Soft skills are in demand when it comes to making the right hire. These skills affect how our teams operate, and if we haven’t got the mix right then performance will start to dip. Individuals with an awareness of their own soft skills and knowledge of how to appropriately deploy them can set themselves and their teams up for success.
Although it might seem that understanding someone’s soft skills is trickier than seeing their knowledge and experience written up in black and white on a resume, it is possible to conduct a soft skills assessment. This information makes all the difference when it comes to committing to a new hire or working out a plan for development, growth, and, off the back of this work, results.
Understanding soft skills in the workplace
Soft skills are those traits we lean on in the working day that don’t specifically relate to our function, industry, or knowledge. They include:
- Problem-solving
- Teamwork
- Communication
- Critical thinking
- Leadership abilities
- Time management
- Emotional intelligence
- Organisational ability
- Creativity
Understanding our abilities in these areas, and the soft skills we see within our teams, is critical to career success.
Many soft skills influence interpersonal relationships and how leaders motivate their teams. This means it’s vital that we have a good awareness of our strengths and weaknesses in these areas. Our soft skills mark us as capable workers who bring more than expertise to the table. They are indispensable in the modern workplace where we always have to adapt, work together, and find solutions.
Several of the soft skills listed above have an impact on team dynamics. A team made up of emotionally intelligent individuals, who communicate well with each other, and are organised is going to be a more positive place to work than a group who are unaware of each other and unable to discuss effectively. With finely-tuned soft skills and an understanding of the mix of soft skill strengths across a team, individuals can collaborate more effectively leading to a positive, productive work environment. These teams are in synergy with each other.
Steps to conducting an effective soft skills assessment
To build these highly effective, synergistic teams, we need to assess the soft skills we have at play and where improvements can be made. We can do this by:
1. Identifying key soft skills for assessment
Depending on the nature of an organisation, some soft skills will be in more demand than others. Realistically, we’re not going to create a perfect team of individuals who score highly in every area. Instead, we need to identify which soft skills are most relevant to the industry and function we’re assessing for. By considering the specific challenges within these areas, and the objectives we’re aiming for, we can narrow down the list of soft skills to those which we need most.
2. Choosing the right assessment tools
With the right tools, an individual’s soft skills become apparent. 360-degree feedback creates a clear, rounded picture for the assessor, highlighting strengths and weaknesses and whether these appear in any specific scenarios. Behavioural assessments are also insightful: within 8 minutes, a behaviour assessment from Thomas provides a detailed profile of an employee or potential hire, including a breakdown of their soft skills. Behaviour assessments are invaluable before making a hire, whereas 360-degree feedback can be collected from teams at agreed intervals.
3. Implementing the assessment process
Having selected an appropriate assessment method, we need to prepare participants for what to expect during and after the assessment. We want to ensure that they are giving honest answers so we can provide constructive feedback.
4. Analysing and interpreting assessment results
Now it’s time to analyse the information we’ve gathered as part of our soft skills assessments. We can look out for any gaps within our team skill set and outline how this can be addressed - perhaps with a workshop or training. We can also look out for patterns in the data, such as an imbalance of a particular soft skill, or noting that those who scored highly for time management also scored highly for organisation. Perhaps those who tested well in critical thinking and problem-solving could mentor those who need to work on those soft skills. With these insights, we can create our roadmap for success.
Leveraging Thomas’ expertise in soft skills assessment
Thomas’ professional soft skills assessments provide detailed insights into the interpersonal dynamics of your team, identifying strengths and areas for development. We’re registered with the British Psychological Society and audited against technical criteria established by the European Federation of Psychologists Associations, so the results you’ll get are based on science you can trust.
And we don’t just disappear once we’ve helped you conduct your soft skills assessments. We can work with you to analyse your results, and use this information to create development plans for individuals and teams that are bespoke to your needs, to enhance overall performance. You - or your team - can also sign up for any of our existing training sessions.
We are committed to providing ongoing support with our readily available resource bank, including guides and white papers. There’s plenty in there to ensure the effective implementation of development plans and the continuous improvement of soft skills within your workplace.
Transforming assessment insights into action
Soft skills assessments are meaningless if we don’t put our findings into practice. We must take our learnings and formulate them into concrete actions that are specific, measurable, and realistic. Where gaps have been identified, workshops, mentoring programmes, and targeted training can be provided by Thomas.
Explore the range of services we offer at Thomas and you’ll see how we can both assess and improve the soft skills within your organisation. This work is essential for personal and business-wide growth, team cohesion, and success, especially in today’s working world where a soft skills shortage has been recognised by many leaders.
Mastering soft skills through soft skills assessments and targeted development leads to more dynamic and resilient teams - the teams your organisation needs to succeed.
