Artificial intelligence. Automation. Digital transformation. Technology is rapidly redefining business processes in every industry. But that doesn’t mean the human side work is vanishing. Rather, as technology advances, it is driving increased demand for people with exceptional soft skills. That’s why future-minded employers want to assess soft skills during the recruitment process.
To help you improve your hiring outcomes, we asked business leaders and recruiting experts to share one technique they find most effective when evaluating job candidates’ soft skills.
From incorporating behavioral interview questions to assessing civility at a post-interview meal, we think you’ll agree these suggestions are useful and are within every employer’s reach:
- Look for Soft Skill Indicators in Resumes and Interviews
- Observe Initiative and Peer-Level Communication
- Incorporate Behavioral Interview Questions
- Gain Insight by Discussing Real-Life Situations
- Tap Into Non-Work References for a Holistic View
- Escalate Interview Questions for Resilience
- Simulate Work Situations with Role Play
- Ask Candidates to Walk Through a Scenario
- Evaluate Civility in Post-Interview Lunch
For more details about these ideas and why they improve hiring outcomes, read on…
9 Ways to Assess Soft Skills in Job Candidates
1. Look for Soft Skill Indicators in Resumes and Interviews
I start by evaluating a candidate’s resume for indications of attention to detail and effective communication. The way a resume is tailored and presented can offer early insights into a candidate’s professionalism and diligence. During interviews, punctuality, professionalism, and technical proficiency — especially in virtual settings — are key indicators of soft skills like adaptability and respect for the process.
To assess specific abilities like teamwork, problem-solving, and leadership, I use targeted questions that elicit relevant examples from their experiences. Promptness and thoroughness in providing references further reveal their professional network and readiness for the role. This ensures we not only assess a candidate’s qualifications but also align their soft skills with our organizational culture.
Letticia Pierrez, Talent Acquisition Manager, Affinity Dental Management
2. Observe Initiative and Peer-Level Communication
When I’m speaking to a candidate, I always want to see their soft skills in action. Far too many candidates think that their role in the hiring process is largely passive. This may feel polite, but it usually backfires.
Simply telling me you’re a good leader is one thing. However, taking the reins and suggesting a follow-up meeting shows initiative and confidence. As a result, I’m much more likely to believe that you can bring these skills to the work floor.
Another example: Don’t be afraid to speak to me like a peer. Doing so lets me see skills like empathy and communication in action. Remember, assessing soft skills is an instinctual process. I can’t rely on your resume. I must evaluate you as a human. Give me something to work with, or I might assume these hard-to-quantify attributes are lacking.
Linn Atiyeh, CEO, Bemana
3. Incorporate Behavioral Interview Questions
It’s essential for employees to not only meet technical qualifications but also have interpersonal abilities that will help them thrive in a collaborative work environment. That’s why you’ll want to assess soft skills during the hiring process with behavioral interview questions and scenarios.
For any open role in your organization, start by determining soft skills that are crucial for success. Examples include communication, teamwork, adaptability, problem-solving, and leadership. Then, develop behavioral interview questions that require candidates to share past experiences and provide concrete examples of how they’ve demonstrated those skills in previous roles or situations.
For instance, to assess teamwork skills, you could ask candidates to share an example of a project that required them to collaborate with a diverse team to achieve a common goal. Be sure they define their role and explain how they contributed to the team’s success.
Also, encourage candidates to structure their responses using the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result). This ensures a comprehensive answer with specifics that help you gain insights into how candidates approach challenges and interact with others.
For a well-rounded perspective, you’ll also want to ensure that interviewers assess the same skills. Collaborate with your team to establish a target list and define what to look for in a response. Coach interviewers so they know how to assess soft skills effectively. This includes guidance on recognizing key behaviors, probing for additional details, and avoiding biases.
Finally, consistently document and compare responses across interviews. Use a standard form or a centralized system to ensure fairness and objectivity. Then conduct feedback sessions with interviewers to discuss and determine outcomes.
Sumit Prajapati, Recruitment Manager, Infotech Global Inc.
4. Gain Insight By Discussing Real-Life Situations
To assess soft skills in the recruitment process, it’s highly effective to present candidates with real-life situations that you or your team have previously encountered. Instead of relying on generic situational questions, provide specific examples with ample context.
Encourage candidates to share their problem-solving strategies and insights into how they would navigate similar challenges. By delving into actual scenarios, you gain valuable insights into a candidate’s ability to handle practical challenges and assess their compatibility with the organization’s culture.
Also, prompt candidates to recount similar previous experiences, if any. This gives them an opportunity to explore their learning curve, revealing their capacity for adaptation and growth. This comprehensive method not only evaluates soft skills but also uncovers a candidate’s creativity, cultural fit, and proficiency in addressing real-world issues within a professional context.
Nicola Clarke, Executive Recruitment, Kepler Search
5. Tap Into Non-Work References for a Holistic View
As a recruiter, I know soft skills are more important than ever. But as team members adopt remote work on an ongoing basis, communication failures can plague even the most carefully designed workforce. At the same time, the popularity of remote work means the hiring process often occurs mostly on a screen. This makes it harder to assess things like personality.
Non-work reference checks are one technique I use to fill this gap. In the past, asking candidates to include contact information of after-hours associates felt invasive. Now, it’s a common request.
Putting me in touch with someone on your baseball team or in your knitting group helps me understand more holistically your strengths and weaknesses as a human. Things like leadership and communication style can be evaluated more easily by speaking to a friend than a co-worker. It helps me find the perfect fit for both the candidate and the company.
Rob Reeves, CEO and President, Redfish Technology
6. Escalate Interview Questions for Resilience
Interviews are stressful by nature. It’s not easy responding to intense questions. But that’s why I repeatedly escalate the difficulty of an interview question. It’s a test. And candidates who pass that test move forward in the hiring journey.
As an interviewer, I start by assessing a candidate’s hard skills. I ask how they would solve a relevant technical problem. Then, for soft skills assessment, I keep adding “but what if…” scenarios to the question.
For instance, I extend a question by asking people what they would do if their manager interfered in the process and made a problem worse. Or I ask how they would respond if a coworker was making it more difficult to resolve the technical issue. Adding people to the equation provides valuable insight into how a candidate would realistically deal with difficult situations.
Several candidates have become frustrated and accused me of wanting to sabotage their interview. This only reinforces my faith in this technique as a way to assess candidate resilience. As long as an applicant patiently provides reasonable answers to admittedly unreasonable questions, or even ends it with a polite, “I don’t know,” they win points for soft skills.
Ben Lamarche, General Manager, Lock Search Group
7. Simulate Work Situations with Role Play
Role-play exercises are one effective best practice in assessing soft skills during hiring. This technique simulates work-related situations where candidates must act out their responses or strategies. It’s especially constructive for roles that demand high stakeholder interaction, conflict resolution, or team collaboration.
This approach lets us observe firsthand how candidates handle conflict, demonstrate empathy, and use their communication skills in real-time situations. It’s a practical, dynamic assessment method that provides deeper insight into a candidate’s interpersonal skills, adaptability, and problem-solving capabilities than traditional interview questions alone.
Nuria Requena, Talent Acquisition Manager, Spacelift
8. Ask Candidates to Walk Through a Scenario
I like talking with candidates about a real issue our company or hiring team has faced. Then, I ask them to walk through how they would handle this challenge, including which soft skills they would use, and why.
Also, I find it helpful for candidates to discuss their three strongest soft skills and share an example that illustrates when they recently applied one of those skills.
Shelly Boydston, Recruiting Manager, United Flow Technologies
9. Evaluate Civility in Post-Interview Lunch
Law firms have pioneered the post-interview lunch. This is a classic way to continue to test a candidate’s soft skills.
In a low-key lunch setting, you can learn a great deal about a candidate’s civility. Beyond that, you can learn about their conversational style. It’s often in these moments when you realize a qualified candidate’s level of self-awareness and social skills.
Trevor Ewen, COO, QBench
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