Hard skills and Soft skills：北美职场更看重后者

如果用Google 或百度搜索“中国人和印度人在硅谷”，你就会得到如下的信息：

在北美西海岸（旧金山、西雅图和温哥华），在数万家科技公司中，印度裔的中高管非常普遍，而华裔的高管非常罕见，中管也不多见。

关于这种现象（简称为“印度人和中国人现象”），有很多说法。最流行的就是所谓的“中国人不如印度人抱团”，结果造成了今天的局面。

真正的原因（实际情况）到底是什么呢？

在今天的英语课上，老师推荐了一篇文章，题目是：

9 Soft Skills，No Immigrant Should be Without

作者叫Nick Noorani，著有Arrival Survival Canada，他的职业就是帮助移民找工作。当然了，加拿大政府支付他工钱，移民们不用支付任何费用。加拿大有很多这样的非盈利组织（Non-profit）。

在硅谷拿绿卡的印度人和中国人，都属于Immigrant。

通过阅读这篇文章，再加上我多年的双边（加拿大和中国）观察，我认为造成“印度人和中国人现象”的关键原因是：

中国人的Hard skills太强，而Soft skills太弱。

印度人的Hard skills比中国人的可能稍逊风骚或略输文采，但是，印度人的Soft skills比中国人强很多。

为什么？

要理解这一点，首先要明确Hard skills和Soft skills的定义。

我们先看Hard skills的定义（以大厨为例）：

Hard skills are all the technical know-how, credentials and experience you have in your field of expertise. For example, if you’re a chef, your hard skills are your cooking skills, know-how with kitchen equipment and so on. An employer looking for an experienced chef will want to know candidates’ abilities in the kitchen, where they studied and trained, and so on.

由此可见，Hard skills可以定量考核，这是中国人的强项。中国学生的考试能力世界第一，这是毫无疑问的。

Hard skills也是中国学校根深蒂固的强项。有关部门定量考核学校，学校定量考核教师，教师定量考核学生，结果造就了学生拥有很强的Hard skills。

我们再看Soft skills的定义（以大厨为例）：

So what would the chef’s soft skills be? They are all the intangible qualities that aren’t as quantifiable. For example, how does the chef work in a team? Does he/she have good leadership skills? Is he/she organized,dependable, punctual, friendly?

When we are talking about immigrant soft skills, perhaps the most important question is can he/she communicate well in English!

我们看到，除了英语可以考核（听说读写）之外，其他的项目（team player，leadership，organized，dependable，punctual，friendly）是无法定量考核的。

如何培养学生的Soft skills，这可能是个大课题。换句话说，我们如何发展我们自己的Softskills，使Soft skills满足找到专业工作的门槛。找到工作后，如何发展Softskills，使Soft skills满足每1次晋升的门槛。

Soft skills是不是“印度人和中国人现象”的关键因素呢？

这还需要考察印度人的教育和文化背景，这又是一个大课题。

加拿大本届政府有五位亚裔部长，其中四位是印度裔，一位是阿富汗裔，没有华人。

好了，我们看看 Nick Noorani 归纳的北美职场的 9大 Soft skills：

1. Communication Skills

2. Local Language

3. Presentation Skills

4. Small Talk

5. Leadership and Initiative

6. Conflict Resolution and Negotiation

7. Accepting Constructive Criticism

8. Flexibility

9. Business Etiquette

Soft Skill #1: Communication Skills

The most important soft skill for new immigrants is communication. If English isyour second language, this can be challenging, but it can’t be stressed enough how important it is for career success to be able to not only speak, but also write clearly and persuasively.

Soft Skill #2: Local Language

While learning English is essential, to truly succeed in a corporate environment, your language skills have to evolve even more, to understand local phrases and business jargonthat’s peculiar to your trade or industry. Communicating is about more than just grammar and vocabulary.

Soft Skill #3: Presentation Skills

According to many studies, people’s #1 fear is public speaking. Death is # 2. Does that sound right? Truth is that most people hate giving presentations. As an immigrant, it can be even morenerve-wracking, particularly for those who have accentsor are still getting accustomed to Canadian workplace culture, so they often shy away from the spotlight. But, in a recent survey, senior managers rated the ability to make presentations as a top qualification for employ ability. Now this could mean a formal presentation to clients or a more casual way of presenting yourself in meetings and with colleagues. Either way, it takes confidence and lots of practice.

Soft Skill #4: Small Talk

The fourth most critical soft skill for immigrants is small talk. Are you starting to sense a theme here? Have you noticed that the first four soft skills for immigrants are all related with how we communicate? While for anon-immigrant, such things may be obvious and natural, for immigrantsit’sa little different. Small talk — or water cooler talk — may be natural for them, but that’s because it’s culturally derived. Societal norms are abig driver of small talk. And immigrants are new to Canadian culture and society, making it that much harder.

Soft Skill #5: Leadership and Initiative

The fifth soft skill — leadership and initiative — applies to anyone, be they born in Canada or not,but there are specific nuances here for immigrants.Even if you’re not naturally shy,many new comers are more hesitant in Canada than they were intheir country of origin because they feel out of place or are nervous about their language skills, sothey stay in the background.

Soft Skill #6: Conflict Resolution and Negotiation

Teamwork also comes into play when discussing the sixth soft skill — conflict resolution and negotiation.Let’s face it, put together people with different backgrounds and ideas, and you’ll eventually end up with some disagreements. It is important to learn how to disagree with acolleague or even your boss without getting emotional about it! And,if things go too far, learn to apologize.

Soft Skill #7: Accepting ConstructiveCriticism

Perhaps one of the simplest strategies for avoiding conflict is knowing when to stop fighting backand realizing there is something we can learn, bringing us to the seventh soft skill: accepting constructive criticism.

It can be difficult to hear an employer’scriticism. No one wants to hear that they’re doing a bad job or making the workplace uncomfortable. While there is a time and place where you should defend your actions and ideas, there is also a point where you should stop being defensive and really consider whether the criticism is valid.

Soft Skill #8: Flexibility

Learning and growing is a result of the seventh soft skill — accepting constructive criticism — but none of it can truly be accomplished without the eighth skill — flexibility.

Soft Skill #9: Business Etiquette

The ninth, and final, soft skill no immigrant should be without is an extension of all the learning and adapting you are already doing — it is practising Canadian business etiquette.