Hiring is still not where it was before the pandemic hit, primarily because companies are unsure how to proceed going forward and whether product / service demand will still be strong. Many companies have taken significant financial hits and although they may need to ramp up, their approach to hiring is likely to be more careful. 

Many businesses are turning to staffing / recruitment firms to assess and screen for various levels of mindfulness and skillfulness in candidates. As many as 97% of employers surveyed said that soft skills were either as important as or more important than hard skills. In other words, there are key soft skills that employers need right now—and the top four are listed here:

Self-Motivation

Essentially, the employer is looking for large and small ways you’ve initiated tackling tasks that need to get done. Consider how your positive approach to issues keeps other team members engaged as well. Do you tend to see the big picture? Do you catch small discrepancies? Can you move fairly effortlessly between these two realms? If so, you already embody some valuable attributes that can lead you into a management role. Be sure that the other qualities listed here become part of your wheelhouse too!

Remote interview tip: Be ready to answer such questions as:

• How did you keep the momentum of the project going? 
• Tell me about a time you handled a difficult interaction in a remote setting?

Flexibility / Adaptability

Now more than ever, businesses are running leaner and exploring new market strategies, so being able to adjust to changes as an employer navigates their options is crucial. Flexibility is about making immediate real-time adjustments, such as switching between multiple activities. Adaptability implies a longer-term adjustment, such as switching to a different software program or working within a new policy framework. 

Remote interview tip: A typical question might be:

• Describe a situation where a project’s direction changes suddenly. What do you do?

Regular Communication

Open communication allows people to be more engaged and understand that what they do matters to the success of a business. Effective communication takes effort and requires that you know who your team members and managers are and what they do. If you are the one having to communicate changes to your team, follow these three guidelines:

• use care
• be clear and honest (reasons, benefits, impact)
• set clear expectations 

Expressing yourself with sincerity while sharing knowledge and likely outcomes are all key trust builders for effective communication. Be ready to provide examples of how you successfully communicate with email, video conference, and online chat programs such as Messenger or Slack.

Remote interview tip: A typical question might be:

• How do you go above and beyond to ensure clarity to avoid digital misunderstandings?

Meaningful Collaboration

Employee engagement is at an all-time high, according to a recent Gallup poll. Engagement inspires effective team collaboration through five basic factors:

• feeling clear about your role
• having the right materials and equipment to do your job
• having the opportunity to do what you do best
• having committed coworkers who also collaborate 
• working with a common mission or purpose

Of these five factors, the highest rated was: having the right materials and equipment I need to do my job. This directly reflects an organization’s efforts to prepare employees to do work in a new context. Develop your own questions about how an employer does this. 

Remote interview tip: Be ready to answer questions such as:

• How have you established/maintained collaborative relationships with colleagues despite geographic differences?
• What adjustments have you made to adapt to working remotely?

Discovering what you do best is important to everyone around you. We offer a direct link to attractive job opportunities with outstanding companies—this is what we do best—and welcome the time when our paths intersect.

• The Artizen Staffing Team

written by Catrina Walker

As always, we welcome your feedback on this unprecedented journey and look forward to hearing what works for you, your friends, and your family! 

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