Soft Skills: Guide to assess behavioral skills

These skills, also called soft skills, are very important in the professional world. They help employees integrate well into a team and make it possible to contribute positively to this company. In times of hiring, it is crucial for recruiters to identify and assess these skills to guarantee harmonious collaboration and optimal performance.

Why are soft skills important?

Soft Skills play a decisive role in the professional success of employees. They include skills such as efficient communication, leadership, and adaptability. These soft skills are essential to navigate dynamic and collaborative work environments, and more generally in the world of work.

Unlike hard skills, soft skills are often more difficult to measure. But they are just as crucial to ensure successful integration and sustainable performance within the company.

The 6 large families of Soft Skills

Communication and relational

Effective communication is at the heart of professional interactions. It includes the ability to clearly express ideas, to listen actively, and to adapt its message according to the audience.

Leadership and management

Leadership implies the ability to guide and inspire a team towards achieving common objectives. A good leader knows how to effectively delegate, motivate team members, and make strategic decisions.

Adaptability and resilience

Adaptability is the ability to quickly adjust to changes and new situations. Resilience overcome obstacles and maintain high performance despite the challenges. In a constantly evolving professional environment, these skills are essential to remain competitive and relevant.

Organization and efficiency

Being well organized and effective in time management and tasks makes it possible to maximize productivity and reduce stress. Thus, the person must know how to prioritize tasks and manage their schedule optimally. By improving her personal efficiency, she can more actively support her team.

Creativity and innovation

Creativity and innovation are essential to develop new ideas and improve existing processes. A digital marketing specialist must constantly innovate to create effective advertising campaigns and attract customer attention.

Emotional intelligence

Emotional intelligence is the ability to understand and manage your own emotions as well as those of others. It promotes positive labor relationships and helps solve problems in a constructive manner.

Top 30 most sought after soft skills

Here is a list of soft skills among the most sought after by recruiters:

• Effective communication : ability to transmit clearly ideas and to actively listen to to ensure mutual understanding.
• Leadership : ability to guide and inspire a team to move forward in the same direction and achieve common goals.
• Teamwork : competence to collaborate properly with different team members to accomplish collective tasks.
• Adaptability : ability to quickly adjust to changes and new professional situations.
• Problem resolution : ability to identify, analyze and quickly resolve the challenges encountered in work.
• Time management : competence to organize and prioritize tasks to meet the imposed deadlines.
• Creativity : ability to generate innovative ideas and think in an original way to improve processes.
• Emotional intelligence : ability to understand and manage your own emotions and those of others for positive interactions.
• Critical spirit : ability to analyze situations objectively and make informed decisions.
• Empathy : competence to understand and share the feelings of others, thus promoting harmonious working relationships.
• Stress management : ability to maintain high performance even under pressure and effectively manage stress.
• Autonomy : capacity to work independently and to take initiatives without constant supervision.
• Initiative spirit : competence to propose and implement new ideas without delay of instructions.
• Flexibility : ability to adapt to changing roles and responsibilities within the company.
• Motivation : ability to remain committed and enthusiastic in achieving professional objectives.
• Spirit of collaboration : competence to work in harmony with others to achieve common goals.
• Orientation towards results : ability to focus on achieving objectives and measuring success according to the results obtained.
• Decision -making : ability to assess the options available and to make judicious decisions quickly.
• Conflict management : competence to solve disputes in a constructive manner and to maintain a positive work environment.
• Learning capacity : ability to acquire new skills and adapt to developments in the professional field.
• Reliability : quality of being trustworthy and respecting the commitments made to business and colleagues.
• Respect for deadlines : competence to complete the tasks within the time limits, thus guaranteeing the efficiency of the work.
• Analytical thought : ability to decompose complex problems and identify the deep causes to find effective solutions.
• Project management : competence to plan, execute and close projects while respecting budgets and deadlines.
• Network creation : ability to establish and maintain professional relationships beneficial for career development.
• Curiosity : constant desire to learn and discover new information and skills.
• Initiative : ability to identify opportunities and act proactively to improve processes.
• Negotiation skills : ability to discuss and achieve beneficial agreements for all parties involved.
• Attention management : competence to maintain the concentration on significant tasks despite the distractions.
• Ability to delegate : Competence to assign tasks effectively and to trust the team members to perform them.

How to assess soft skills in recruitment?

There are different methods:

• Behavioral interviews : ask the candidate how he reacted and managed certain situations of his past professional experiences.
• Psychometric tests : Use specialized tests to measure personality traits and behavioral skills.
• Role games : simulate professional scenarios to observe interpersonal skills and conflict management.
• FEEDBack of former employers : collect opinions on the candidate's soft skills with his previous employers or colleagues.
• Group assessments : organize group activities to observe the collaboration, leadership and communication of the candidate.

Evaluate the soft skills of your candidates with an artificial intelligence

Thanks to artificial intelligence, Marvin Recruiter offers advanced tools to analyze and assess the candidates' soft skills. Our SaaS software uses sophisticated algorithms to identify behavioral skills from data collected during interviews and tests. Thus, recruiters are more likely to make informed decisions. And, ultimately, to select the candidates most suited to the position and culture of the company.

By integrating Marvin recruit into your recruitment process, you benefit from a precise and objective evaluation of soft skills. This improves the quality of hires and strengthens the performance of your team.

Find out how Marvin Recruité can transform your recruitment process, via our page dedicated to HR maintenance. You can also visit the page on the features of Marvin Recruit.

FAQ: Your questions about soft skills

• What is the main objective of soft skills?

  The main objective of soft skills is to facilitate interactions and collaborations within the company. They allow employees to communicate better, to adapt to changes, and to work effectively as a team. These professional qualities thus contribute to an improved overall performance.

• What soft skills to put on a CV?

  For a CV, the skills to be discussed vary depending on the position targeted. Among the most valued are effective communication, teamwork, adaptability, problem solving, and emotional intelligence. Make sure to provide concrete examples of the application of these skills in your professional experiences.

• What are the essential soft skills tomorrow?

  Flexibility, emotional intelligence, critical thinking, adaptability, and problem solving skills will be essential. With the rapid development of technologies and work environments, these key skills will be more and more valued in the professional environment.

• How to know my soft skills?

  You can make a self-assessment by reflecting on your past experiences and how you have interacted with others. Online tools, psychometric tests, and colleagues or superiors can also help you identify them.

• How many soft skills should you put on a CV?

  It is recommended to include between 5 and 10 soft skills on your CV, depending on the relevance compared to the post. Choose those that are most aligned with job requirements. And provide for each concrete examples of their application in your professional experiences.

• What are the 4 types of skills?

  The four types of skills are:

  • Hard Skills : Technical skills and specific to a profession.
  • Soft Skills : behavioral and interpersonal skills.
  • Transferable skills : Skills applicable in different trades or sectors.
  • Specialized skills : in -depth skills in a specific field.

• What are the hard skills?

  Hard skills are technical skills and specific to a profession, such as controlling a programming language, knowledge of specific software, or professional certifications. They are generally acquired through training, professional experience, or certifications.