Hard skills
Hard skills are learned, job-related abilities such as preparing a payroll, writing SQL queries or using a CAD tool. They can be assessed, but so can many interpersonal and judgement skills.
A credential or CV entry can point to experience; it does not show how someone applies a skill in the role. Choose evidence that matches the work and the level expected on entry.
Define the ability in the job
A hard skill is a learned capability tied to work: reconciling accounts, writing a query, or repairing a specific machine. The useful question is what the person must be able to do on entry. The US Office of Personnel Management (OPM) describes job-knowledge tests as assessments of learned knowledge grounded in job tasks (OPM guidance). A licence or certificate is a credential; it is not the skill itself.
Ask for evidence that resembles the work
If the role involves checking payroll figures, a small anonymised reconciliation task may reveal more than asking someone to name software they have used. OPM describes work samples as tasks that mirror relevant work and recommends matching the method to competencies needed on entry (OPM work-sample guidance). If the employer plans to teach the skill after hiring, testing prior mastery may answer the wrong question.
What one task cannot show
A strong result shows performance on that task under those conditions. It does not establish every part of a person’s capability, how quickly they will learn a new tool, or how they will work with colleagues. Define the expected level before assessing and leave room for other relevant evidence.
Record what the candidate did against the skill being assessed. A rating without an observed example is harder to interpret later.