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Finding the soft skills the future needs

The world as we know it is changing dramatically. Some people believe it is because we are exposed to more information than ever, but we just have to look around: cryptocurrency, climate change, driverless cars and my mind certainly boggles.

In the world of work they say that in just five years’ time 35% of skills that are considered important now will have changed.

We struggle to get people to understand that a criminal record check is not the only or ultimate pre-employment screening test that can be done, but it is still the test that is done more than any other test in the world.

To move forward companies need to be addressing a more holistic approach to screening and the screening of soft skills is essential to ensure that employees are not only productive but loyal and add value to the organisation.

A behavioural assessment is a far more effective way of understanding who you may employ or who you currently employ, and how they can make a more meaningful contribution to the company and improve their quality of life because they are working in an area where they have the required soft skills. A behavioural assessment does not qualify a person as “good” or “bad”, nor does it say that they are the “right” or “wrong” person for the job.

A proper behavioural assessment will provide the following information:

• Leadership style

• Decision-making style

• How to lead this person to success

• Persuasive skills

• Analytical skills

• Sales skills

• Motivation level

• Strengths and developmental areas

• Areas to develop

• Individual and / or group compatibility between one or more individuals and a job.

• Individual and or group compatibility between one or more individuals and your company’s competencies.

The nature of the change in employment processes will depend very much on the industry itself and some online businesses have had to make the change sooner than others. The financial environment being more conservative has been slow to deal with the change.

We need to remember that time waits for no man and change will not wait for business leaders to analyse and investigate what may or may not, and can and cannot work for their current culture. We need to embrace the fourth industrial revolution and make it work for us.

For more information contact iFacts, +27 11 609 5124, jenny@ifacts.co.za,www.ifacts.co.za

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