In today's fast-paced business environment, soft skills have moved from a background element to a key driver of success. Echoing Josh Bersin's words, 'Hard skills are soft, and soft skills are hard,' this shift reflects the growing importance of interpersonal skills in the professional world. No longer just an afterthought, soft skills are now at the forefront, playing a crucial role in shaping successful careers and effective organizations.

Soft skills are more than intangible traits; they're fundamental to professional achievement. They go beyond technical know-how, involving a variety of interpersonal and personal skills. These skills are crucial for effectively navigating the professional world, making them the indispensable 'hard skills' of the future, as aptly stated by Bersin.

In the Manpower Group’s Global Talent Shortage survey, over 40,000 employers identified the top 5 elusive soft skills for 2024. These skills are crucial for individual and organizational success, yet challenging to track and measure. This complexity presents a significant challenge for employers and HR professionals.

The Challenge of Finding the Right Talent

Manpower Group’s report underscores the gravity of the challenge, exposing a striking reality: nearly 4 in 5 employers globally are wrestling with the complexities of securing the skilled talent they need in 2024. This represents a 2% increase from the previous year, significantly higher than the 38% reported in 2015, indicating a growing trend in the talent shortage.

The report highlights the key soft skills companies seek. Reliability and self-discipline top the list at 29%, followed by creativity, originality, critical thinking, analysis, reasoning, problem-solving, resilience, and adaptability, each at 26%. These skills are not just desirable traits but are essential in today's talent market, highlighting their critical role in shaping successful teams and organizations.

Measuring the Top 5 Soft Skills

The natural question that arises is, how do we measure these highly sought-after attributes? In the pursuit of assembling a team of skillful talents, organizations are on a constant quest to identify and measure these essential attributes in both potential hires and existing employees.

With a keen understanding of the challenges organizations face and a proactive commitment to meeting those needs, Bryq has already implemented a robust solution. Bryq ensures an objective and accurate measurement of the most sought-after soft skills, providing organizations with a reliable toolkit to assess potential hires and existing team members.

For every one of these skills, Bryq offers an indicator that allows you to understand a person's ability in the specific soft skill, as detailed in the following paragraphs. More importantly, Bryq can accurately deduce the skills that are important for every role in your organization by assessing existing employees and correlating their information with desired outcomes (performance, tenure, safety incidents, etc.).

Reliability & Self-Discipline

Reliability and Self-Discipline are the bedrock upon which trust is built, commitments are honored, and goals are achieved. Reliability is the assurance that tasks will be completed with consistency and dependability, while Self-Discipline is the driving force behind these assurances. It's the internal compass that keeps individuals focused, organized, and committed to maintaining high standards.

Bryq’s OCEAN Indicator sheds light on this critical juncture. Conscientiousness, represented by the 'C' in OCEAN, aligns seamlessly with the ethos of Reliability & Self-Discipline. A conscientious individual prioritizes diligence, orderliness, and a commitment to meeting responsibilities—an intrinsic link to the virtues we explore. The Integrity Indicator proves to be a valuable complement. By delving into the nuances of integrity, this indicator unveils an individual's commitment to honesty, ethical conduct, and steadfast adherence to moral principles. 

Creativity & Originality 

Creativity and Originality take center stage as catalysts for innovative excellence. Creativity is about thinking beyond conventional boundaries, introducing fresh ideas, and exploring new perspectives. Originality is the art of bringing a distinctive touch to endeavors, ensuring that contributions stand out in a crowd. In a world that values fresh thinking, Creativity & Originality emerge as strategic advantages, paving the way for professional distinction and success.

Bryq’s latest addition, the Creative Potential, is crafted to unravel the layers of the creative capacity of individuals. By leveraging this indicator, we dive deep into the essence of inventive thinking, unlocking the capacity for original contributions. If you want to investigate whether the individual will come up with outstanding ideas, shaking the status quo, then this indicator enables you to do so.

Critical Thinking & Analysis 

Critical thinking is the art of objectively evaluating information, ideas, or situations, delving beyond surface-level understanding to discern patterns, connections, and implications. It involves questioning assumptions, considering alternative perspectives, and arriving at well-informed conclusions. Analysis, on the other hand, is the systematic examination and interpretation of data, facts, or concepts. 

Understanding critical thinking and analysis is like deciphering a code. Fortunately, Bryq's assessment serves as your codebreaker. Both critical thinking and analysis are tied to cognitive attributes. They encapsulate one's capacity to logically assess and evaluate information, gauge the validity of arguments, make informed decisions, and draw meaningful conclusions. 

Reasoning & Problem-Solving 

Problem-solving and reasoning emerge as inherent engines that drive progress. Individuals who are adept at problem-solving approach challenges with a proactive mindset, skillfully breaking down complex issues into manageable components and devising creative solutions. This aptitude is particularly valuable in today's dynamic business landscape, where the ability to navigate and solve problems efficiently becomes a crucial competitive advantage.

Bryq’s solution is both simple and powerful—the Problem-Solving Indicator, seamlessly coupled with Logical Reasoning. This dynamic will assist you in uncovering the individual's ability to craft effective strategies, tackle challenges with finesse, navigate the unexpected, and unleash a wave of creativity.

Resilience & Adaptability 

The ability to embrace change, learn new skills, and pivot in response to evolving circumstances is crucial for personal and organizational resilience. Adaptability enables individuals to navigate uncertainty confidently, turning challenges into opportunities for growth. In tandem, Resilience embodies the human capacity to rebound from adversity and challenges. It is the unwavering spirit that transforms setbacks into stepping stones for growth, providing the foundation upon which individuals and organizations can build lasting success. 

Bryq’s comprehensive solution embraces both Resilience and Learning Agility. By using the Resilience Indicator you can identify and harness individuals’ capacity to rebound from adversity with unwavering strength and turn setbacks into stepping stones for growth. Simultaneously, leverage the Learning Agility Indicator to identify their ability to swiftly learn and apply new skills, ensuring they stay ahead of the curve.

Paving the Way Forward

As organizations grapple with the ever-pressing challenge of securing the right talent, the spotlight undeniably falls on the abovementioned soft skills. In the relentless pursuit of building a workforce that seamlessly aligns with the demands of the future, it becomes imperative for businesses to not only recognize the significance of these soft skills but to actively adopt robust strategies for their evaluation and cultivation.

Are you eager to discover the right talent that can propel your company's success to new heights? Book a demo and see how Bryq is Shaping the Future of Work in action.