6 Underrated Skills To Look For In Job Candidates

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Finding the right job candidate to fill an empty position at your company can be an exhausting but exhilarating process. You have to filter out many resumes to find people who have the experience and background you’re looking for, but it’s more than just a good resume you’ll need. You also want to consider more than just technical skills and education.

There are many skills and traits you look for when hiring someone, and these usually also include their personality and soft skills. Depending on the job position, you need to ensure they have the resume and training to meet the requirements.

But, along with the abilities and background you’re looking for, there are some underrated elements of a resume to be on the lookout for to find the perfect new hire. Here’s what you should consider that you might not have before.

Consider How Technology Helps You Find The Right Talent

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While some companies hire people who live nearby, more and more businesses function on a global or at least national scale. It’s becoming much more common for companies to have employees working from home or in different offices, so being able to find candidates in many other cities is key.

Using software platforms for hiring, can reduce concentration risk in hiring, and onboarding cuts down on the stress. Plus, many of these programs work well if you’re filtering for only candidates near your city.

6 Underrated Skills To Look For In Job Candidates

Now that we’ve covered some of the basics, let’s look at some of the underrated skills you can pick out on resumes or during interview processes to help you hire:

1. Ability to communicate through writing

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Even if the job doesn’t have much to do with actual writing, individuals who can communicate concisely over email or text are much easier to work with and will be able to work better with clients.

2. Their curiosity

Forbes mentions the importance of someone who is curious intellectually and beyond. If someone seems actively curious about how the company works and what the job entails, they are likely going to keep that curiosity up if they get hired. While this can be hard to get a good sense of on a resume, this soft skill can appear in the interview process.

3. Networking skills

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While you don’t need everyone to be an influencer, getting some idea of how they connect to others in their work is essential. If they are spending time building a portfolio, creating networks, or building a content base, they likely have some leadership skills and the ability to inspire others.

4. Being a goal-setter

While you’ll likely have an idea if someone is successful or not by their resume, the best way to tell if someone sets goals and keeps them is to ask them about it. During the interview, you can have the candidate describe a time they set goals and made them happen. Then, you can ask them about their future goals, especially in their career.

5. Public speaking ability

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Written communication is important, as is verbal communication. If someone has experience with public speaking in any form, they likely are able to motivate others and communicate with confidence.

6. Emotional intelligence

As some experts mention, one of the most underrated but most valuable skills any person can have at work is a high emotional IQ. Unfortunately, this is also one of the most challenging soft skills to quantify or measure in any way. It requires the interviewer to have enough emotional intelligence to sense this in someone else. But, you can pay attention to someone’s kindness and empathy for others.

The above list might not be the only underrated skills you should look out for, but it does give you some idea of the abilities you want job candidates to have. You will also want to think of the specific job opening and consider the undervalued or lesser-known aspects of the job.

Ask About Any Training Or Technology They Know

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You might already be looking at certain keywords or specifications on resumes. If the job is for a content manager, for example, you may want to see the ability to use editing programs or specific content management systems.

But, beyond the skills you’re already reading through for on a resume, asking them about the particular technologies and platforms they’ve used will help you hone in more on what they used to do during the day-to-day of their previous jobs.

This information is very useful as you’ll see if they are equipped to perform the day-to-day functions of the job you want to hire them for at your own company.

Consider Interviewing In Unconventional Ways

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While you may look for most things on a resume as the first way to filter through candidates, the interview process is where you can learn so much more. Even meeting on a video call helps you get a sense of their personality and how they communicate. But, the traditional setup of an interview can be redundant and lacking in specificity.

It may feel stilted and too expected to just ask them some run-of-the-mill questions and do a bit of small talk about their day. To get a better idea of someone’s personality, try asking some questions such as their favorite animal or superhero. These are fun icebreakers and also can reveal a little more about who they are as a person.

Then, for in-person interviews, consider meeting for lunch or walking around as you conduct the interview. The change of pace can be revealing and also less stressful for everyone involved. Depending on the nature of the job at hand, administering a preemployment test of typing and keyboarding skills is appropriate and can even put the candidate at greater ease practicing a day-to-day task.

Narrow Down What You’re Looking For

Finally, when considering the underrated skills you should consider, you’ve got to narrow down the most important qualities for whoever you hire. There are dozens of skills, abilities, and qualifications you could prioritize, but every company and every team is distinct. You want to do what makes the most sense and not just follow a one-size-fits-all model.