How to Interview for Soft Skills and High Emotional Intelligence
Posted April 18th, 2017
Soft skills are those that aren’t as easily taught on the job. Things like critical thinking, creativity, and leadership are highly desirable, but not as easy to assess from a resume alone. That makes the interview incredibly important when you are interested in an applicant’s soft skills and emotional intelligence. But you’ll only find out what you want to know if you ask the right questions or provide the right prompts.
To help you evaluate a candidate’s soft skills and emotional intelligence more effectively, here’s how you need to proceed with the interview.
Ask for Examples
One of the quickest methods for evaluating soft skills and emotional intelligence is to ask for examples instead of using simple questions. Having candidates describe events, such as a time they had to handle a difficult challenge, gets them to talk about how things were handled beyond their hard skills. You’ll gain insights into their behavior and methodology, as well as indications as to how they think on the job.
You’ll also get a better grasp on their verbal skills when you ask them to walk you through an event. If you ask a yes or no question, you’ll get a yes or no answer, which provides very little insight into how they communicate. Describing a situation requires more input, letting you experience their verbal skills at a greater level.
Inquire about Relationships
If you want more insight regarding how they interact with others, have them describe their relationships with former managers, colleagues, clients, or mentors. You can follow up with prompts about times they had to collaborate or work with a team to complete a project or solve a problem.
When asked, most candidates will say they work well as part of a team or consider themselves a people person, but finding out how their professional relationships actually functioned will give you a clearer picture than asking them outright.
Discuss Failure
When things are going our way, it is easy to be at our best. But, when we are faced with failure, it can be a challenge. Having candidates describe their biggest failures on the job, how they managed it, and what they learned, can give you a lot of information about their soft skills. You can find out about their ability to persevere, solve problems, maintain their composure, and willingness to learn from their mistakes.
Talking about failure can also present a lot of red flags. For example, an interviewee who denies every failing may lack humility while a candidate that blames others for the problem may have issues with personal responsibility and self-awareness.
How to Manage the Interview
Some candidates can speak about their experiences with relative ease, presenting the kind of information you need freely. Others aren’t as comfortable, which may leave you feeling there is more to the story than they are telling. If a candidate seems to stop short, don’t jump in to fill the space with the next question. Instead, let the silence hang for a moment. When presented with silence, many interviewees will take it as a signal to elaborate and may start filling in any potential gaps without additional prompting. And, if they don’t, then that can be a reflection of some of their soft skills and emotional intelligence on its own.
If you are looking for more tips about evaluating a candidate’s soft skills or are looking or a new employee to join your team, the recruitment professionals at Bayside Solutions have the experience to help you find your ideal fit. Contact us about your hiring needs today.
