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The best interview questions to assess soft skills and cultural fit

The process of hiring an employee goes far beyond picking the individual with the best CV. While someone may look fantastic on paper, the interview can guarantee that they are the right person for the job. Not only does the candidate you hire need the correct technical skills for the job, but they also need the personal qualities to fit in with your organisation’s culture and succeed in their role.

The process of hiring an employee goes far beyond picking the individual with the best CV. While someone may look fantastic on paper, the interview can guarantee that they are the right person for the job. Not only does the candidate you hire need the correct technical skills for the job, but they also need the personal qualities to fit in with your organisation’s culture and succeed in their role.

What are soft skills, and why are they important?

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Soft skills are non-technical skills related to working, including interacting with colleagues or clients, problem-solving, and time management. To sum it up, soft skills are core skills applicable to all professions. These are personal characteristics required for success at work. Soft skills are often self- developed. Soft skills can be hard to measure, but they are vital for job success. These skills can be difficult to teach, so hiring candidates with solid soft skills allows you to then focus on the vital practical skills they’ll need for the specific role and provide them with the opportunity to grow into future leadership roles within the company.

Having an understanding of the soft skills necessary for the job will make it much easier for you to choose the right candidate. For example, when hiring for a client-facing role, you will want someone approachable and friendly rather than shy and reserved. On the other hand, if the job involves working on a solitary basis most of the time, someone who gravitates towards a sociable and lively atmosphere may not be a great fit.

Why does cultural fit matter?

Every company has a set of values, attitudes, and behaviours that its employees embrace, and this culture aims to unite employees with a shared vision. The hiring process can help determine if a particular individual embodies the values necessary to your company and offers their own characteristics to help it flourish.

Balancing skills and cultural fit

You’ll rarely find a candidate who ticks every box on your list, and it’s vital for you, as the hiring manager, to determine what skills an employee can develop and what cultural traits can be encouraged. Candidates can develop and improve their skills in a particular area, such as their technical skills, with proper training. Still, areas like fundamental differences in values could be detrimental in the long term.

Assessing candidates for soft skills

Candidates with strong interpersonal skills are highly sought after by employers. For many employers, soft skills are even more important than technical skills, as soft skills are a combination of personality traits and acquired skills. However, many managers find it difficult to assess these skills in candidates. A well-developed interview process with the right questions can help you find candidates with the required skills and identify any red flags.

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The most in-demand soft skills for workers are:

  • Communication
  • Leadership
  • Time management
  • Adaptability
  • Emotional intelligence
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Interview questions to assess soft skills

Here are some examples of questions that assess specific soft skills:

Communication

  • How would you explain a complex topic to someone with less technical knowledge than you?
  • Describe when you successfully persuaded a manager to consider your opinion and advice.

Leadership

  • Describe a time when you had to take the lead during a challenging project. What was the outcome?
  • How would you motivate a team member struggling with a task?

Time management

  • How did you prioritise your work when you have multiple deadlines?
  • How do you go about ensuring you meet your objectives?

Adaptability

  • How would you deal with a project where the priorities change mid-way through?
  • Describe how you would ensure that you completed a project on time when a team member could not complete their share of the work for some reason?

How a candidate answers questions like these can give you an insight into how they work and the methods they use to communicate effectively with colleagues and customers.

Assessing Candidates for Cultural Fit

The interview process can help determine whether a candidate will fit in with and enhance your company’s values. To do that, you first need to clearly understand what ’fitting in’ with your company culture entails.

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Ask yourself these questions to understand your company culture:

  • What are the company’s values? E.g. The customer is always right; respect your colleagues.
  • How are these values embodied in operational norms? E.g. Managers will help when trouble arises; there’s a focus on constructive feedback.
  • How are these norms applied to routines? E.g. Thorough onboarding processes; regular employee training

Interview Questions to Assess Cultural Fit

Here are some questions that can help you determine if a candidate is likely to fit in with your company culture:

  • Describe the kind of work environment in which you feel the most productive and happy.
  • What gets you excited about going to work?
  • How would your colleagues at your previous job describe working with you?
  • Which of our company’s core values do you most/least identify with?
  • How do you feel about being friends with your colleagues? Or do you prefer a strictly professional environment?
  • How could a manager best support you?

Try and ask all your candidates the same questions. Although the discussions will vary, the answers you get will help you gain a fair assessment of their soft skills and cultural fit. Asking open-ended questions rather than ones with a yes/no answer will help the candidate’s personality shine through.

“Aim to impress. Although you are conducting the interview, it’s important to remember that the interviewee will also be using the opportunity to decide if your company is the right fit for them.”

A great interview experience is the best way to ensure you attract the right talent.

  • Establish your company values and the kind of persona you need for the role.
  • Ahead of the interview, plan your desired questions and ask open-ended questions to let the candidate’s personality come through naturally.
  • Assessing a candidate’s soft skills can give you an idea about their suitability for taking on leadership roles within the company.

For more insights and employer guides, visit the Adecco blog.

Hiring? Adecco can help put the right people on your team and give you the support and resources you need to keep them there. To learn more, contact us today.

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