Technical Skills vs. Soft Skills: Which Are More Important as an InfoSec Professional?

“People, Not Technology, Are Key Elements of Cybersecurity,” write Ivo Ivanovs and Sintija Deruma in an ISACA Journal issue. In fact, finding candidates with the right skillsets to develop countermeasures against cyberthreats or attacks means not only finding professionals with proven technical abilities and sound knowledge in the field, but also IT practitioners with the right creative, problem-solving skills and talents to discover flaws and apply solutions to strengthen the company.

The right combination of soft and hard skills is in high demand, and job seekers are asked to showcase both in order to be considered for positions at any level. So are soft skills more important than hard skills for a cybersecurity professional? Or do technical skills still prevail?

Before
identifying required skills for any IT practitioners, it is important to point out what are the main differences between the two sets of skills. In reality, there is one main distinction: hard skills come from training, while soft skills are for the most part innate. Hard skills have to do with the knowledge a professional will build through years of studies, experience and work in the field. Although talent can always play a role in the ability to acquire, retain and apply knowledge in most complex situations, the majority of technical skills can be honed through hard work and keen interest in a subject; they can also be more easily tested and measured.

Not so for soft skills. These can be much harder to assess, as they have to do with the personality sphere, the candidate’s ability to adapt to situations and the capacity to respond to circumstances and pressure. These skills can be perfected and accentuated, but, in most cases, are related to the professional’s own personality.

Technical skills are obviously essential in order to keep up with (Read more...)

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