While there was a time when most employers focused on an applicant’s hard skills, today’s job market has experienced a renewed interest in soft skills. However, many of these skills aren’t easily identified through standard job applications and interview questions. Instead, you’ll need to ask highly targeted and specific questions to your potential candidates.
Can you describe a time when you’ve been able to complete a brand new task or challenge?
This question gives you an inside look at the applicant’s flexibility, adaptability, and versatility – all of which are essential soft skills in the modern workplace. It also gives you an idea of their willingness to embrace new challenges and their ability to take responsibility for the final outcome.
Since this is a rather fundamental question, most candidates should be able to provide an answer with little thought involved. If not, their hesitation can be viewed as a clear red flag.
How have you ever used your leadership skills to solve a problem?
Leadership is one of those soft skills that can come naturally or through experience. Although it’s a little unfair to ask this question to applicants with little or no prior experience, those who are applying for managerial roles should have plenty of examples to draw from. In this case, the inability to answer will cast huge doubts over their leadership prowess.
What are the most critical aspects of your ideal job?
In today’s job market, it’s important to find candidates that match your company’s overall culture. According to recent studies, workers who can adapt to your culture will have superior job performance, lower turnover rates, and improved job satisfaction.
However, their answer must match the ideals of your current company culture. If not, you might want to move on to the next candidate.
Can you provide an example of your time management and prioritization skills?
The ability to effectively prioritize tasks and manage time is crucial in many jobs, including entry-level positions and managerial roles alike. Without these skills, an employee might find it difficult to multitask and maintain efficiency throughout the day. In extreme cases, they might show up late for shifts or miss entire days of work with little warning – both of which are huge red flags that should never be ignored.
Relying on Mega Force to Hire Candidates with Soft Skills
As you can see, there is a greater focus on soft skills than ever before. Not only do the professionals at Mega Force screen applicants for both hard and soft skills, but we use comprehensive skills testing to verify their abilities and prowess in the field. Contact us today for more information or to get started today!
