It is essential, more now than ever, to stand out as a candidate. Employers are now not only just looking for applicants who bring a wealth of technical expertise, but also have the people skills to be viable co-workers. So many of my clients have said, “we are looking for a culture fit here,” even if the candidate looked perfect on paper.

With over 15 years as a Senior Technical Recruiter, I can honestly say that both my high rate of placements as well as my loyal clientele are greatly attributed to what I call my “prep.” Here at Executive Talent Solutions (ETS), we pride ourselves on preparing our candidates for what our clients are really looking for. It always goes beyond the technical skillset and becomes a matter of the “core values” that each person brings to the table!

Identifying Key Soft Skills in the Hiring Process

So, how can one identify a candidate’s soft communication skills? It’s an unfortunate truth that someone with poor or underdeveloped soft skills can nonetheless harness enough superficial charm to convince a hiring manager they possess these attributes in spades. However, being able to put on an act in a short interview isn’t the same as using soft skills in the workplace. In these cases, the manager might not see the truth until it’s too late.

According to Forbes, these are a few of the key soft skills all employers want workers to possess:

• Empathy
• Ability to influence peers
• Curiosity and Positivity
• Humility

Apart from the right experience and qualifications, employers want workers with good soft communication skills, the ability to work well on a team, good problem-solving skills, good time management and planning skills, the ability to take criticism, and a strong work ethic. Anyone being considered for a people (versus project) management position should also possess coaching, mentoring, and influencing skills.

Asking the Right Soft Skill Interview Questions

When we consider that resumes are usually reviewed for technical skills, correctly discerning your candidate’s soft skills sounds nearly impossible. After all, 45-90 minutes (the length of the average job interview) is not a lot of time to gain real insight into a person’s true character. 

Here are ten soft skills interview questions to help you make the most of your time (as well as the candidate’s) and focus on key soft skills in the workplace.

1. Tell me about the last time you had to learn a new task. How did you go about learning it and what, if any, tools did you employ?
This question will provide some insight into the candidate’s learning agility and sense of curiosity. It may also reveal their preferred learning style and their resourcefulness when it comes to seeking assistance from others.

2. Tell me about the last time a manager rejected one of your ideas. How did you react to his/her feedback? 
Rejection is often an exercise in humility. Listen carefully for signs of resentment or hostility when they recount having their ideas shot down or criticized. It’s also important to see how they handle the aftermath of this situation. Did they become sullen and critical, or did they buy in and contribute to a positive outcome?

3. Tell me about the last time you had to stay late at work. Was that unusual for you? 
While this may seem like a straightforward question about work ethic (and it is), it also offers a glimpse of the candidate’s time management skills. Are they constantly working late to go above and beyond expectations or do they need to put in the extra work to simply meet them?

4. What tools do you use to keep yourself organized? 
There is no excuse for disorganization in today’s era of time management tools and applications. For leadership candidates, it’s important to know how they keep themselves on track because those habits will often trickle down to the rest of their team.

5. I see from your resume that you were the lead on the XYZ project. What was your greatest challenge as a leader? 
This question not only looks at time management and planning skills, but can also provide insight into the interviewee’s emotional intelligence, learning agility, coaching skills, and ability to both build consensus and manage conflict.

6. Tell me about the last project you worked on where you were made to understand you could not fail. What steps did you take to ensure success? 
Handling problems as they emerge is one thing, but laying out a strategic and visionary plan for success from the start is quite another. This question forces candidates to consider whether they have the ability to translate big picture goals into short-term objectives and get their team on board with a “can’t fail” agenda.

7. Tell me about your biggest work failure. What did you learn? 
The most successful leaders are always learning. Resilience is among the key soft skills that organizations want leaders to trickle down into their teams. Finding out how people respond to setbacks is a good indication of whether or not they will bounce back from disappointments and frustrations in the future.

8. Tell me about the last time you were asked to do something that violated your personal code of ethics. 
Integrity matters in any organization. Will the candidate go along with the crowd when asked to cross a line or will they take a stand and make the case for doing the right thing? While the latter type of employee may spark the occasional conflict, those conversations almost always benefit the organization in the long run by steering it clear of ethically dubious decisions.

9. Have you ever had to fire someone? Why? 
Dismissing an employee is a difficult situation, even if the person is being let go for justifiable (and documented) cause. The potential for conflict is high and if handled incorrectly, the situation could expose the company to liability. Leaders with good soft skills should have an idea of how to handle those conversations.

10. How do you stay on top of developments/trends in your field? 
The best employees and leaders are always learning. Ideally, their desire to learn should be contagious, encouraging the people around them to level up professionally and grow personally. For leaders or managers, there should also be an incentive to learn new things to pass on to the rest of their team.

Closing Thoughts

Keep in mind that as the candidate is answering the questions, you’ll get the opportunity to assess his or her communication skills and style. While your gut reaction is rarely a perfect judge, you should be able to see if the candidate is able to communicate comfortably and effectively. For a deeper understanding, you should consider using soft skills assessment tools during the interview process. These tests provide information in a more controlled environment, which helps you to assess their soft communication skills without the potential bias that comes along with an in-person interview.

Soft skill development should be a major component of every employee development plan. The ability to communicate effectively and build strong working relationships is incredibly important for success in any organization. While it’s important to target candidates who possess key soft skills during the hiring process, continuing to develop those skills will help make them even more successful in the future.

Reference: “Your New Employee Lied on His Resume. Now What?” (omnia.com) 

With so many of us working from home and looking for work, now is an excellent time to finally sit down and update that tired and out-of-date resume! It is a daunting task, but one that will pay you back tenfold!

It is a competitive job market so it’s more important than ever before to make your resume stand out from the rest. With over 15+ years in the recruiting industry, I pride myself on both my coaching and resume writing skills—and I welcome candidates to reach out.  Together we can put together something fresh to launch a successful job search!

In the meantime, here are 3 tips for ensuring that your resume is current and competitive.

Cut it down

If you’re a recent college graduate, that’s fine; you need to show all the experience you can. But most of us are five, ten, or more years out of university, and it’s time to remove some of our oldest experience. It might be difficult, but recruiters no longer care about your three-month internship in the summer after your graduation. Remove everything that doesn’t add value to your abilities.

Choose the most important responsibilities and skills and focus on these. If you have a small essay under each job or even more than three bullet points, it’s probably too long.

Modernize it

In this day and age, the first “person” to read your resume will not actually be a person. That’s right, corporate job listings receive around 250 resumes for each opening, and rather than having a team read through each one they are first screened by an artificial intelligence algorithm.

So what does this mean for us?

Most importantly, you must change your resume for each different job you are applying for. Look at the job listing and focus on the attributes they are looking for. Choose your abilities and tasks that best align with the company’s values.

Also, keep your language direct and simple. Basically, AI uses natural language processing, so your resume should sound natural when you read it out loud. Of course, be extra sure to avoid spelling and grammar mistakes.

Make it pleasant to look at—and easy to read.

So you get past the algorithm and that means the first human will look closely at your entire resume, right? Probably not. Depending on who you ask, HR professionals may look at your resume for as little as 6 seconds! Therefore, it’s important to make sure your resume has a nice design and that the most important information is easy to find.

Hiring managers are looking for your personal information, work history, and job titles so make sure these parts are clear. Don’t be afraid to use different colors or fonts to create contrast. But don’t make it too crazy. Also, know the company you’re applying for. Graphic designer jobs may merit more colorful designs but an old law firm requires a more traditional resume.