The skills employers notice most are already within your reach
Most job postings list the technical requirements loud and clear — degrees, certifications, prior work experience. But employers are also watching for something less visible: how you communicate, collaborate, and carry yourself when things get hard. These are examples of soft skills, and BYU-Pathway Worldwide can help you build them.
Hard vs. soft skills: What’s the difference?
Hard skills are technical and measurable: data analysis, bookkeeping, web development.
Soft skills are behavioral: communication, critical thinking, leadership, teamwork.
Hard skills show you can do the job. Soft skills influence how well you work with others, lead projects, and grow in your career.
Employers list hard skills in job postings, but during interviews they are quietly evaluating the other side: How does this person respond under pressure? Do they listen to direction? Do they work well with others? This is where soft skills make the difference.
Why soft skills matter more than you think
Soft skills shape how teams function, how clients feel, and how problems get solved. A technically strong employee who struggles to communicate can slow an entire team down, while someone with strong interpersonal skills can lift the people around them.
Hard and soft skills are needed across every field BYU-Pathway students enter. A student completing a certificate in medical billing and coding fundamentals needs precision and technical knowledge; they also need to communicate clearly with healthcare teams. A student studying accounting or applied business management needs to understand financial systems and build trust with clients.
While studying applied health , Demomo Matuli, a BYU-Pathway student in Virginia, USA, built the soft skills that made her knowledge useful in practice. She shared that focusing on “critical thinking, communication, and cooperation” improved her relationships with both patients and coworkers. Her technical training gave her competence, while her soft skills gave her the ability to apply it with compassion.
How to build soft skills
Developing soft skills takes time and practice. BYU-Pathway’s flexible, online learning environment can help:
- Communication: Participate in peer discussions and group work to improve!
- Critical thinking: Slow down and ask questions about how things work and how problems can be solved.
- Organization: Learn to balance life’s responsibilities — school assignments, work, family, and community — similar to the many assignments you might have at a job.
BYU-Pathway students aren’t just earning credentials in business, technology, communication, health, or family services — they are also learning to be reliable, grow from feedback, and work alongside people from different backgrounds and time zones. These are the very skills employers are looking for.
You may already be building the soft skills you need
Many students naturally develop soft skills by pursuing higher education.
Take a moment to reflect on the skills you’re already developing. You may be further along than you think! Continue looking for opportunities to practice, strengthen, and put these skills to work.
Explore online certificates and degrees that can help you gain the skills employers are looking for!