You know those “soft skills” like authenticity, passionate, curious, etc? I heard someone say these are really “essential skills” and I firmly agree! For my current employer, these “essential skills” are found in our core values. And they are a critical piece of the interviewing that I assist with for upcoming or recent college graduates.
For example, one question for authenticity is:
Describe a time when you missed a deadline or were not able to follow through on a commitment to someone (e.g., customer, colleague, or direct report).
I mean, this is something that will happen, nobody is perfect right? So how would you deal with this? Many candidates talk about failing to complete a project ontime. Some talk about factors that caused it to happen. But the best answers include what they learned from this experience, that it is best for it to not be a surprise – the customer/colleague/direct report should already know that the deadline is at risk before it is missed.
A recent Forbes article listed some myths about authenticity that I need to reiterate. Being authentic doesn’t mean you get a pass to say whatever the heck you want. You are still a professional. Authenticity for me means that you act with integrity, you don’t LIE to customers or team members or management. And you stay true to yourself.
Here is another example, years ago my husband got a job at a credit card company assisting with analyzing credit card offers to maximize profitability. He saw where they were maxing fees in a predatory manner to those who could least afford it. He shared with me that he wanted to quit immediately, it bother him so much. It would be a struggle for a bit while he found another job but his integrity was that important. That my friends is being true to self, being authentic.
Alright – before I get emotional about how awesome my husband is I best be going. But that could lead into the next podcast – vulnerability.
Well until next time, stay safe everyone.
