Research from McKinsey & Company found that 77% of skills people will need in the digital economy will be human soft skills. McKinsey predicts that two-thirds of all jobs will be soft-skill intensive by 2030. Of the 56 foundational skills McKinsey found to increase employability and job satisfaction, 43 are distinctly human skills.

Renata Sguario, founder and CEO of Australian-based human skills specialists, Maxme says that “McKinsey’s findings highlight why it is so important in interviews to gain candidate insights beyond just the technical skills stated on a resume.”

The following interview tricks help organisations determine if a candidate possesses the necessary human traits for success, such as self-awareness, social awareness, relationship management, creative problem-solving skills and empathy.

Six interview tips

  1. Encourage interviewees to complete an assessment like the VIA Strengths assessment in advance of the interview, then discuss their top five strengths and how they use them in everyday life.
  2. To gain insights into self-awareness, ask ‘how would your friend, family or former colleagues describe you and why?’
  3. Give the candidate a scenario where they need to resolve an issue within a team or with a client or customer and then ask them to provide solutions using alternate De Bono thinking hats.
  4. As an ice-breaker and a way to get to know the candidate better, ask them to bring to the interview an item that gives you insight into who they are outside of work. It could be a book that inspires them, a sporting item that highlights their personal interests or a photo of a significant time, place or event.
  5. Ask the candidate to describe the five key attributes that are needed in a high-functioning team.
  6. When it comes to assessing how empathic a candidate might be, ask ‘can you describe a situation where you were working with or helping someone and you disagreed with them. How did you work through the challenges and find a way to resolve the situation?’