by Blink your eyes if Shashi Tharoor comes to your mind whenever “communication skills” pop up somewhere! People often tend to confuse “communication skills” with “good command over the language”, but to break the bubble, we have a set of pins ready! (Pop)
“Gauging a candidate’s communication skills is something that is measured from the initial contact to the last contact,” says Jessica Meglio, senior recruiter at Turning the Corner, a Denver-based recruiting and career counselling firm.
A lot of graduates from prestigious universities come out with amazingly well core skills aiming for the post of Sales Executive, Business Development Personnel, Marketing Teams, Client Servicing, etc. but guess where they lack? Ah, yes, soft skills. What are soft skills?
Soft skills constitute less of technical traits and more of personality traits. It includes interpersonal skills, social skills, and emotional intelligence. During the hiring process of a company, one often considers people with such attributes to contribute towards a better working environment for all.
According to a survey held in 2017 by GMAC Corporate Recruiters Survey, employers in the hiring practices were asked to prioritize the five given skill sets required in a workplace. Without any doubt, fashion sense topped the chart.
Umm… hold on, I hope you didn’t take that seriously! So, the priority list went like, communication skills, followed by teamwork skills, technical skills, leadership skills, and managerial skills.
Considering the five top-rated skills, four of them lie under the umbrella of the communication category. While oral communication seems to be highly prioritised at healthcare/pharmaceuticals, technology, products/service, and NGOs; the listening skills are top-prioritized for the utility industry.
According to a similar survey held in 2020, which went deeper into the hiring funnel, 81% of the recruiters identify interpersonal skills as most important.
These interpersonal skills include capabilities that are the roots of compassionate and insightful leadership, such as:
- Active listening
- Social perceptiveness
- Coordination
- Persuasion and negotiation
- Time management, and
- Management of personnel resources.
It is stated that the need for soft skills will grow in demand over the next five years. Even in the hard times of pandemic (brb, crying), giving a solid thought to which skill has evolved the market, is the communication skill.
As mentioned previously, communication skill is the main component, but not the sole one.
Taking an example of a candidate, Joe. He has applied at two companies, one is a SaaS company and the other belongs to the IT sector. While the former prioritizes communication skills over technical knowledge, the latter requires just the opposite.
It becomes a task when it comes to creating a balance between the two. While focusing on the communication skill set, it is not only important to practice but to gather your weak zones and work towards them. That not only provides a direction to the goal but also emphasizes the positive effect of the effort and time that magnifies the results.
Conclusion
To the rescue, Flyvheel offers one-way video interviews with situation-based rounds. The interviews are conducted in a way that can help evaluate a candidate’s communication skills as well as the technical skills required for the destined job. As it is said, Work smart, not hard, let Flyvheel handle the wheel and sail you towards the smart road!
