Impact of Soft skills on the hiring decision: Perception of human resources specialists

Abstract

Following a study carried out in 2018 by HelloWork Group, which operates in digital, interpersonal skills are important for (86%) of recruiters. This clearly shows the importance of soft skills in the professional world. Soft skills represent a combination of skills, which are personal, behavioral, relational, human and social. They allow job seekers to be distinguished by their efficiency, motivation, and positive thinking, whether at the time of the interview and throughout their professional career. They are crucial for job seekers and even for people in the workplace.

This work seeks to provide a theoretical and empirical understanding of the importance of soft skills in the selection of candidates at the time of hiring, by answering this question which guided our reflection: do soft skills impact the decision to selection of candidates at the time of hiring? How are they identified during recruitment? And what are the soft skills most sought after by recruiters?

The study we conducted clearly showed that soft skills play a determining role in the recruitment process, and they act in a direct and positive way on the hiring decision. The recruiters we met also highlighted the techniques used to identify these skills during interviews. They also presented the most sought-after soft skills on the job market and even some ways to develop soft skills, especially for job seekers.

Keywords: Soft skills, Employability, Candidates, Recruiters.

JEL Classification : M12

Paper type: Empirical Research