Blogpost

The importance of soft skills in the search for the best employees

March 28, 2023

In the past years, most recruiters saw soft skills as a “nice to have” yet not a must for each job. Studies pointed out the importance of soft skills at the work place but with little result. Until recently, when the global pandemic changed our job market completely. With the highest unemployment rate since the economic crisis in 2008, the job market is tight. How do you differentiate yourself when the competition is so high? Soft skills can help you to get that job, now more than ever. Read below to find out how.

Hard skills qualify, soft skills can get you the job

To find candidates that have the right skills and are meeting the job criteria is difficult. Soft skills did not weigh as an important factor to many recruiters. Hereby they wanted to avoid adding another layer of requirements. The year 2020 completely changed the way we work and communicate. Most organizations are recruiting with fewer resources, like restricted budgets. Also, the pandemic forced us to work remote which brought some challenges along. As a result, right now, a soft skill like adaptability is the best skill a candidate can have.

The requirements that recruiters have for candidates changed a lot since Covid-19. Research by Lever found that over 60% of the recruiters now assess different skills. These types of skills weren’t necessary for the job before the pandemic, but are now more a priority. These changes in type of soft skills include:

Adaptability (68%)
Communication (60%)
Technology competence (58%)
Resilience (47%)
Change management (28%)

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Thus, regardless of the type of job you are applying for, it is important to have non-technical skills. According to Indeed, soft skills are important for problem-solving and business collaborations. LinkedIn defined the top five soft skills that employers are looking for that will get you the job:

Creativity
Persuasion
Adaptability
Creativity
Emotional intelligence

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Add soft skills to your resume

Showing a recruiter that you have certain soft skills can be challenging. If recruiters only read your resume, it is important how you describe your skills. The Muse advises to quantify your hard skills. For instance, by showing an increase of product by 30% in 6 months due to your initiation of a marketing campaign. Hereby, the recruiter will acknowledge that you’re creative, entrepreneurial and motivated. Besides altering your resume, you could also show your soft skills by adding a video. Video enables you to be creative and show your technological skills. Also, how you come across on video, will give a good impression of your communication skills. A short video pitch, as an addition to your resume, could be your key to your successful application!

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With Video Intake's video software, recruiters can easily ask for a video next to the resume. Hereby, recruiters can make a better assessment of the candidate’s hard and soft skills. Are you curious how we do that? Visit our website and find out more.

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