A majority of employers, 77 percent, believe soft skills are just as important as hard skills, according to a survey by CareerBuilder. And 16 percent of employers said soft skills are more important than hard skills when evaluating candidates for a job.

Soft skills are less tangible skills associated with one’s personality, such as a positive attitude while hard skills are skills that are learned to perform a specific job function and can be measured, such as operating a computer program.

“When companies are assessing job candidates, they’re looking for the best of both worlds: someone who is not only proficient in a particular function, but also has the right personality,” said Rosemary Haefner, vice president of human resources at CareerBuilder. “Along with responsibilities, it’s important to highlight soft skills that can give employers an idea of how quickly you can adapt and solve problems, whether you can be relied on to follow through and how effectively you can lead and motivate others.”

The top 10 most popular soft skills companies say they look for when hiring include:

1. Candidate has a strong work ethic – 73 percent
2. Candidate is dependable – 73 percent
3. Candidate has a positive attitude – 72 percent
4. Candidate is self-motivated – 66 percent
5. Candidate is team-oriented – 60 percent
6. Candidate is organized, can manage multiple priorities – 57 percent
7. Candidate works well under pressure – 57 percent
8. Candidate is an effective communicator – 56 percent
9. Candidate is flexible – 51 percent
10. Candidate is confident – 46 percent

The survey was conducted online by Harris Interactive on behalf of CareerBuilder among 2,138 hiring managers and human resource professionals. The survey was conducted between Feb. 10 and March 4, 2014.