where they need support.
- Build a skills inventory and track competencies across your workforce to prepare for future needs. Training trackers can help you measure ROI.
- Streamline compliance and certification by automatically tracking learning milestones and renewal.
An LMS offers HR teams the ability to turn learning into a business outcome. For employees, it offers a clear path to growth.
Workplace skills inventory list
To make employee development more actionable, it helps to group skills into categories. This inventory can serve as a reference for hiring, training, and performance reviews.
Technical skills:
- Coding
- CRM usage
- Data visualization
- Financial reporting
- Cloud tools proficiency
Interpersonal skills:
- Collaboration
- Empathy
- Active listening
- Persuasion
- Negotiation
Organizational skills:
- Prioritization
- Scheduling
- Time management
- Project tracking
- Workflow optimization
Leadership skills:
- Delegation
- Coaching
- Conflict resolution
- Strategic thinking
- Motivating others
FAQs
- What are skills for a job?
Skills for a job are the abilities that help you succeed in a role. They could be technical tasks like coding or interpersonal skills like communication.
- What are 4 traits employers look for in new hires?
Employers look for new employees who are strong in communication, adaptability, reliability, and problem-solving skills.
- What are the top 7 soft skills?
Communication, teamwork, adaptability, creativity, time management, problem solving, and emotional intelligence.
Employee skills build tomorrow’s teams
What really moves teams forward is a shared foundation of skills. And these skills need to evolve with the times.
Today’s workplace demands adaptability over rigidity, emotional intelligence over credentials, and the ability to incorporate AI with a human touch. Technical know-how gets the job done, but it’s the soft skills that get people working together.
For HR leaders, take a moment to rethink how you define and develop employee skills. Whether it’s through upskilling initiatives, LMS-powered learning paths, or stronger alignment between training and strategy, focusing on employee skills will set up a stronger future.
Let this be your sign to look beyond job titles. Start building a skill-rich, people-first workplace where everyone has the tools and support they need.
Key takeaways
- Employee skills should balance technical and human skills.
- Soft skills are gaining more value.
- In-demand hard skills go beyond traditional technical skills.
- AI literacy is now an essential skill.
- Teams are depending on a foundation of adaptable, people-first skills.
