There is a theory called “Wisdom of the Crowd” where many people are asked for their independent opinions, which are then combined to form the best decision. Evidence proposes that large crowds are collectively smarter than individual experts and collectively make better decisions than individual experts as well.
After analyzing data from our database of over 3,000 companies and over 3,400 interviews, our Wisdom of the Crowd indicates that the top 5 skills companies look for when hiring are:
- Communication
- Creative Thinking
- Interpersonal Skills
- Analytical Skills
- Teamwork
Communication is the Top Skill that Employers are Looking For
95.9% of employers responding to NACE’s Job Outlook 2018 survey considered oral and written communications to be necessary in the workplace.
Communication skills are essential business skills that employers consistently seek when hiring. Employees will face a diverse variety of people and will need to tailor their language and style to suit the audience.
When facing their own team, hires need to know how to listen effectively, how to encourage positive interactions amongst the team, how to express their opinions or ask questions comprehensibly, and be able to persuade others. When facing clients, they will need to not only request information, but will need to discuss problems and provide solutions. Delivering clear messages and achieving effective teamwork in the company can benefit the company as a whole.
All types of roles and industries need people who can communicate effectively. Job roles can range from Marketing to Education to Information Technology.
Why is Creative Thinking as a Skill Important?
Creativity actually builds better teamwork. When people have unique ideas or solutions to obstacles, they want to share it with their team. In the process of talking the idea through and molding the idea to better fit the team’s goals, everyone in the team is continuously learning new information. And perhaps, in the midst of their discussions, these new ideas might spark inspiration for another innovative idea or solution.
When creativity is valued in the company, it improves the company’s ability to attract and retain employees. Employees feel their ideas are more valued and are more content with their jobs. In return, they are more likely to remain loyal to the company.
Of course, companies hiring for the Marketing role will value creative thinking highly since employees need to come up with ways to attract customers to their company. But roles such as Information Technology and Education also require creative thinkers to overcome obstacles that might need some out-of-the-box thinking.
The Importance of Interpersonal Skills
One of the most important soft skills is interpersonal skills. It might seem similar to communication skills, but it actually encompasses empathy, teamwork, being supportive, and being an active listener.
Interpersonal skills are necessary in every job because even when a role seems to be mostly a solo job, there are some human interactions and relationships that need to be maintained. Being able to share information, relating to customers and colleagues, and working harmoniously with the team are all important skills in the workplace.
All job roles including Accounting and Finance, Nursing, and Human Resources all require interpersonal skills.
Analytical Skills
Analytical skills are like interpersonal skills and encompass many other skills within it. Analytical thinking can be applied in every situation as long as you have a deep enough understanding of the matter and can speak on it with some level of confidence and expertise.
Analytical skills allow employees to analyze the situation and make informed decisions on problems they are facing. This skill is necessary for any position in every level in any industry. Fostering these skills in your company can help achieve company goals and support better decision making on the part of your employees.
From Supply Chain Management to Research and Development to Accounting and Finance, having analytical skills are essential for the job to be done.
Team Skills Bring it All Together
As mentioned above, no matter what skills an employee has, it is of no use if they cannot apply it in a group setting. Seldom will there be a job where a person works completely alone with no interaction with any other human being. There will always be a mentor you need to consult or a colleague you need to discuss problems with. According to Interviewer.AI’s analytics, teamwork is the key factor that employees look for to bring all the other skills together.
In Human Resources, Compliance, Information Technology, and more, teamwork is one of the highly sought-after skills.
Interviewer.AI is a technology platform purposely built to support Recruiters and HR teams in finding top talent for their companies. Interviewer.AI is a state-of-the-art video recruiting software that uses AI (Artificial Intelligence) to screen in advance and shortlist the candidates that meet the criteria set. HR teams use the software to make the recruitment process more efficient and shorten the hiring cycle. Learn more about how Interviewer.AI can help your business.
Increase your hiring team’s efficiency using a combination of resume scoring, skill assessment, and asynchronous video interviews.
Hannah Ng is a Junior at Boston College studying Finance and Business Analytics. She is currently an intern at Singapore for Interviewer.AI during the summer of 2022.
Besides work, she is also very interested in hair styling and is responsible for her family’s hairstyles as a hobby.
