During recruitment processes, there is an increasing focus not only on rigorously assessing the technical skills of candidates but also on analyzing soft skills such as leadership predispositions, ability to work effectively in a team, and stress resilience. Over time, the significance of these soft skills has grown, as organizational success now relies not only on the technical skills of employees but also on their soft skills, encompassing various abilities facilitating efficient performance of professional duties. Wondering how to effectively verify candidates’ soft skills? Find the answer below.
What are soft skills?
People often overlook the fact that they possess unique character traits and personalities that can be incredibly useful in their daily work. Soft skills refer to a set of characteristics, attitudes, and abilities related to effective interaction, collaboration with others, and adept handling of various life and professional situations. They differ from technical skills, focusing mainly on emotional, social, and communicative aspects.
To better understand the essence of soft skills, let’s delve into their structure. They are divided into two main categories: personal skills and interpersonal skills. Personal skills primarily influence an individual’s personal development and approach to life, including traits such as strong motivation, ambition, and creativity. On the other hand, interpersonal skills involve the ability to build relationships with others, enabling individuals to easily establish connections, create positive relationships, and effectively resolve conflicts.
How to assess people’s skills?
The soft skills discussed here are challenging to verify through any certificates because they largely depend on an individual’s personality and approach to assigned tasks. This means that assessing these competencies is subjective and relies on observing behaviors and team interactions. Some fundamental methods for assessing the character traits and professional predispositions of a new team member include:
- Individual interview with a recruiter: A crucial meeting in the recruitment process, where an experienced recruiter can assess a candidate’s competencies using appropriate questions and analyzing the provided answers. However, it’s essential to note that this verification method may lack objectivity.
- Psychometric tests: Tools developed by specialists to assess various psychological aspects of individuals, such as skills, personality traits, and intellectual abilities. Employed in recruitment processes and professional selection, these tests aim to obtain objective information about candidates, covering skills, personality, cognitive abilities, professional interests, and assertiveness.
- Insight survey research: Insight analysis is an innovative solution in the market, facilitated by tools like the Vivelio survey tool. Differentiating itself from standard survey tools, Vivelio allows for examining the decision-making path of respondents and understanding the values of behavioral indexes. This tool provides recruiters with an additional layer of information that is impossible to observe using traditional survey tools, free from subjective assessment. Conducting a soft skills assessment using the Vivelio survey tool may involve hypothetical situations with multiple-choice answers and simple statements that respondents evaluate based on their personality type.
The importance of power skills in employees
With the evolution of the job market and changes in organizational structure, companies increasingly emphasize not only the technical qualifications of employees but also their interpersonal skills, attitudes, and effectiveness in teamwork. Which soft skills should HR pay attention to during recruitment? What predispositions can HR identify when assessing soft skills using the Vivelio survey tool? These include:
- Teamwork skills: Analyzing whether a candidate is open to collaboration and possesses the ability to work effectively in a team is a crucial aspect, especially during project and team-related work.
- Effective problem-solving: Examining a candidate’s reactions to challenging questions or situations allows for assessing their skills in effective problem-solving and decision-making. Possessing these skills is particularly essential in professions such as sales or customer service, where quick decision-making and effective problem-solving are critical to success.
- Stress management: Evaluating responses to various questions enables identifying how effectively a candidate copes with stress and pressure, which is especially important in a dynamic work environment.
- Confidence: The speed of responses, approach to questions, and attitude toward challenges can indicate the level of confidence in a candidate. These attributes are crucial for assessing a candidate’s readiness to cope with various situations, contribute to rapid development, and make conscious decisions and actions.
Why develop soft skills?
The significance of soft skills should not be underestimated during recruitment processes. While possessing desirable certificates or proficiency in a specific computer program is a crucial element of work, the responsibility placed on employees in managerial positions is so high that it requires a well-rounded competency base. Every workplace demands specific personality traits and psychological predispositions from its employees. Assess the level of selected competencies already during the recruitment processes. Try out the Vivelio survey tool for free.