You and your team have likely asked this question to each candidate during an interview. While it’s a valid question, it often gets the same rehearsed answer. “I want to join an ambitious company and participate in its exciting development with passionate people…”.
You should get to know candidates better during the interview process, and answers like these don’t tell you much about the person. Instead, you can leverage interview questions that help uncover the candidate’s soft skills.
In the competitive landscape of talent acquisition identifying the right candidate goes beyond technical expertise. Soft skills those intangible yet crucial attributes that shape an individual’s behavior and interactions, are increasingly recognized as the differentiator between a good hire and a great one.
iCIMS, a leading provider of talent cloud solutions, offers a comprehensive suite of interview questions designed to delve into the soft skills realm. These questions, meticulously crafted by industry experts, empower hiring managers to uncover the hidden gems that truly set candidates apart
iCIMS Interview Questions A Deep Dive into Soft Skills
1 Adaptability
- “Describe a situation where you were tasked with something entirely new. How did you approach it, and what did you learn from the experience?”
2. Ambition:
- “Tell me about a specific action you’ve taken to advance your career, demonstrating your drive and commitment to professional growth.”
3. Competition:
- “Are you more motivated by the thrill of winning or the fear of losing? Explain your reasoning.”
4, Coordination
- “In your opinion, what are the most effective strategies for fostering clear and efficient communication within and between teams?”
5. Creativity:
- “If you were a kitchen utensil, which one would you be and why? Let your imagination run wild!”
6. Curiosity:
- “What is one new skill or area of knowledge you’ve recently acquired, showcasing your eagerness to learn and expand your horizons?”
7. Cognitive Flexibility:
- “How do you demonstrate to others that you are actively listening to their perspective, even when you disagree?”
8. Teamwork:
- “Recount a memorable instance where teamwork played a crucial role in achieving success. Highlight your contributions and how you collaborated effectively with your team members.”
9. Stress Management:
- “Describe your approach to managing stress in high-pressure situations. Share techniques you employ to maintain composure and focus under duress.”
10. Time Management:
- “Reflect on a time when you faced a looming deadline. How did you prioritize tasks, manage your time effectively, and ultimately deliver the desired outcome?”
11. Emotional Intelligence:
- “How do you navigate and de-escalate tense situations, demonstrating your ability to understand and manage emotions effectively?”
12. Decision Making:
- “When faced with a clear objective but limited resources, how do you approach the decision-making process? Share your strategies for navigating such challenges.”
13. Leadership:
- “Describe a situation where you took the initiative and led a project or team to success. Highlight your leadership style and how you motivated and inspired others.”
14. Negotiation:
- “Imagine you need to convince your manager that meeting your targets is impossible due to unforeseen circumstances. How would you present your case and provide compelling evidence?”
15. Critical Thinking:
- “Why are you considering a career change? What could your current company do to retain you, prompting you to reconsider your decision?”
16. Perseverance:
- “At what point do you decide to abandon a project or idea? Share your criteria for determining when to persist and when to move on.”
17. Persuasion:
- “Make your case for why you are the ideal candidate for this position, highlighting your unique skills and experiences that make you stand out from the crowd.”
18. Proactivity:
- “Provide an example of a time when you proactively presented a new idea or solution to your manager, demonstrating your initiative and problem-solving abilities.”
19. Problem Solving:
- “Imagine facing an overflowing inbox with over 700 unread emails. You have just one hour to tackle this mountain of messages. Describe your approach to prioritizing, managing, and responding to these emails effectively.”
20. Customer Service:
- “Recount an experience where you received negative feedback from a customer. How did you handle the situation, demonstrating your ability to listen, empathize, and resolve issues to the customer’s satisfaction?”
By incorporating these insightful iCIMS interview questions into your hiring process, you gain a deeper understanding of candidates’ soft skills, enabling you to make informed decisions and build high-performing teams that drive your organization’s success.
20 interview questions to evaluate soft skills
The soft skills you’ll need to find out about will depend on the job and the culture of your company. If someone wants to be a manager, they may need to be good at making decisions and leading others. On the other hand, an independent contributor should be good at working with others and being creative.
To spark inspiration, here are 20 questions to evaluate a wide range of sought-after soft skills.
- Tell me about a time when someone asked you to do something you had never done before. How did you react? What did you learn? .
- Aspiration: Could you tell me about something you did to move up in your career?
- Are you driven to compete because you want to win or because you’re afraid of losing? Explain.
- Coordination: What do you think are the best ways for teams to talk to each other and within teams?
- Being creative: What kind of kitchen tool would you be and why?
- Curiosity: What is one new skill you’ve recently learned?
- Cognitive flexibility: What can you do to show someone you’re listening even though you don’t agree with them?
- Teams: Tell me about a time when you worked well with others and how you contributed.
- Dealing with stress: What can you do to calm down when things go wrong?
- How did you handle your time? Tell me about a time you missed a deadline. How did you manage it? .
- Emotional intelligence: How do you defuse a tense situation?
- Choice-making: What do you do when you know what you want to do but don’t have the tools or resources to do it?
- Leadership: Can you describe a time when you were in charge of a project?
- In a negotiation, you need to show your boss that you can’t meet your goals. How can you prove it?.
- Think critically: Why are you leaving your current job? What could they do to keep you?
- How long do you keep going with a project or idea before giving up?
- Persuasion: What makes you the best candidate for this job?
- Being proactive: Tell me about a new idea you shared with your boss.
- You have more than 700 emails in your inbox that you haven’t read yet. You have an hour to deal with them. What do you do?.
- Customer service: Can you remember a time when a customer gave you bad feedback? How did you deal with the situation? .
The goal is to find the right mix of original questions that don’t throw off the candidates but are also clear and open enough to let them talk about themselves and show you who they are. Additionally, you can simplify and speed up the interview process by using pre-recorded or live video interview software.
These are just a few tips to help you get the most out of your interview process. Get our ebook, Top 100 interview questions to find soft skills, for more useful advice and 80 more questions.
Why is it important to evaluate soft skills?
SHRM identifies soft skills as the “behaviors, personality traits and work habits, such as collaboration, critical thinking, perseverance and communication, that help people prosper at work.”
That last part is key. People can do the day-to-day tasks of their jobs if they have hard skills like operating machinery or using a computer program. But soft skills help employees excel in their career.
According to a study by LeadershipIQ, 89% of hiring failures are the result of attitude, not a lack of technical skills. For example, an employee who is a whiz at AutoCAD could end up a “new hire fail” because they struggle to accept feedback, take initiative, or have a poor attitude.
That’s why it’s so important to assess soft skills throughout your interview process. These questions can help hiring teams find people who will fit in well with your company culture and be a good long-term fit.
Learn more about soft skills in our ebook, Top 100 interview questions to identify soft skills.
2020 iCIMS for Microsoft Teams Live Demo | Top HR Product Award
FAQ
How does an ICIMs interview work?
What are the five C’s of job interviewing?
Why should we hire you?
How many interviews did you take at iCIMS?
I interviewed at iCIMS Quick and to the point. 2 rounds, one with HR and one with hiring managers. No technical round. Very refreshing for a tech position where in the tech industry, 4+ rounds of interviews are starting to become the norm. Took 4 interviews 1 phone, and 3 interviews with different managers during the same meeting.
How long is the interview process at iCIMS (Holmdel)?
I interviewed at iCIMS (Holmdel, NJ) 3 Round, relatively easy. First round is HR call with basic question, second call is with team lead, then the third interview is with team member to see if your a fir for the team. Regard some of the excel formula used. I applied online. The process took 4 weeks. I interviewed at iCIMS in Apr 2023
Do interview questions reveal a candidate’s soft skills?
Your interview process is an opportunity to get to know candidates better, and answers like these don’t reveal much about the applicant. Instead, you can leverage interview questions that help uncover the candidate’s soft skills. Why is it important to evaluate soft skills?
What questions should you ask a candidate in a job interview?
Competency questions address a candidate’s skills, qualifications, and experience. Keep these role-specific and straightforward. You’ll have a chance to go into more detail if your candidate makes it to an interview. For now, the goal is to gauge baseline skills and how well your candidate communicates.
