You have just written a job offer and everything is there: missions, technical skills, recruitment process... But have you thought about adding the interpersonal skills essential to this job? Communication, stress management or even creativity: these qualities are just as important as the good old fashioned ones Hard Skills ! We tell you all about the subject.
What is interpersonal competence?
Les interpersonal skills, or”Soft Skills”, refer to the human and relational qualities of your employees. They can be felt between colleagues, during a meeting or in the way they carry out missions. Moreover, interpersonal competence is a transversal skill: it can be transposed into various professions.
When we talk about technical skills, we think of mastery of Excel, knowledge of marketing strategies, commercial know-how... Interpersonal competence, on the other hand, will refer to (among other things) the ability to share ideas, to delegate tasks, To be trained continuously, or the creative and adaptable aspect of an employee.
Les Soft Skills are increasingly valued in companies, because they are difficult to acquire, unlike traditional technical skills. Imagine training a new recruit on Excel: a few days' training on the tool and a quiz at the end of the session. Now, try to train that same recruit in an interpersonal skill such as “emotional intelligence.” It is immediately less easy! That is exactly why soft skills are highly sought after by recruiters.
The 7 interpersonal skills to develop in your team
We understood it well: interpersonal skills are essential to the performance of your team. So Which ones should you watch out for and develop in your employees as part of vocational training ?
Interpersonal competence No. 1: adaptability
It is THE number one interpersonal skill. Adaptability is the ability of an individual to be malleable, to follow change, to be interested in innovations... In short, a person who is not afraid of the unknown, and who even prefers to face it. Inevitably, after the health crisis of 2019, all companies are looking for profiles of this type!
How do you know if an employee (or a candidate) is adapting quickly to change? Ask him about past experiences or test him on hypothetical situations. For your teams, note the reaction of each employee during a major change: manager, vision, premises... You can also send them a questionnaire to find out how they feel about this change.
Interpersonal competence no. 2: communication
Communication is an interpersonal skill to be grown in any business. From the shy web developer to the extroverted salesperson, everyone will have to communicate about their achievements and share their ideas. Moreover, also make sure that your managers communicate correctly with their employees. It is essential for any successful and healthy business!
How do you know if an employee (or a candidate) communicates well? Observe the candidate during the job interview: does he present his ideas clearly, concisely, and fluently? For your teams, ask for feedback from your employee's colleagues: “Does your colleague communicate his ideas well? Does he listen actively in meetings?”
Interpersonal Competence #3: Leadership
No, this interpersonal competence does not concern a particular hierarchical position! Rather, it is abouta series of qualities that can be developed at all levels of the organization. Leaders stand out for their vision, their ability to make informed decisions, and their ability to solve problems creatively.
How do you know if an employee (or a candidate) has leadership? During the recruitment phases, organize group interviews with scenarios. Leaders will quickly come out on top. As for your employees, observe their reaction to failures, and ask their team to find out how they feel.
Interpersonal competence no. 4: delegation
Closely linked to leadership, delegation is an important interpersonal skill for a manager. It refers to entrusting tasks or missions to the other members of one's team. It is a Soft Skill interesting, because it distributes workloads, encourages the development of employee skills and frees up time to focus on more strategic tasks.
How do you know if an employee (or a candidate) knows how to delegate? During the interview, ask the candidate about his previous experiences and his ability to delegate. Contact his former employers to get concrete testimonies. For your teams, assess their time management, their respect for deadlines, their sense of prioritization, their punctuality...
Interpersonal competence no. 5: conflict management
Relationships between colleagues sometimes lead to conflicts and knowing how to resolve them avoids prolonged tense situations that could affect team productivity. Conflict management is therefore a very interesting interpersonal skill! An employee who knows how to manage the conflict is the one who knows how to identify it, Communicate openly, listen actively and look for actionable solutions.
How do you know if an employee (or a candidate) knows how to manage conflicts? Ask behavioral questions in interviews. Ask the candidate to describe a situation in which they were confronted with a conflict at work and how they managed it using specific interpersonal skills.
Interpersonal Competence No. 6: Creativity
Creativity refers to the interpersonal competence of your teams to generate original, innovative and relevant ideas. This creative ability is useful for solving problems, improving processes, or driving business growth.
How do you know if an employee (or candidate) is creative? Put your candidates face to face with practical cases: ask them, for example, to imagine the company's future product. For your employees, observe if their proposals are innovative, risky, out of the box, or if they follow current company processes.
Interpersonal Competence No. 7: Collaboration
An employee who collaborates in his work knows how to work in cooperation with other people. He shares his ideas, his tasks, he helps the members of his team when they encounter problems. A real quality within a team, do not neglect this interpersonal skill!
How do you know if an employee (or a candidate) knows how to collaborate? Conduct group interviews to see if candidates know how to communicate with each other, if they share information... As for your teams, ask their colleagues what they think of their ability to collaborate. However, be careful to treat these returns with hindsight: they are not always objective!
There are a multitude of soft skills, and the most important ones depend on your corporate culture and your employees! Now that you know how to detect interpersonal skills, don't forget to develop them through appropriate training.
