Recruiting has become increasingly high-tech, between the Internet, social media, content-management systems, applicant-tracking systems, and now mobile recruiting. It’s easy to assume that candidates with technical savvy are the ones we want. But have we come to rely too much on technology and not enough on personality?

If you want a successful hire, cultural fit often trumps technical skills. And those soft skills can really help you decide whether you’re bringing the right person on board. “Excellent interpersonal skills” may be the biggest cliché in every job post, but they’re crucial to the makeup of a good employee. So how do you identify them?

1. Written communication. Did the candidate include a well-written, carefully checked cover letter when applying? If not, ask him to write one. Or provide a short writing test, or ask for a writing sample from a previous position. Any communication he has outside your department or with clients will reflect on you and your company, so even in the age of texting and email, it’s important for employees to know how to express themselves professionally — and persuasively.

2. Listening. Active listening is a skill most people don’t practice, but it’s key to success in the workplace. While studies suggest we only remember between 25 percent and 50 percent of what we hear — and possibly even less when in a stressful situation, such as a job interview — you’ll want to see whether a candidate is able to respond to each part of a detailed question. If you notice that the candidate fails to answer at least key points, it’s a red flag. It suggests that the potential employee may not follow instructions, attend to clients’ inquiries, or be able to get the job done.

3. Maintaining a good attitude. Everyone is on their best behavior during an interview, so it can be tough to tell whether this person is usually moody, burned out, or unmotivated. Make sure you ask a candidate’s personal and professional references about their usual personality. And, with permission from your legal department, check out their online persona. If this person is constantly complaining or negative on Facebook or Twitter, chances are he’ll be the same way in your office. We spend one-third of our lives with co-workers, so it’s understandable that a bad mood might show from time to time. But the key phrase there is “from time to time.”

4. Critical thinking. Critical thinking is defined as “disciplined thinking that is clear, rational, open-minded, and informed by evidence.” Most of us can’t assess this in an interview, so this is where pre-employment testing comes into play. Not skills tests — there are specific types of tests, such as the famous Wonderlic series, that are designed to test problem-solving abilities. Establish a baseline for yourself by having your current top employees take the tests, then assess candidates’ scores against theirs.

5. Teamwork and collaboration. Just about all candidates claim on their résumé that they’re a team player. There are two easy ways to find out whether this is true. When interviewing, present candidates with some behavioral-based questions that focus on their ability to work well with others. During the reference check, be sure to ask whether this person was ever the weak link or a divisive force in his department.

With all of the pressures in today’s staffing and recruiting industry, it has become more important than ever to find the right person the first time. And technology is great, but when all is said and done, it’s still the people skills that matter.        

This article was excerpted from the April 2012 issue of the “Staff Matters” e-newsletter, provided by and reprinted with the permission of Liverpool–based Contemporary Personnel Staffing, Inc. (CPS) and Professionals, Inc.

Willingness to learn. Working well independently and as part of a team. Creative thinking. Effective writing, math, and problem-solving skills. Possessing a positive attitude and standing out. According to career consultant, columnist, and author Andrea Kay, these are the necessary skills that companies, large and small, most desire in their employees.

Highly skilled workers always in demand

Having worked in the private sector as president of Refractron Technologies, and as a co-founder of the North American Filter Corporation, I know that whether they are enjoying an economic boom, or weathering an economic bust, employers have a constant need for highly skilled and highly motivated team members. Everything from excellent written and verbal communication to analytical problem-solving skills are important for anyone looking not only to keep their job, but also to grow and get ahead in this ultra-competitive economy. 

Building the “innovation economy” will create more jobs

The attributes listed above are more than just career-survival skills; they are the fundamental building blocks of what I like to call New York’s “innovation economy.” By innovation economy, I am referring to a new approach, a new way of thinking about how we view and do business in New York State. An innovation economy will empower New Yorkers to start a business, grow a business, and develop the real-world skill set they need to succeed in their chosen career, whether working as a teacher, computer technician, auto mechanic, or carpenter. More importantly, an innovation economy will empower the more than 700,000 New Yorkers who are out of work to not only find a job, but also develop a rewarding career. 

The innovation economy is:

– Pro-growth, pro-entrepreneur, and rewards risk-takers;

– Focused on growing small businesses and entrepreneurial start-ups;

– Emphasizes lifetime learning;

– Values vocational training, places a premium on continued skills development; and,

– Seeks to transform government from a command-and-control bureaucratic obstacle into a productive partner that actually helps job creators achieve their goals.

Much like its name implies, innovation  — the introduction of something new; be it a new method or a new way of thinking — is at the heart of the innovation economy. Building this innovation economy starts with education and involves new approaches to thinking about what we learn, and most importantly how we learn and how we apply that learning.

Core competencies to preserve America’s innovation edge 

In a recent Forbes article (“Creating Innovators: Why America’s Education System Is Obsolete,” by Erica Swallow), Harvard Innovation Education Fellow Tony Wagner offered his perspective on maintaining America’s innovation edge based on two years of research and extensive interviews with recent college graduates, professors, as well as private and public-sector leaders. Wagner recommended transitioning from the current approach of filling children with knowledge through rote memorization of things like state capitals, and moving toward a new approach focused on motivating students and developing their innovation skills. 

To accomplish this, Wagner advocates a new education model that, recognizing the availability of and ease of access to information (via the Internet and ubiquitous smart phones), instead focuses on increasing the “skill and will” of students to think creatively and solve problems efficiently. Wagner outlined a set of core educational competencies that every student should have mastered prior to high-school graduation in order to continue our culture of innovation including critical thinking and problem solving; initiative and entrepreneurialism; accessing and analyzing information, and developing curiosity and imagination.

My smart solutions to build the innovation economy

New York’s schools and teachers are some of the best in the nation. Yet, as good as they are, I want them to be even better, so after establishing a strong base of the three “Rs” they develop the core innovation competencies Wagner outlined. My smart solutions include restructuring the State Board of Regents so it is accountable to the governor, and not New York’s educational bureaucracy. The state also needs to ensure that state-education aid increases go to high-needs districts and that all funding goes directly to the classroom and not administration. Promoting vocational skills — they should be renamed career skills — development so New York has the next generation of high-skilled electricians, carpenters, machinists, engineers, computer programmers, and automotive technicians is equally important. Students should know these careers are just as important — and, in some cases, more lucrative — than a traditional two or four-year college path.

Fostering innovation, teaching children the basics, instructing them in applying their education, promoting lifetime learning and skills development — these educational cornerstones are the foundations for building New York’s innovation economy.        

Brian M. Kolb (R,I,C–Canandaigua) is the New York Assembly Minority Leader and represents the 129th Assembly District, which encompasses parts of Ontario, Cayuga, Onondaga, and Cortland counties, and all of Seneca County. Contact him at (315) 781-2030 or kolbb@assembly.state.ny.us