Unicorns
ARE PEOPLE TOO.
Re-Thinking Soft and Hard Skills
Liz Abinante • @feministy
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SOFT VS. HARD
WHAT ARE SOFT AND HARD SKILLS?
Cheese by Consuelo Elo Graziola, Pillow by Yazmin Alanis, Hard Hat by André Renault, and Mountains by Cris Dobbins from The Noun Project
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SOFT VS. HARD
HIDDEN MEANINGS
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SOFT VS. HARD
A PROBLEMATIC DICHOTOMY
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POTENTIAL
ALTERNATIVE TERMS
Robot by William Hollowell and Talking by Ed Gray from The Noun Project
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REAL PEOPLE
TIPS FOR TEACHERS,
INTERVIEWERS & MANAGERS
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SOFT & HARD
A problematic dichotomy.
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WHAT ARE SOFT SKILLS?
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communication
friendliness
team building
influence
persuasion
conflict resolution
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PROJECT, TEAM, AND TASK MANAGEMENT.
communication
friendliness
team building
influence
persuasion
conflict resolution
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MANY EMPLOYERS ACTIVELY
SEEK OUT SOFT SKILLS IN
PROSPECTIVE EMPLOYEES, MAKING
THEM NEAR REQUIREMENTS
FOR SUCCESS IN THE WORKFORCE.
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BUT IF SOMETHING IS A NEAR
REQUIREMENT, WHY ARE WE
DESCRIBING IT AS “SOFT”?
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SOFT
!
EASY TO MOLD, CUT,
COMPRESS, OR FOLD; NOT
HARD OR FIRM TO THE TOUCH
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SOFT
!
HAVING A PLEASING QUALITY
INVOLVING A SUBTLE EFFECT OR
CONTRAST RATHER THAN
SHARP DEFINITION
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mushy
dim
lenient
easy goingcompassionate
subdued
silky
gentle
forgiving
tolerant
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mushy
dim
lenient
easy goingcompassionate
subdued
silky
gentle
forgiving
tolerant
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“SOFT” IMPLIES THAT IT IS
LESS IMPORTANT BY USING A
WORD THAT ALSO MEANS
THINGS LIKE “GENTLE”, “DIM”,
AND “PLEASING.”
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I AM NOT A STUFFED ANIMAL.
!
I AM NOT A CHEESE OR
A FLUFFY PILLOW
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I am a person who
likes working with
other people.
interpersonal
human
subjective psychological
personal
rational
cognitive
social
life-learned
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HARD SKILLS
!
CERTIFIED, TESTABLE, OR MEASURABLE
KNOWLEDGE AND THE ABILITY TO USE
THAT KNOWLEDGE
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quantifiable
technical
professional
academic
specialized
computational
robot
learned mechanical
book-learned
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PAIRED ALTERNATIVES
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QUANTIFIABLE
INTERPERSONAL
Calculator by Luboš Volkov from The Noun Project
SKILLS ARE MEASURABLE OR IMMEASURABLE.
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TECHNICAL
PSYCHOLOGICAL
Brain by Martha Ormiston from The Noun Project
MENTAL EFFORT IS REQUIRED FOR BOTH.
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BOOK-LEARNED
LIFE-LEARNED
GAINED THROUGH PRACTICE VS. TRAINING.
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ROBOT
HUMAN
HUMANS ARE INDIVIDUALS.
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TECHNICAL
SOCIAL
TOOLS REQUIRED FOR BOTH TYPES.
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REAL PEOPLE
Adjusting expectations and action steps.
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T PS
Alert by deadtype from The Noun Project
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TEACHERS
& MENTORS
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1
TEACH ETHICS
MODEL SOCIAL SKILLS
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2
REWARD PROGRESS
CORRECT MISSTEPS
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3
PROVIDE FEEDBACK &
CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM DURING
THEIR LEARNING PROCESS
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INTERVIEWERS
& HIRING MANAGERS
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1
ASK A LOT OF QUESTIONS
ABOUT INTERPERSONAL SKILLS AND
THEIR EXPECTATIONS FOR THE ROLE.
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SAMPLE
QUESTIONS
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WHAT ROLE DO YOU PLAY BEST ON A TEAM?
!
DESCRIBE A GOOD CODE REVIEW.
!
WHEN YOU PAIR,
DO YOU PREFER TO DRIVE OR NAVIGATE?
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WHAT LEVEL OF FEEDBACK DO YOU EXPECT FROM
YOUR MANAGER? YOUR PEERS?
!
WHAT TYPE OF FEEDBACK IS MOST VALUABLE?
!
HOW DO YOU LIKE TO WORK? ALONE? IN A PAIR?
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2
INFORM THEM OF EXPECTATIONS
AND WHY YOU VALUE
INTERPERSONAL ABILITIES.
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3
ADJUST EXPECTATIONS OF THEIR
ROLE WITHIN THE COMPANY
AND ON THEIR TEAM.
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MANAGERS
& TEAM LEADS
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THIS IS A LOT OF WORK.
BUT IT’S WORTH IT. PROMISE!
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1
COLLABORATIVELY CHANGE
JOB DESCRIPTIONS WITH HELP FROM
DIRECT REPORTS, UPPER
MANAGEMENT, AND HR.
Chameleon by Radu Luchian from The Noun Project
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2
PROVIDE TRAINING:
PAIR PROGRAMMING, FEEDBACK,
AND CODE REVIEW WORKSHOPS.
Teacher by Jaclyne Ooi from The Noun Project
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3
MAKE OPPORTUNITIES
FOR NEW LEADERS ON SMALL
PROJECTS AND FOR PAIR
PROGRAMMING TO REINFORCE
NEWLY LEARNED SKILLS.
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4
GIVE FEEDBACK FREQUENTLY
WITH REGULARITY AND
SPONTANEITY.
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IT’S EASY TO BE A UNICORN.
Unicorn by caba kosmotesto from The Noun Project
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IT’S HARD TO BE A PERSON.
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Bye !
Liz Abinante • @feministy • me@liz.codes
This slide is tan at the request of my RailsGirls Summer
of Code intern, who also picked out my outfit.