Soft skills are a representation of your growth capacity within an organization. They portray your strong problem-solving abilities and powerful interactive skills. According to studies, 90% of recruiters consider this skill type an important factor while narrowing down suitable candidates for the job.
The questions for judging non-technical skills vary depending upon the nature of the job, industry, and culture of the organization. This article lists down the most commonly asked soft skills questions and their impressive answers.
Soft Skills Interview Questions and Answers
The technical abilities of a candidate and their interpersonal skills and progressive approach towards the team are equally important. The questions that are asked by the interviewers during the non-technical section of an interview include the following.
Mention a scenario in which you lead your team during a critical situation
Associated skill: Leadership
Each role requires leadership qualities to some extent as you must inspire people around you and motivate them to perform better. This question is asked by the recruiters to judge your leading qualities.
How to answer
The best answer to this question must include all the mandatory details that highlight your ability to deal with pressure situations. The context must be clear and the interviewer must be able to understand the whole scenario clearly.
You must choose a situation that was challenging, meaningful, and powerful. You have to mention a few tactics on how you guided your team through a difficult situation and proved to be productive for your organization.
Best answer
“Once, a client gave negative feedback to our design team. It made all of us feel quite disheartened as a lot of hard work was put into it. Without wasting any time, I organized a meeting and had a detailed discussion on the revisions requested by the client.
I did my homework and gathered relevant resources helpful for getting the revisions done. The meeting was conducted in a positive atmosphere and after the meeting, everyone was crystal clear about what needs to be done to satisfy the client.”
Soft skills interview questions: How do you manage when you are assigned too much work?
Associated skill: Time management/organization skills
How to answer
Many days at work don’t go as planned. Sometimes urgent tasks are assigned and work emergencies might appear. The best employees can handle these pressure situations effectively.
You must have a sound knowledge of breaking down all tasks successfully and prioritizing them well. You must learn to manage your time well and meet deadlines efficiently.
Wasting time whining about the workload is never a good idea. You must use all your time to plan things out well and perform the highest priority tasks during your most productive hours.
Best answer
“I was assigned various projects at my previous job which was quite stressful. I used to handle all these multiple tasks at hand by writing down everything that needs to be done.
I used my peak productive hours in performing tasks that were the most important. I prioritized my tasks after a discussion with my supervisor and invested more effort into projects that were the most impactful for our organization.”
How did you manage to work with someone you were not compatible with?
Associated skill: Collaboration/teamwork
Strong interactive skills are key to success within an organization. Getting along well with your teammates has a positive impact on your performance. Sometimes it becomes quite challenging to resonate with co-workers you don’t get along with.
This question is asked by the hiring team to assess your ability to work as a team member.
How to answer
You must give the impression that you are a confident person. Avoid focusing on the conflict and explain ways to resolve the complex situation with positivity.
Best answer
“I have a cordial relationship with my colleagues normally. In rare cases where I don’t get along with a co-worker, I focus on our common grounds and build a strong and valuable working relationship with them.
I define certain goals and milestones on which we can work together and produce effective results. It might sound rigid initially but working towards a common goal can help in resolving things out in no time.”
Mention a situation where you overcame a challenge
Associated skill: Ability to resolve problems
This question is frequently asked during interviews. It helps judge your ability to solve problems and perseverance at your workplace.
How to answer
Answering this question must not be difficult as a person comes across several bottlenecks during their career.
Best answer
“I was a member of the marketing team and our redesigned website was scheduled to launch at the end of the next quarter. The designers and developers were not finalizing things causing a delay in the project.
At this point, I decided to take matters into my hands and gathered everyone in the same room to discuss challenges and goals. After listening to each other, everyone reached a compromise, and the website was completed right on time.”
How do you plan to explain a complex topic to someone who is not familiar with it?
Associated skill: Communication skills
Cross-functional jobs involved explaining different things to various people. These things might sound simple to you but explaining things to others can be challenging.
The recruiters ask several questions that portray your strong interactive skills to ensure that you will be able to explain things well to others.
How to answer
The response to communication questions must be conveyed effectively to leave a good impression on the interviewer. The answer must be simple, precise, and easily understandable.
Best answer
“I was a member of the accounting team and needed to illustrate the importance of submitting sales data to the accounts section on time.
I did not motion details of my workflow to them as it may seem boring and irrelevant. The effective method was to explain it in a manner they can relate well with.
I asked them how do they feel if their clients submit late payments delaying their commission checks. In this manner, I explained how it affects the sales team if data is not forwarded on time.
The key to explaining things well is to relate to your target audience and explain with an example.”
How do you cope when things don’t go as planned?
Associated soft skill: Ability to adapt
Even the best-laid plans can fail due to an unexpected situation. The organization does not prefer hiring people who cannot perform under critical situations when things are not working according to plan.
The ideal candidates must be able to adapt to pressure situations and manage to resolve the issues at hand.
How to answer
Answering this question well can help you ace your interview. You must mention a situation where you were able to bounce back in a difficult situation and perform well.
Best answer
“It took me months to plan our company’s golf outing as it was our fundraising event of the year. At the last moment, a thunderstorm forced everyone indoors and it was a pressure situation.
I got on my feet quickly and thought of dealing with this situation. I gathered the available supplies including golf balls, plastic cups, etc., and whipped together a nine-hole course. This ended up in a lot of waves of laughter and fun moments.
Everyone loved this activity and it’s part of our every annual gold activity.”
Conclusion
Preparing well for an interview is extremely significant in increasing your chances of landing your dream job. You must go through commonly asked questions concerning technical and soft skills and think of the best answers to those.
Sam Najar, MBA
MBA from the Australian Institute of business. Over a decade working for IBM Australia and Oracle Europe and the Middle East. Worked on Artificial Intelligence technology for many years and believes that technology can help everyone better understand his/her personality and find the job they deserve.
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