By honing in on “soft skills,” employers can focus on personality, cultural fit, ability to learn and likelihood to be proactive in the company, said Paul Rubenstein, a partner in Aon Hewitt’s Talent, Rewards & Performance practice in New York. But it won’t be easy, said Rosemary Haefner, chief HR officer at CareerBuilder.
Employers are having a tough time finding job seekers with good communication skills, who are go-getters and tackle problems and who have a good rapport with co-workers, she said.
"Those traits, soft skills, can make the difference between a standout employee and one who just gets by,” Haefner said. “This year we may see more companies invest time and capital in teasing out job applicants’ personality traits or use screening methods to beef up a strong pipeline of candidates with strong soft skills.”