How Important are Soft Skills for Job Candidates?

I think think there are a few soft skills that are imperative for businesses today - especially small and medium sized businesses that have to be agile enough to thrive in competitive markets. When I entered the job market many years ago, corporations seemed to value hard skill sets and adherence to policy over workplace culture. Companies are beginning to see how they can benefit financially by adjusting their hiring policies - not only are they reaping the benefits of savvy employees instead of drones, they're better able to retain those higher performing employees. Hard skills can always be taught; having a team oriented attitude can't.

In order of importance, these soft skills are, in my opinion, crucial:

1. Good communication and conflict resolution skills. It's impossible to be an effective employee if we can't communicate well. Learning to negotiate conflict without being harsh is essential for managers, in particular, and having a good work environment is important for retaining valuable employees.

2. Flexibility. We are always learning, even if we have a PhD in our field. Having the flexibility to consider new strategies and approaches - and be able to implement them quickly - is a must-have soft skill.

3. Creativity. Being able to come up with out-of-the-box solutions to problems is what sets the good apart from the great.

I feel soft skills are equally important to hard skills - a 50/50 split. As I mentioned before, hard skills can be taught, but attitudes cannot. Having an effective team that can work together enhances productivity through better idea sharing, responsibility sharing, and communication. I think employers MUST be particular in hiring for soft skills. I've seen too many work environments spoiled by the "bad apple" in the bunch.

To test for those skills, I recommend developing scenarios to be given during the interview process to uncover those traits. These should be open ended and require more than a yes or no response. For example:

"Your boss asks you to accomplish a task in an unreasonable amount of time. What do you say? What do you do?"

"You have a coworker who is constantly dumping her work on you. What do you say? What do you do?"

"You're in a brainstorming meeting. What would you do if a coworker comes up with what you think is an extremely poor idea?"

"You've completed planning for a sales event, and your superiors ask you to make significant changes at the last minute. How does that make you feel? What would you say and do? What steps would you take to make it happen?"

Hiring managers can also use personality tests to evaluate potential employees for soft skill sets. There are many available from which to choose. These can help determine whether a particular candidate possesses the soft skills that are necessary for your work place environment.

In my work as a Stress Management Coach, I've found that the most effective employees are those who manage the stress of daily life best. If employees and candidates need to beef up their skills, training - such as seminars/webinars and coaching - are highly effective in improving soft skills. Identifying soft skills during the selection process is preferable to trying to correct problems after hiring.

If you would like to learn more about providing your employees with seminars/webinars or coaching to improve employee performance, visit my website - www.thequietzonecoaching.com - or email me directly at SusanatTheQuietZone@gmail.com.

Susan Gromatsky (Petang) is a Certified Mindful Lifestyle & Stress Management Coach, and author of The Quiet Zone - Mindful Stress Management for Everyday People.