Hiring for Soft Skills
Every emergency management program, at every level of government and business has to hire new people to replace those that leave for other opportunities or for expansion purposes. The typical terms used in hiring are Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSA).
Beginning in the hiring process we start to look at candidates to have the knowledge part of the equation. What is an individual’s education and work experiences. Those elements generally show up on the resume and when comparing candidates you select those who appear to have the education, knowledge and experience. Then when you move to the interview process, you start to assess the soft skills the person might have.
See the information below that I gleaned from a LinkedIn post that was shared with me. I guess I would summarize with this, hard skills and knowledge can be taught. On the other hand, soft skills come with some experience and I’d have to say that not everyone can acquire all of these skills.
What are soft skills?
Soft skills are traits that help employees succeed on the job. For example, strong interpersonal skills may indicate a candidate’s potential to interact well with others and contribute positively to the overall team. These highly transferable traits shape the way employees work on a day-to-day basis.
• Communication: Sharing and absorbing information productively, openly, and respectfully
• Teamwork: Working effectively with other team members
• Time management: Working efficiently and productively, especially when faced with deadlines and multiple priorities
• Problem-solving: Thinking critically about a problem (and working toward a solution)
• Creativity: Devising inventive, outside-the-box solutions
• Leadership: Guiding and mentoring others
• Interpersonal skills: Interacting positively with others
• Work ethic: Being dedicated to a broader mission and the work it entails
• Adaptability: Evolving with change and adjusting to new circumstances
• Attention to detail: Identifying and accounting for every last detail
