How to Find Candidates with the Communication Skills of the Future

Communication skills are always in-demand, but since the ways we communicate change, recruiters aren’t always looking for the same old skills from candidates. Wouldn’t it be great if you knew what the next hot skill is going to be?

To get you ahead of the game, we asked recruiting experts about the most important communication trends impacting the workplace in the near future. Based off those trends, they have predictions about the communication skills you should start looking for now. This way, as new changes pop up, you already have the employees you need to succeed as a team.

Here are four communication trends that experts have noticed and the skills they suggest prioritizing to make the most of the trend:

Asynchronous communication

As mentioned in a survey by Fiverr, 55% of remote workers now telecommute on a full-time basis. This means employees have to work in varying time zones, on top of having to communicate with people from diverse cultural backgrounds.

Being remote means employees have to depend more on asynchronous communication (e.g. emails). Methods of speaking in person, on the phone, or through live chat may be challenging due to varying time zones. 

Find out if candidates have peers, colleagues, friends, and family members in different time zones, and what tools they use to communicate with them. This helps determine if the candidates are able to explain their views about a complex topic through written text without relying on verbal or in-person communication.

Syed Irfan Ajmal, managing director of GigWorker

Storytelling

Whether you’re a rising manager or the CEO, being a strong storyteller will take you far. And in today’s “always-on, always-connected” virtual world, being able to tell a compelling story effectively is even more critical. People have less time and their attention is being pulled in more directions than ever. So it’s crucial that employees and leaders alike become skilled in storytelling.

Actions people need to take to ensure they can be effective communicators: 

• Proactively close the gap between what we say and what we mean.
• Make your strategy a compelling story so people will want to be a part of it.
• Don’t place foolish emphasis on WIIFM (What’s In It For Me). While that is certainly an important question to gain clarity on, we have found that engaging people in the adventure and possibilities of what can be created together is even more important.

Jim Haudan, co-founder and Chairman of Root Inc., and Rich Berens, CEO of Root Inc.; co-authors of What Are Your Blind Spots? Conquering the 5 Misconceptions that Hold Leaders Back

AI and social media

With all the digitalization of communication, candidates, and employees should be technically savvy and familiar with remote communication skills. Being able to present oneself online in a way that is eloquent and professional through digital communications like email and social media will be more important to the company’s public image. With all the automation, it is also important to be personable and engaging in all of their communication between co-workers, customers, and clients.

At ProSky, we’re a big supporter of performance-based hiring, or basically, testing candidates on their soft skills and technical skills through projects and challenges 

before hiring. These projects can be completed in a team setting with current employees or on an individual basis to get an accurate representation of communication skills proficiency and cultural fit with the company. 

Crystal Huang, CEO of ProSky

Using multiple tools

As technology continues to advance, global communication becomes easier, and remote teams become more prevalent in organizations. And I can see the ability to communicate effectively over digital becoming a skill that hiring managers look for in candidates, especially those in managerial or leadership positions.

Being able to clearly communicate directives and strategies over voice, video, and text-based tools (such as text messaging, direct messaging, and email) will become increasingly important. You can also add the ability to leverage project planning or organizational tools to track tasks across global teams as a skill that will become increasingly more important for hiring managers building teams for the future. 

Kane Carpenter, director of Employment BOOST