The economy may be gradually slowing down, but many businesses are still hiring. Because it’s challenging to find good employees, managers find themselves in a tough position. They must decide which is more important: technical skills vs. soft skills.

Which Industries Are Emphasizing Technical Skills?

A survey produced by Business Name Generator (BNG) shows the growing competition for employees with specific technical skills. AI is driving a new gold rush mentality. Employers seek workers who possess AI-​related skills.

The verticals with the largest interest in AI-​proficient employees include the following:

• IT/​Telecoms 94%
• Finance 92%
• HR 92%
• Sales, media and marketing 89%

Technical Skills

In reviewing applications, employees may search for candidates with technical experience as an AI engineer. In that role, an individual may possess the expertise to write code and build AI models. These professionals also “help product managers and business leaders understand and adopt the technology.”

A machine learning engineer candidate may tout previous work in designing and testing algorithms. An employer may be seeking these skills so they can improve a predictive analytics model. When you’re lucky enough to find a candidate who has this experience, you may rush to hire them. And you may be willing to pay them a premium over the typical base salary for technical employees.

Premium Pay

Will paying the premium for an AI-​savvy new hire improve your bottom line? Possibly. Businesses expect their employees’ expert use of these tools will generate the following benefits.

• Improved processes and increased efficiency 21%
• Improved customer service 20%
• Generation of new ideas, products or services 18%

These are enticing outcomes, and your new AI-​related hire might get you there. But before you make the offer, remember to review another important aspect of the candidate’s skills.

Which Soft Skills Matter?

As you struggle with whether technical skills vs. soft skills matter more, check out what the experts say. “84% of surveyed employees and managers believe new employees… must possess soft skills and demonstrate this in the hiring process.”

The overwhelming agreement about the need for soft skills revealed in the BNG survey, led researchers to ask more questions. Here’s what team members say about the need for soft skills.

These skills:

• Can seriously impact a hiring decision 22%
• Are mandatory for the career track 18%
• Can help a candidate stand out 17%

As with technical skills, specific soft skills are in demand. Team members encourage the hiring managers to look for good communicators (24%). They also want to work with new hires who are good at problem-​solving (22%) and time management (19%).

Hiring managers have a different perspective. 26% want a new hire to excel in creativity.

How Can Assessments Help You Hire the Right Person?

If your job description mentions the need for specific soft skills, you’ll receive resumes matching your requirements. Candidates will claim to be outstanding at solving problems and critical thinking.

To truly understand their strengths, you should require candidates to take a psychometric assessment. These assessments will reveal where each candidate shines.

Interview Questions

With the results, you can ask the kind of interview questions that will address your biggest concerns. A candidate’s score might indicate that they struggle with solving problems. To learn more, you’ll need to ask them to outline the most significant problem they faced and how they managed.

Hypothetical Situations

As Arielle Alonso suggests, don’t be afraid to set up a hypothetical situation. Then ask the candidate for their suggestions.

For example, a candidate for a management position may not score well for motivating others. In this test, describe a scenario where at least one team member isn’t excited about completing their work on time. Ask your candidate what steps they would take to improve their team member’s motivation.

Their answers allow you to gauge their ability to problem-​solve and to work with others. You’ll also learn about their level of creative thinking as they consider ways to motivate employees.

As you contemplate which candidate to hire, there is no clear answer in the current debate regarding technical skills vs. soft skills. Each candidate is unique. But you can find the right person for your open position by using psychometric assessments and asking the right interview questions.

Photo by Christina Morillo on Pexels.