Soft skills include the behaviors, personality traits, and interpersonal skills that often turn good employees into great ones. In healthcare, hard skills allow employees to perform the basic tasks that their role entails, but soft skills are what allow them to act as leaders, communicate effectively with clients, and come up with creative solutions to problems. Here are some key soft skills to look for when hiring.
Creativity
According to a study by LinkedIn, the most sought-after soft skill of 2020 is creativity. Unlike most hard skills, creative thinking transcends job type. No matter what the role is, creativity is always important. Creative thinkers are better at coming up with innovative ideas, thinking outside the box, and finding solutions to problems. Look for people who can invent, educate, ask good questions, are naturally curious, and problem solve.
Emotional Intelligence
Increasingly, organizations are realizing the significance of emotional intelligence. People who have emotional intelligence excel at empathy, communication, self-awareness, self-reflection, and accountability. Employees with high emotional intelligence tend to be more productive and motivated as well. Personality assessments and behavior-based interview questions can help organizations identify candidates with high levels of emotional intelligence.
Positive Attitude
Employees who bring a positive energy to the workplace are essential to long-term success. When employees are friendly, optimistic, and enthusiastic they make everyone around them feel more energized. If the candidate can stay cheerful and poised during the interview, it is a good sign. Like interviews, the workplace can be stressful. You need people on your team who are resilient and can stay positive even during the most stressful of situations.
Work Ethic
Soft skills are also important to productivity. Look for diligent employees who have strong work ethic and follow-through. Your best performers will be the ones who are punctual, organized, and focused. Look for candidates who are ambitious, independent and committed to seeing your organization succeed. These types of candidates tend to be the most productive and reliable. “Grit” is another way to describe this attribute.
Collaboration
Collaboration is another critical soft skill. Collaboration helps your team solve problems, brainstorm ideas, learn from one another, and see the big picture. You want people on your team who are open-minded, work well with others, and value alternative opinions Look for candidates who are good listeners and communicate clearly and respectfully.
The best talent isn’t necessarily the employees who have the best technical skills. Often times, soft skills make the most difference. When hiring, look for candidates who exhibit creativity, emotional intelligence, positivity, a strong work ethic, and a collaborative spirit.
