Soft Skills Tests: Top 8 In-Demand Soft Skills Employers Want

Recruitment and selection processes today require a broader understanding of a candidate's potential, extending beyond technical skills and qualifications. Employers are placing an increasing value on an elusive set of traits known as "soft skills". But what exactly are soft skills, and how can they be measured effectively?

In this article, we explore soft skills assessments, their measurement through personality, their advantages and limitations, and why they are often overlooked in traditional hiring processes.

Soft skills refer to non-technical skills that influence how well someone can work in an environment or with others. These skills are less tangible than technical skills, such as software proficiency or specific industry knowledge, but are often equally important in ensuring an individual’s success in a role.

Common examples of soft skills include communication, teamwork, adaptability, empathy, problem-solving, and leadership. Essentially, these skills shape how individuals approach their work, interact with colleagues, and respond to challenges.

Measuring soft skills can be challenging because they are inherently subjective and behavioural in nature. Unlike technical skills, which can be evaluated through exams, simulations, or direct demonstrations, soft skills require a more nuanced approach. The most common methods used to measure soft skills include interviews, behavioural observations, situational judgement tests, and psychometric assessments. These tools help to evaluate how a candidate will likely behave in certain scenarios and how they adapt their behaviour based on circumstances.

Many soft skills are closely related to personality traits. For example, communication skills are often linked with traits such as extraversion, empathy, and agreeableness. Similarly, traits like conscientiousness and openness to experience play a role in an individual's adaptability and problem-solving abilities. Given the strong overlap between soft skills and personality traits, psychometric personality assessments can offer valuable insights into an individual's likely behavioural tendencies and, by extension, their soft skills.

Personality tests are designed to measure stable behavioural tendencies and preferences that can indicate how an individual might engage with their work and peers. A widely used personality model in soft skills measurement is the Five-Factor Model (also known as the Big Five), which assesses traits such as openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and emotional stability.

These traits can be indicators of soft skills, for instance, extraversion can indicate effective communication and sociability, while high conscientiousness can signal dependability and reliability. While personality tests do not directly measure soft skills, they provide a framework through which employers can infer how a candidate’s traits might translate into soft skills in the workplace.

Measuring soft skills has several advantages. Firstly, it can provide a more holistic understanding of a candidate's suitability for a role, especially when interpersonal interactions or adaptability are key. Moreover, using psychometric tools can ensure consistency and objectivity in evaluating these traits, reducing biases that may occur during subjective assessments such as interviews.

Someone with a high score in agreeableness may have the potential for effective teamwork but may not necessarily demonstrate it in every scenario. Moreover, the situational context in which an individual finds themselves plays a significant role in how they express soft skills—something that tests can only approximate to a certain extent.

Soft skills are frequently overlooked because they are not as easily quantified or defined as technical skills. Hiring managers may find it easier to focus on skills that can be concretely measured, like coding ability or proficiency in a foreign language, which leads to a bias toward hard skills. Additionally, there is a perception that soft skills can be learned on the job, whereas hard skills must be acquired prior to employment. As a result, soft skills often take a back seat in initial candidate screening, even though they are crucial for long-term success and cultural fit within an organisation.

Traditionally, interviews have been the primary method for evaluating soft skills. During an interview, hiring managers attempt to gauge a candidate’s communication abilities, adaptability, problem-solving, and interpersonal skills by asking behavioural questions or posing hypothetical situations. However, relying solely on interviews for this purpose can be problematic. Interviews are inherently subjective, and assessments of soft skills can vary significantly depending on the interviewer’s biases, interpretation, or the particular context of the interview. Additionally, candidates often prepare for interviews by rehearsing responses, which can mask their genuine soft skills capabilities, resulting in a less authentic evaluation.

One highly effective way to increase the size of your applicant pool and make the most of your early careers assessments is to drop unnecessary selection criteria. Graduate programmes in particular are notorious for organisations using inherently arbitrary selection criteria to artificially reduce their applicant pool, especially by organisations that rely on unscalable selection tools. Naturally, if you only interview and sift CVs, then screening 10,000 applicants is a monumental task, and so organisations throw in arbitrary barriers to reduce the workload.

• 1. Communication: The ability to convey information clearly and effectively is crucial in nearly every job role. Employers look for candidates who can articulate ideas well, whether through verbal or written communication.
• 2. Teamwork: Collaboration is key in most modern workplaces. The ability to work well with others, respect diverse perspectives, and contribute to group projects is a highly valued skill.
• 3. Adaptability: In today’s fast-changing work environment, adaptability is essential. Employers value candidates who can adjust to new challenges, learn from experiences, and keep pace with evolving demands.
• 4. Problem-Solving: The ability to identify, assess, and solve problems efficiently is a soft skill that is directly linked to productivity. Employers are looking for individuals who can think critically and come up with effective solutions.
• 5. Time Management: Managing one’s time efficiently and prioritising tasks effectively are vital skills for handling workloads and meeting deadlines. Employers appreciate candidates who can independently organise their work and stay productive.
• 6. Emotional Intelligence: The ability to understand and manage one’s own emotions, as well as empathise with others, is known as emotional intelligence. It plays a significant role in interpersonal relationships and teamwork.
• 7. Leadership: Even if a role is not explicitly managerial, leadership qualities such as motivating others, providing direction, and taking initiative are highly valued by employers. Leadership doesn’t always mean managing people—it often involves inspiring and guiding others towards a common goal.
• 8. Creativity: Creativity is not just about artistic expression; it also includes the ability to think outside the box and innovate. Employers value candidates who can come up with new ideas, improve processes, and provide fresh perspectives.

Recruitment and selection processes today require a broader understanding of a candidate's potential, extending beyond technical skills and qualifications. Employers are placing an increasing value on an elusive set of traits known as "soft skills". In a fast-paced and increasingly interconnected work environment, the ability to navigate complex interpersonal dynamics, communicate effectively, and adapt to rapid changes is becoming crucial for success.

But what exactly are soft skills, and how can they be measured effectively? In this article, we explore soft skills assessments, their measurement through personality, their advantages and limitations, and why they are often overlooked in traditional hiring processes.

Soft skills are an essential part of a candidate's overall profile, contributing significantly to their ability to work effectively in a team, solve problems, and adapt to the demands of their role. While these skills are challenging to measure compared to technical skills, psychometric assessments, including personality tests, offer valuable tools for inferring a candidate’s soft skill potential. Despite their importance, soft skills are often overlooked in favour of hard skills, partially due to the challenges involved in their measurement and assessment.

For more information on how Test Partnership can help you streamline your selection processes and boost quality of hire, feel free to book a call with us to discuss your requirements.