Hiring? Look for traits not talent

Soft skills are the personal qualities that make people easy to work with and they’re key for business success. Here are six important soft skills and the best open-ended interview questions you can ask to help find out whether a candidate is right for your business.

• Communication: Give me an example of when you had to deal with a difficult team member. What did you do to communicate properly?
• Adaptability: Tell me about a time when you were asked to do something for the first time. How did you react? What did you learn?
• Culture fit: What three things are most important to you in a job?
• Collaboration: Tell me about a time when you had to work with someone who was difficult to get along with. How did you handle interactions with them?
• Time management: Describe a time you fell behind schedule. What went wrong and what would you do differently next time?