Talent acquisition manager making selection of best candidates

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Struggling to Find Top Talent? The Truth About Talent Acquisition and Soft Skills Revealed

December 28, 2022

Kiran Kazim

Kiran Kazim

Content Writer

Are you struggling to find top talent? Do you worry that your company isn’t being as creative as it could be when it comes to talent acquisition? The truth is, having the right soft skills is essential to running a successful business.

But how do you go about finding people with these qualities? Perhaps, it’s not easy, but it is possible.

More specifically, a key part of talent acquisition is recognizing opportunity and creativity when it’s presented – and the ability to nurture them. Moreover, there are a number of ways to do that; from training programs to team-building activities and much more.

So if you’re looking to find top talent, look no further. In this blog, we will discuss the importance of soft skills in the world of talent acquisition and how it helps you bulletproof your recruitment game.

What are soft skills, and why are they valuable for talent acquisition?

A talent acquisition specialist decides on the most important soft skills for candidates.

Creativity is an invaluable asset to have these days. You don’t have to be a movie star or an artist to benefit from it either. While the idea of creativity is often associated with the arts, it’s also important in the business world. In fact, employers prize candidates who possess a range of imaginative and analytical skills known as ‘soft skills’.

So what are soft skills, and why are they so important for talent acquisition? In its most basic form, soft skills refer to any ability or attribute that helps you to interact and engage with others, build trust and relationships, and solve problems.

These skills enable you to work independently and collaboratively, manage both your own and your teams’ progress, and communicate effectively. It’s not surprising that an array of soft skills are highly sought after by employers.

Here are three reasons why soft skills are valuable for talent acquisition:

  • Soft skills are transferable

No matter what job an individual is hired for, having a good foundation of soft skills can help them transition into any role or position they’re placed in. The ability to adapt to difficult situations, collaborate effectively, follow instructions and work as part of a team are all incredibly valuable in any professional environment.

  • Soft skills show potential employers a different kind of value

Hiring managers are looking for employees who bring more than just hard skills to an organization. Soft skills are an indication of qualities like the ability to think on the fly, stay calm in stressful situations, remain organized, and manage time. Acquiring talent with an existing understanding of soft skills shows potential employers that the person can bring more than just qualifications to the table.

  • Soft skills help create a work/life balance

When it comes to getting the most out of any job, having a good sense of emotional intelligence is key. With the rise of technology and longer working hours, employees need soft skills to balance their professional and personal lives. Soft skills bring about better workplace relationships, increased job satisfaction, and improved relationships with peers and colleagues.

At the end of the day, soft skills are invaluable when it comes to talent acquisition. They are the foundation of any successful, motivated and driven business. Nurturing these skills – both in another and in ourselves – allows us to find success and build relationships that last long into a career.

How can you attract top talent through soft skills?

A talent acquisition specialist attracts top talent with great soft skills.

As talent acquisition specialists, one of the most important tasks is to attract and retain top talent. Despite providing a lucrative salary and attractive benefits, firms must recruit employees with the right soft skills.

Soft skills, such as communication, collaboration, problem-solving, adaptability, and teamwork, can make all the difference when it comes to integrating a new employee into your team. After all, there’s no use in attracting top talent unless they feel like they have a place in your organization.

So, how can you attract top talent through soft skills? It all starts with the recruitment process.

  • Start the recruitment process with an open mind

The more ethnically and culturally diverse your candidate pool is, the more likely you’ll find the perfect hire. Therefore, it’s important to look beyond the most traditional qualifications and job specifications. Think about candidates who’ve had to take a distinct alternative route for their skills or career path.

It’s also important to actively seek diversity in military and family background rather than just gender, race, and disability. Professional experiences which are often overlooked can reveal a wide range of soft skills not apparent in the standard CV.

  • Design a creative assessment process

When it comes to assessing candidates, don’t just rely on a straightforward interview. Create a multi-dimensional assessment process that draws on creative techniques such as role-plays, task-related exercises, and simulated scenarios.

These activities will help you to accurately gauge how candidates react in different situations and how their problem-solving and communication skills help contribute to the task.

  • Set up training strategies for ongoing development

Once you’ve found the right people, it’s important to provide the right environment for them to thrive. Investing in staff training to develop their soft skills will help to ensure that they reach their full potential.

Consider innovative ideas such as yoga classes and team-building activities, along with more traditional approaches such as mentoring, coaching, and skill development.

On-going training processes and support systems will also help to boost employee engagement and morale and keep top talent within your organization.

The right training and recruitment strategies can help your business find and keep the best minds in your sector. At the same time, they’ll provide the perfect opportunity to demonstrate your approach to workplace equality and inclusivity.

If you’re looking to attract top talent through soft skills, know that it can be done in a creative and successful way. Partnering with the right recruitment agency, or establishing an in-house team dedicated to soft skills training and recruitment, can be the key to building a successful and productive workforce for your organization.

How to assess candidates’ soft skills

A talent acquisition specialist assesses a candidate's soft skills.

Are you looking for a creative way to assess candidates’ soft skills in the interview process? Sure, there are the standard questions you can ask that focus on experience and skill-specific aptitude, but what if you want to get a more comprehensive look at a candidate?

When it comes to assessing soft skills, the interview process can feel like a search through the dark. But fret not! There are a few creative ways to assess a candidate’s soft skills and get an idea of how they’ll perform in your organization.

  • Start by getting to know them

Take the time to build a rapport with the candidate. Ask them about their interests and engaging questions that show that you’re genuinely interested in getting to know them. This will give you valuable insight into their personality, communication style, and work ethic prior to the official interview.

  • Look for open-ended questions

The most telling assessment of a potential hire’s soft skills comes from their answers to open-ended questions. These questions can be about their past experience or their thoughts on hypothetical scenarios. The goal is to draw out answers that show their problem-solving ability and creativity in the workplace.

  • Observe their body language

Nonverbal cues are a great way to assess a candidate’s soft skills. Is the candidate making eye contact, nodding along, and displaying other signs of engagement? Or are they struggling to stay focused and failing to provide clear, concise answers? Observing body language can provide valuable insights into how well a candidate is communicating and how they would function in the workplace.

  • Assess their leadership ability

Leadership ability is an invaluable soft skill. As you conduct the interview, don’t just look for signs of passive skills. Consider whether they display a proclivity toward leadership. Are they able to proactively offer great solutions? Do they make suggestions with ease? Are they showing any signs of resourcefulness and decision-making capabilities?

  • Review their resume properly

Most resumes provide information about a candidate’s soft skills. Look for projects that prove the individual’s ability to collaborate with fellow colleagues, their ability to manage multiple tasks and their capacity to adapt to various workplace cultures.

These are just a few creative ways to assess a candidate’s soft skills during the interview process. If you’d like to gain a more comprehensive understanding of a candidate, you could also ask them to complete a psychometric test or an emotional intelligence test. For an even more in-depth assessment, hiring a professional consultant with AI-powered solutions could be beneficial. No matter which technique you employ, use the above tips to help you determine the best hire for your team.

5 essential steps to take when onboarding employees with desired soft skills

A talent acquisition specialist onboarding new hires.

The onboarding process can be an incredibly important part of any new job. It’s the time when employees learn about the values, culture, and expectations of the workplace. While hard skills are crucial for any job – soft skills are just as important.

Soft skills encompass skills related to interpersonal communication, conflict resolution, problem-solving, decision-making, creativity, team-building, and other relevant capabilities. Hiring and onboarding employees who possess the desired soft skills can help create a cohesive, productive workplace.

So what steps should you take when you’re onboarding an employee who possesses the desired soft skills? Here are five tips to help make the process smoother.

  • Create a checklist

Having a pre-prepared checklist can help onboarding staff stay organized and on track. This can include tasks such as completing paperwork, collecting documents, and familiarizing them with the company’s policies and procedures. Doing this can help ensure that all important steps are completed and that the employee feels welcomed in their new role.

  • Offer an orientation

Offering an orientation is a great way to introduce new employees to their roles, the values of the organization, and the goals the team is working towards. Including soft skills and cultural topics during the orientation can help new employees start off on the right foot with the company.

  • Assign a mentor

Having a mentor on hand can help employees develop their soft skills and better understand the culture and values of the workplace. Mentors can help guide new employees and show them the ropes, allowing them to work more effectively within the team.

  • Utilize team-building activities

Team building activities are a great way to foster collaboration and better understand each other’s strengths and weaknesses. They can also be a fun way to help employees become familiar with each other and the culture of the workplace.

  • Offer individual and group coaching

Offering individual and group coaching sessions can help new employees develop their soft skills. This can include topics on communication, decision-making, problem-solving, negotiation, and other skill sets.

Onboarding employees with desired soft skills can be a great way to ensure that your team has the skills it needs to succeed. Implementing the steps outlined above can help ensure that your new hires fit in and start off their roles on the right foot.

Keeping it short

Finding and keeping top talent is no easy feat, but with a comprehensive talent acquisition and development plan, businesses can ensure they are finding candidates with the necessary skills to lead their organizations forward. Soft skills have become increasingly important as they provide organizations with leadership potential, emotional intelligence, and communication skills for long-term success. As the marketplace evolves, businesses need to invest in understanding the nuances of talent acquisition and soft skills to ensure they are getting the most out of the available talent pool. As a result, organizations will be able to build a thriving workforce, allowing them to navigate the ever-changing nature of the game.

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Kiran Kazim

Kiran Kazim

Turn top talent to employees fast

Hire, assess, onboard and manage top talent for every job. See how Elevatus streamlines everything; from acquire to new hire.

Request a demo