Thursday, August 13, 2009

Hard Skills + Soft Skills = 60 Days

Hard skills land you the interview. Soft skills land you the job. We need both hard skills and soft skills.

Hard Skills

If you are a typical job seeker expect to be unemployed for four months. If you are out of work and have a Web technology background there is one skill that will land you a full-time assignment in half the time! What is this high-demand, high-tech skill?

  • Microsoft's .NET technology

This single finding was reported in a quarterly report issued by CareerBuilder entitled The Staffing Supply & Demand Outlook. The study included more than 5,000 hiring managers and 9,000 workers.

This finding is consistent with the latest Beantown Web research that reveals a high demand for the following fast-growing skills:

  • C#
  • Web Services
  • ASP.NET
  • SEO
  • Ajax

Soft Skills

Virtually every job description lists "excellent communication skills" as a core requirement. However, higher level soft skills are in high demand according to one survey of Boston employers:

  • Employers who say it is difficult to find "strategic thinkers" | 80%
  • Employers who say it is difficult to find candidates who can "lead and motivate" others | 75%

A press release of the 2009 Greater Boston Area Talent Markets Survey is available for review. A more detailed FREE 44-page report is also available from Camden Consulting Group.

60 Days

Few activities will alter the trajectory of your career faster than upgrading specific hard skills and soft skills. If you are a Web professional consider developing a 60-plan (a strategic plan) to incorporate ASP.NET into your skill set. If you are a professional in any discipline spend 60 minutes today identifying "strategic thinking" and "leading & motivating" examples you can point to in projects you have worked on. Employers are actively looking for these hard and soft skills.

Hard skills + soft skills = 60 days to your next opportunity.

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