If you're job hunting, it's likely you heard about hard skills and soft skills. Employers are looking for both. But do you know what they mean and which one is more important for a warehouse job?

• Hard skills, also called technical skills, refer to the job-related knowledge and abilities that employees need to perform their job duties effectively. They are typically acquired through training.
  
  
• Soft skills are general abilities, the personal qualities that help employees really thrive in the workplace. These are traits that you naturally develop as a person and can, of course, be trained and improved over time.

Usually, employers will tell you the hard and soft skills they're looking for, right in the job description. For example, the list of responsibilities or tasks to be performed in the job, are the hard skills the employer wants. If a job ad asks for candidates with "good attitude, reliability, and ability to train and retain knowledge", these are soft skills that are important for that job. 

And which skills are important for a warehouse worker?

Hard Skills

• Physical condition -  physical activities including walking, bending, stretching, stooping, squatting, reaching and lifting heavy loads.
• Machinery - using forklifts including cherry pickers, mobile carts and electric pallet jacks
• Training - safety, computer skills or previous on-the-job training 

Soft Skills

• Communication - warehouse teams are constantly updated on critical information, so having a team that can communicate well is important to keep the environment more productive, safe and efficient.
• Learn quickly - warehouses are very dynamic and fast-paced, so learning new tasks and instructions quickly is a key ability
• Teamwork - because of the job's amount of physicality and communication, it's very important that team-members support each other

How do you tell employers about your skills?

Having a good resume and a letter introducing yourself is key, don't forget to check out our tips to write a great CV and cover letter. And if you'd like to "prove" your skills to an interviewer, we suggest you ask for a letter of recommendation from a previous employer.

Ready to showcase your skills? Shiftfillers is hiring for a variety of roles in warehousing and manufacturing - check out our available positions and apply today!