Matawan, New Jersey, Aug. 28, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Soft skills can be a competitive advantage for people looking to get a new job and grow their career. iCIMS, Inc., a leading provider of cloud-based talent acquisition solutions, released a new research report today that uncovers the specific types of soft skills employers are looking for, how they evaluate these kinds of skills in potential employees and how soft skills affect career advancement opportunities.
To compile the report, iCIMS conducted a survey among 400 HR and recruiting professionals and provided additional commentary from enterprise employer, DISH Network, and iCIMS’ chief economist, on the value of soft skills in a changing U.S. labor market.
Daniel Pecharich, senior manager of recruiting at DISH Network, an iCIMS customer, defined the soft skills he looks for in candidates, “We hire for three things at DISH – energy, intelligence, and the need to achieve. We believe these characteristics are innate to our employees and essential for the company’s success. DISH employees are inquisitive, not afraid to challenge assumptions and are hungry for knowledge.”
“The U.S. labor market has been growing polarized between high-skill and low-skill jobs, but common to both ends of the spectrum is the need for soft skills,” said Josh Wright, iCIMS chief economist. “Whether home health aides or white-collar data scientists, the human element is the key to many of today’s fastest growing jobs.”
Key findings from the report include:
The Top Soft Skills and Personality Traits Employers Need
Tips for the Class of 2017
The Soft Skills Needed for Leadership Positions
How Recruiters Are Judging Soft Skills
“This report reinforces how important soft skills are for today’s companies,” said Susan Vitale, chief marketing officer at iCIMS. “Employers have learned that hiring the wrong person comes with a high cost so they are putting the right technology in place to help them make smarter decisions.”
“To ensure a job candidate is a good match for a job and has the right soft skills, many companies have incorporated new technologies such as video screening and pre-employment talent assessments to better predict potential,” Vitale explained. “Job seekers should be prepared for these additional interview steps that will help them better display the skills they’ll need to be successful on the job.”
To view the full report, please visit iCIMS Hiring Insights.
About iCIMS, Inc.:
iCIMS is the leading provider of talent acquisition solutions that help businesses win the war for top talent. iCIMS empowers companies to manage their entire hiring process within the industry’s most robust Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS). Built on the foundation of a best-to-market talent acquisition software suite, iCIMS’ PaaS framework, UNIFi, allows employers to expand the capabilities of their core talent acquisition technology by integrating with the largest partner ecosystem in talent acquisition to help them attract, find, screen, and manage candidates. Offering scalable, easy-to-use solutions that are backed by award-winning customer service, iCIMS supports more than 3,500 contracted customers and is one of the largest and fastest-growing talent acquisition solution providers.
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