Making soft skills visible
What would be the best method of predicting the future success of applicants in recruitment and checking whether they have the necessary soft skills? The most reliable way would be to hire them on a trial basis and observe them in their new role. But there is not enough time for this. Assessment centres (AC) take on precisely this task: in preparation, the providers define situations critical to success for the position in question and develop suitable tasks. The participants work on these under the observation of assessors – often supervisors from the client company – and are systematically assessed in the process. Studies show that assessment centres are highly valid in predicting professional success.
Storytelling as an alternative
The disadvantage: assessment centres are time-consuming and expensive – and are therefore almost exclusively used to fill top positions. However, suitable specialists and managers also need to be recognised at other hierarchical levels. Storytelling is an effective alternative: well-told stories from everyday working life bring achievements to life in the mind’s eye of the listener. For this method to work, recruiters need a high level of interview expertise. Greater professionalisation of recruitment is therefore urgently required.
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How storytelling works in a job interview
Are you still tapping or are you already telling?