Research by McKinsey & Company indicates that human soft skills will constitute 77% of necessary skills in the digital economy, with two-thirds of jobs becoming soft-skill intensive by 2030. Their analysis of 56 foundational skills linked to better employability and job satisfaction revealed that 43 are distinctly human attributes.

Renata Sguario, CEO of Maxme, an Australian firm specialising in human skills, emphasises the importance of looking beyond technical skills on a resume during interviews, given McKinsey's findings.

To assess a candidate's crucial human skills like self-awareness, social awareness, relationship management, creative problem-solving, and empathy, organizations can employ the following interview techniques.

 

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?’

Given the increasing importance of soft skills in the evolving job market, particularly in the digital economy, these interview strategies offer practical methods for assessing crucial human attributes beyond technical expertise. 

By incorporating assessments, probing questions, scenario-based evaluations, and personal insights, interviewers can gain a more comprehensive understanding of a candidate's self-awareness, problem-solving abilities, teamwork skills, and empathy, ultimately leading to more informed hiring decisions.