HIRING FOR SOFT SKILLS How do you hire employees with excellent soft skills? It can be a difficult task for two important reasons. First, most applicants can be pleasant, charming and good
communicators for 30-60 minutes, the average length of most interviews. Second, an assessment of technical skills seems to be the focus of most interviews. In order to accurately assess a candidate’s
expertise in the non-technical skills arena, the interview should focus more on an applicant’s answers to openended questions about prior experiences in the workplace. For instance: Tell me about a time you took a leadership role on a work project. Or, tell me what you did last time a co-worker came up to you to gossip about another co-worker. Or, tell me how you plan your work day. The answers to these questions will give you some insight into how applicants think, and how they approach their work. You can also create case studies that describe
actual situations applicants would encounter at your company. Ask them to describe several different ways to resolve those issues. Of course, before you begin the hiring process, you need to make sure that your position descriptions include soft skills, that these skills are given equal weight in the employee’s annual evaluation process, and that they are rewarded in the same manner that technical skills are. After all, a technically proficient workplace, that also emphasizes the importance of soft skills, will be a highly desirable workplace indeed!
Proviant Group A private wealth advisory practice of Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc.
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The Proviant Group. We’ll help you define your financial journey. 320.654.6715 | ProviantGroup.com | 1765 Roosevelt Rd., St. Cloud, MN Ameriprise Financial cannot guarantee future financial results. The Compass is a trademark of Ameriprise Financial, Inc. Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc. Member FINRA and SIPC. © 2015 Ameriprise Financial, Inc. All rights reserved.
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