A recent LinkedIn study found that of 291 hiring managers surveyed, 59% agreed that finding employees with the right soft skills is much more difficult than finding employees with adequate technical skills. They also found that these skills are particularly important, and just as hard to find, in areas such as consumer services, retail and healthcare. A recent Wall Street Journal study supported these findings, adding that 92% of executives felt that soft skills were equally important to technical skills, while 89% cited difficulty in finding candidates with those skills. This revelation has caused a shift in terminology with some now referring to this group of skills as “key skills” or “core skills,” some even calling them “employability skills,” emphasizing their importance.

We find that the majority of hiring managers choose candidates based on technical skills, yet the preponderance of terminations and promotions are based on behavioral attributes related to soft skills. Personal and organizational success, therefore, appears to be directly linked to one's ability to communicate, work in teams, think critically, be adaptable and possess a high level of emotional intelligence. This holds true across industries as well as across employee levels. As the labor market becomes more competitive, these soft skills are becoming more and more important in finding a job, and even more important in moving up the corporate ladder.

Some of the most successful companies in the world, such as Southwest Airlines, Disney and Ritz Carlton Hotels, pride themselves on hiring for soft skills and teaching the technical skills on the job. According to a 2015 article in the Harvard Business Review, Southwest Airlines receives a job application every two seconds and hires only 2% of all applicants. What they look for in these applicants are primarily the soft skills. Of course a pilot needs a license or a mechanic needs a certification. But beyond the base technical competence, the candidate that shows the intangibles such as a desire to excel and persevere, an aptitude for innovation, the ability to put others first, show respect to everyone, proactively serve customers, approach life with a passion and joy, and not take oneself too seriously, will get the job. In order to ensure that applicants have these traits, Southwest uses behavioral interviewing and other techniques, while other companies have hired an organizational psychologist and consultants to aid in finding the right candidates with appropriate soft skills. However, most hiring managers agree, finding these types of candidates is getting harder and harder.