Desirable Personal Attributes for Strategic Hiring. Soft Skills for Successful Hiring. How to communicate with STAR.

September 11, 2009 by kutenk
Filed under: Human Resources 

Soft Skills for Successful Hiring

The unwritten requirements are traits that you have to make evident to your current employer or have the ability to convey to a potential employer. I speak often about differentiators, your ability to articulate the value you add to the overall success of your team and your company as a whole. Among the greatest differentiators are the soft skills that you bring to the table. It is essential that you recognize the importance of conveying these skills to a potential employer.





Communication Skills
Communicating your differentiators is one of the keys to success. You could be the most qualified person for the job, but if you are ineffective in conveying that to the prospective employer you’re not going to be selected. Even the most accomplished individuals sometimes get tongue-tied when it comes to selling themselves.
I like to use the acronym STAR when advising candidates on how to describe their experiences. Think of a relevant Situation or Task that will describe an accomplishment that either generated income, saved time or expenses, built or leveraged relationships, or was an innovative solution. Articulate the Action you took and explain the Result it had on the organization. Keep it simple and to the point, and select the accomplishments that are most relevant to the position at hand.




Desirable Personal Attributes
The five most important personal attributes that companies look for when making strategic hires are:
1.    Leadership: The most sought-after trait. Former U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell is credited with the following quotation that I think especially applies to security officers: “Great leaders are almost always great simplifiers who can cut through argument, debate, and doubt to offer a solution everybody can understand.”
2.    Confidence with humility: You must display a mature sense of purpose and confidence in yourself, your abilities, and the importance of your mission.
You’re only an expert for a few minutes … there’s always someone who knows more. Displaying arrogance is not the way to build consensus. You’d be surprised how many professionals don’t get job offers simply because of their cavalier attitudes.
3.    Passion: The willingness to display the strength of your convictions. Tenacity is key in the face of never-ending and ever-increasing challenges. If you don’t believe in your mission, why should anyone else?
4.    Personal integrity: Integrity is the foundation on which our industry is built. Always tell the truth. Your peers, subordinates, and managers all must trust your personal and professional ethics.
5.    Sense of humor: In this job you need to roll with the punches. Having a sense of humor is a necessity for your own survival and the well-being of your team.

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