The Real MVP of Hiring Manager In-Take Sessions
Ah, the hiring manager in-take session — a ritualistic tango between recruiters and hiring managers, where job descriptions are dissected, expectations are aligned, and occasionally, dreams are crushed. It’s like the first date of the recruitment world: filled with promise, hope, and the ever-present potential for miscommunication. Now, imagine this first date without addressing the elephant in the room: soft skills. It’s like discussing your plans for a weekend getaway without mentioning the destination. “What are the critical soft skills necessary for success in this role?” is the question that turns this tango into a well-choreographed performance.
The Mirage of Hard Skills
Let’s start with a fundamental truth: hard skills are easy. They’re the low-hanging fruit, the apples of the hiring orchard. Can you code in Python? Do you have a CPA? How many years have you spent navigating the treacherous seas of project management? These are the boxes to be ticked, the easily verifiable facts. Hard skills are the sexy, tangible metrics that can be neatly listed on a résumé, like notches on a belt.
However, focusing solely on hard skills is like judging a book by its cover — without bothering to read the back blurb. You might end up with a thriller when you really needed a self-help guide. Soft skills, on the other hand, are the plot, the character development, the reason you keep turning the pages. They’re what differentiate a good hire from a great one. And this is where the magic happens.
Why Soft Skills Matter
- Culture Fit: The Secret Sauce
Picture this: You’ve found a candidate who’s a coding wizard, a spreadsheet sorcerer, an absolute guru of granular details. But if they can’t collaborate, communicate, or adapt to your company’s culture, you’ve got a square peg in a round hole. Culture fit is the glue that holds the team together, the secret sauce that makes your company more than just a collection of desks and deadlines. Asking about soft skills helps ensure that the candidate will not only do the job but also thrive within your unique corporate ecosystem.
- Leadership and Influence: More Than a Title
Leadership isn’t just about having a corner office and a fancy title. It’s about influencing, inspiring, and guiding others — skills that are inherently soft. Whether your candidate is stepping into a managerial role or not, their ability to lead and influence will have a ripple effect on the team. Critical soft skills like empathy, active listening, and emotional intelligence transform a competent employee into a trusted leader.
- Adaptability and Problem-Solving: The Agility Factor
The business world is in a constant state of flux, and rigidity is the enemy of progress. Adaptability is the soft skill that keeps your company agile and resilient. Problem-solving, too, isn’t just about applying technical know-how; it’s about thinking creatively, managing stress, and maintaining a positive attitude in the face of adversity. These are the soft skills that keep the wheels of innovation turning.
- Communication: The Lifeline of Collaboration
Imagine a team where everyone’s an expert but no one communicates. It’s a recipe for chaos. Effective communication is the lifeline of collaboration, the bridge between ideas and execution. Soft skills like clarity, persuasion, and active listening ensure that the team isn’t just a group of individuals but a well-oiled machine working towards a common goal.
The Recruiter’s Role: A Curator of Potential
As a recruiter, your role isn’t just to fill a vacancy; it’s to curate potential. You’re not just a gatekeeper; you’re a matchmaker, a talent whisperer. By asking, “What are the critical soft skills necessary for success in this role?” you’re delving into the nuances that make a candidate truly suitable for the position. You’re uncovering the hidden gems, the subtle traits that make someone a perfect fit.
A Practical Approach: The Soft Skills Checklist
Here’s a pragmatic tip: develop a soft skills checklist for each role. This isn’t a one-size-fits-all situation. The soft skills required for a sales executive are different from those needed for a software developer. Tailor your checklist to reflect the specific demands of the role and the culture of your organization. Use this checklist as a guide during your in-take sessions to ensure that you’re capturing the full spectrum of what makes a candidate successful.
The Symphony of Skills
In the grand symphony of recruitment, hard skills might be the instruments, but soft skills are the melody. They’re the rhythm that keeps everything in harmony, the undertones that enrich the performance. By asking about critical soft skills during your in-take sessions, you’re not just filling positions; you’re building a symphony of talent, a masterpiece of human potential.
So, next time you sit down for an in-take session, don’t just tick off the hard skills. Dive deeper. Ask the question that really matters: “What are the critical soft skills necessary for success in this role?” Because in the end, it’s the soft skills that make all the difference.
Hi there, I’m Brian, and in addition to this Medium, I’m writing the proverbial (no surprise here) sequel to Talk Tech To Me. I take on the stress and strain of complex technology concepts and simplify them for the modern recruiter.
