Marathon Day 1 (Soft or Hard skills)

Task 1. Fill in the gaps in the following communicative situations with the suitable words.

skills gap, hard skills, hone, sharpen, assess, thorough, invaluable, mastered

Let's _______________(1) our progress on the project so far. 
I agree, we need to make sure we're on track to meet the deadline.

Having _______________(2) in programming is essential for this job.
Definitely, we need someone who can handle complex coding tasks.

Your advice has been _______________(3) in solving this issue.
I'm glad I could help, teamwork is key in problem-solving.

I need to _______________(4) my presentation skills for the meeting tomorrow.
Practice makes perfect, keep working on it and you'll do great.

I've finally _______________(5) the art of baking sourdough bread.
That's impressive, baking is a great skill to have.

There seems to be a _______________(6) in our team for graphic design.
We should consider hiring someone with expertise in that area.

Let's do a _______________(7) review of the project before presenting it.
Agreed, we need to make sure everything is perfect.

I need to _______________(8) my negotiation skills for the upcoming deal.
Practice negotiating with a colleague to improve your skills.

Task 2. Rephrase the following sentences with the given words

complementary, downplay, interpersonal, range, assessment, adept, belittle

Example: 1. The two products are designed to work well together. 

1. The two products are complementary.

2. She tried to make the issue seem less important. 
3. Good communication skills are essential in relationships. 
4. The store offers a variety of products. 
5. The teacher evaluated the student's work. 
6. He is very skilled at playing the piano. 
7. He made her efforts seem insignificant. 

Task 3. Choose one opinion that you support and give at least two valid reasons why.

Charlie: "I strongly believe that soft skills are more important than hard skills in today’s job market. For example, I used to work in a team where everyone had great technical skills, but the project failed because we lacked communication and collaboration skills."

Katie: "I completely disagree with Charlie! Hard skills are essential for getting the job done efficiently. In my experience, having advanced programming skills allowed me to solve complex problems quickly and impress my boss."

Alex: "I'm kind of torn between the two. I think both soft and hard skills are important for different roles. For instance, as a customer service representative, I need to have good communication skills to deal with customers, but I also need product knowledge to provide accurate information."

Sophie: "I feel really passionate about this topic! Soft skills are what make us human and build connections with others. When I lost my job due to automation, it was my emotional intelligence and adaptability that helped me find a new path and start my own business."