Recruiting, Selection & Retention: Interview for Intangibles & Soft Skills (PDF)

Use this instrument to assess candidates being interviewed regarding the intangibles important to your organization, including diversity. Soft skills can easily be assessed during an interview by asking the right questions and having in mind the necessary competencies and skills associated with the position for which you are interviewing. Using the ratings for responses to the questions helps an interviewing team decide which candidate is the best among several candidates, particularly when they seem very comparable in knowledge, experience and demeanor.

With this instrument, select the appropriate questions and modify them as you see fit for the position for which interviews are being conducted. We propose a 1 to 3 rating scale, but you may also use a 1 to 5 rating scale. Depending on how many categories of questions used, simply add up all of the scores, and divide them by the number of applicable categories. If there is a finer comparison among candidates needed, you can average the numbers by category especially if some categories are more important than others based on the industry, the organization and the position, and even the level of direct client/customer contact anticipated.

Interviewing categories, in addition to Diversity, include but are not limited to the following:

•  Client/Customer Care
•  Communication
•  Team Orientation
•  Organizational Skills
•  Problem-Solving Skills
•  Project-Related Skills

This PDF equips you with a structured approach to identify and evaluate the soft skills that are crucial for your organization's success. The interview framework emphasizes the significance of intangibles, allowing you to delve deeper into candidates' interpersonal abilities and cultural fit. By leveraging targeted questions and a clear rating system, you can streamline the selection process, ensuring that you not only assess technical qualifications, but also the essential traits that drive team dynamics and client relationships. The insights gained from this tool will empower your hiring team to make informed decisions that align with your strategic goals.