 Technical and Soft Skills In this video, we will be highlighting the importance of a skill section when creating your online portfolio and discussing what makes a skill relevant to include. There are two types of skill sets you'll want to consider for your portfolio. Hard and Soft Skills. Hard skills are teachable skills or abilities that can be quantified and are applicable to your performance in the workplace or in your specific field or industry. Soft skills are subjective interpersonal skills that convey how effectively you relate to and interact with other people. Both types of skills are valuable to include in your portfolio. Hard skills or technical skills are typically the ones you learn in the classroom through books or other training materials or on the job. Depending on your field, relevant technical skills could include specific machinery you're able to operate, computer programs or software you're familiar with, programming languages you know, your typing speed, proficiency in a foreign language, sales or point of sale systems, banking operations, etc. It may also make sense to group your hard skills into subcategories to be more specific and organized. For example, if you're applying to a programming position, you'll want to list the specific programming languages you know, and organizing them all under one heading will prevent the reader from having to search for what they're really looking for. Soft skills, on the other hand, are subjective skills that are much harder to measure. While they are different to hard skills, they are equally as important in the workplace. They are attributes and personality traits that impact interpersonal interactions and productivity. Some examples of valuable soft skills include creativity, persuasion, collaboration, adaptability, emotional intelligence, problem-solving abilities, etc. Unlike with hard skills, it can be difficult to point to specific evidence that you possess a soft skill, so it can be a good idea to share examples of times you use these skills. This can be done by incorporating these skills into job descriptions, cover letters and job interviews. Listing your skills is important as it concisely communicates the abilities you have that can be valuable as an employee and as a human being. That being said, not every skill you possess needs to be included. Potential employers want to know why you're a strong candidate for the position, not everything you've learned over your entire professional and academic career. Make sure that each skill you list is purposeful, relevant, and not too general. Things like Microsoft Word, email, or web searching don't need to be included unless they're specifically listed on a job posting, as most employers have an expectation that everyone holds these basic skills in today's job market. The same goes for soft skills that are described too generally. For example, instead of just listing your skills as communication, creativity, and leadership, you can elaborate to provide specific examples of those skills. Listening or negotiation, critical thinking or artistic aptitude, and conflict resolution or project management. Take a look at relevant job postings and pick out some key words the employer is looking for, then elaborate on it to demonstrate what it looks like or how it relates to the industry. For example, effective communication skills could be defined as listening, empathizing, and understanding client needs. Being more specific with describing your skills shows potential employers that you have the skills the company is looking for, and will help get you hired. In the next video, we will prepare an education and certification section of the digital portfolio. We will learn how best to showcase both formal and informal education.