Interpersonal skills vs Technical skills
Interpersonal skills vs Technical skills
Obviously the best case scenario is to have both. But which set do you think takes precedence over the other in a career and why?
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- Ninja
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Re: Interpersonal skills vs Technical skills
Interpersonal, naturally. Buy and large "enough" technical skill is all that's needed to do a job. Technical skill can also be practiced and honed more so than communicative skills (I think). I mean, that's the point of school. If you graduate you're probably good enough to do whatever job you're hired for, and a lot of people graduate. And that's why the unwritten second point of school is to make connections.
Ted Kooser, who is a poet and a professor now, but who worked 40 years in the insurance industry (with a bachelors in English) worked his way up to be Vice President of an entire company before he retired, and he says he owes much of that to his ability to write and communicate well with his peers. He also woke up at 4:30 am to write every day before work, so his overall tenacity could very well be a reason too.
Probably exceptions exist in extremely technical positions, like in research departments. But still, departments are made up of people, projects are of teams of people. Personal connections are always going to be important unless you're a savant.
Ted Kooser, who is a poet and a professor now, but who worked 40 years in the insurance industry (with a bachelors in English) worked his way up to be Vice President of an entire company before he retired, and he says he owes much of that to his ability to write and communicate well with his peers. He also woke up at 4:30 am to write every day before work, so his overall tenacity could very well be a reason too.
Probably exceptions exist in extremely technical positions, like in research departments. But still, departments are made up of people, projects are of teams of people. Personal connections are always going to be important unless you're a savant.
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- Gendarme
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Re: Interpersonal skills vs Technical skills
Interpersonal skill wins out
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Re: Interpersonal skills vs Technical skills
Well, it depends on your profession. I was a baker before i got asthma and technical skill was what mattered. It was a nice added bonus if you had (good) social skills, but it wasn't what got you a job. Now I'm a kindergarten nurse and social skills is what matters, not techincal skill. Though I still haven't mastered the fine art of getting the childs thumb in his mitten properly. That is probably the techically hardest part of my job.
I disagree somewhat. Communiation and social skills can be practised just as much as any technical skill, that was what my nursing school was mostly about. They aren't magical attributes you are either born with or not. Having good social skills is just a bit more vague than lets say being able to paint very skillfully. What does it mean to have good social skills? How do you know you have good social skills?
deleted_user wrote:Interpersonal, naturally. Buy and large "enough" technical skill is all that's needed to do a job. Technical skill can also be practiced and honed more so than communication skills (I think).
I disagree somewhat. Communiation and social skills can be practised just as much as any technical skill, that was what my nursing school was mostly about. They aren't magical attributes you are either born with or not. Having good social skills is just a bit more vague than lets say being able to paint very skillfully. What does it mean to have good social skills? How do you know you have good social skills?
- VooDoo_BoSs
- Dragoon
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Re: Interpersonal skills vs Technical skills
deleted_user wrote:Interpersonal, naturally. Buy and large "enough" technical skill is all that's needed to do a job. Technical skill can also be practiced and honed more so than communication skills (I think). I mean, that's the point of school. If you graduate you're probably good enough to do whatever job you're hired for, and a lot of people graduate. And that's why the unwritten second point of school is to make connections.
Ted Kooser, who is a poet and a professor now, but who worked 40 years in the insurance industry (with a bachelors in English) worked his way up to be Vice President of an entire company before he retired, and he says he owes much of that to his ability to write and communicate well with his peers. He also woke up at 4:30 am to write every day before work, so his overall tenacity could very well be a reason too.
Probably exceptions exist in extremely technical positions, like in research departments. But still, departments are made up of people, projects are of teams of people. Personal connections are always going to be important unless you're a savant.
Agreed. Technical skills are required for the entry level of your career, but invariably (often are 5 years), you will be in leadership positions where it is less about the technical aspect and more about leading teams of people beneath you to do the technical work, and building relationships with clients.
- japanesegeneral
- Lancer
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Re: Interpersonal skills vs Technical skills
Well leadership is not the only form of career you can do. You could also become an expert on some special field in which a technical skill set is much more appreciated.
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