The success of any business, big or small, is pivoted on its employees. Having a high density of talent with employees who are reliable is as important as having a portfolio of stellar products. Finding a reliable employee not easy because reliability is not a quantifiable measure. In this article we discuss some soft skill interview questions to help a hiring manager get some insight into this key skill set based on candidate’s past experiences.
More often than not, businesses require very specialized and unique skill sets to get the job done. A trainable employee is usually successful in developing the skill set required to be productive quickly and starts adding value. However, reliability is not a skill set that can be coached. It is very important to have employees who are reliable, so businesses should learn to hire reliable candidates.
While there isn’t a quantifiable way to measure reliability, you can still get a good sense of reliability by digging just a little deeper into a candidate’s work history and experience. Ask the potential candidates to describe a project they have worked on which was their biggest accomplishment. This question helps you gather information about the candidate’s skill set and potential match for the job.
It also gives you other, more subtle information, such as what the candidate considers important at work. Is the candidate’s largest accomplishment purely individually focused or was it an example of success through teamwork? Does the candidate consider a project that went smoothly as their largest accomplishment, or was it a project that required the candidate to step up and contribute outside his area of expertise?
In such a situation, did the candidate help keep the project on track, even if meant going above and beyond what is expected from him, or did he let the project stall while waiting for others on the team to do their jobs? A reliable employee is someone you can trust to lead in situations which require collaboration, teamwork, and, perhaps most importantly, perseverance.
You should expect a reliable employee to take a difficult project and identify ways to deliver results in the face of uncertainties. Reliable employees work for the greater good of the company and go above and beyond what’s expected of them to deliver on business goals.
Another good way to get some insight into a potential employee’s past experiences is to check the references provided. References are a very crucial piece of information which is sometime overlooked or not used to fullest. As with the interview questions, it is important to dig just a little deeper when talking to the references. Ask them why they think a candidate would make a reliable employee based on their own experiences from working with the candidate previously. When you ask probing questions, often it becomes clear quickly what the references actually think about the candidate, and you can walk away with very valuable information to help you with your hiring decision.
Hiring reliable candidates is crucial for the success of your business. If you’re ready to benefit from the expertise and industry knowledge of a staffing agency familiar with the Vancouver and Portland talent pool, connect with the experienced staffing team at ACS Professional Staffing today!