In the dynamic world of Human Resources, evaluating soft skills is both an art and a science. While hard skills can be quantified and measured, soft skills require a more nuanced approach. The key is not the number of questions but their relevance and depth.

So, how many questions should we use to assess a competency effectively?

A well-crafted set of 2 to a maximum of 3 key questions per competency can be more effective than a lengthy set of 20 or more superficial questions.

The idea is first to address a key question and then apply the STAR method.

For example, let's say you want to evaluate team collaboration competency, and you selected 3 key questions from our platform.

1. Tell us about a time you had to work on a team that did not get along.” “What was the context?

2. Describe a project that required close collaboration with multiple team members. How did you ensure effective teamwork?

3. Share an example of a situation when you had to adapt your style to work better with a team.

First, you start by addressing the 1st key question from your list:

◣ 1. Tell us about a time you had to work on a team that did not get along. What was the context?

The candidate will most likely describe the context of that situation. Next, dive deeper into their experience by discussing the tasks and challenges they encountered within that situation. This means you stick to the 1st key question and address other related questions.

1.1 Describe the steps you took to solve this situation.

1.2 Describe a significant challenge you encountered when collaborating with this team.

1.3 Tell me how this situation could have been avoided.

1.4 Tell me, what would you do differently this time?

If the candidate does not provide enough information, you can switch to the 2nd key question from your list and start over:

◣ 2. Describe a project that required close collaboration with multiple team members. How did you ensure effective teamwork?

The candidate will most likely describe again the context of that situation. As previously mentioned, the idea is to dive deeper into their experience by discussing the challenges and solutions they encountered in that situation. This means sticking to the 2nd key question.

2.1 Describe the steps you took to collaborate better.

2.2 Describe a challenge you encountered when collaborating with these colleagues.

2.3 Tell me three easiest things you had to do in this collaboration.

2.4 Tell me three of the most challenging things you had to do in this context.

2.5 Tell me, what would you do differently this time?

Suppose the candidate does not provide extensive answers, or you need to explore this competency further. In that case, you can also address the 3rd key question:

◣ 3. Share an example of a situation when you had to adapt your style to work better with a team.

Again, dive deeper into their experience and apply the STAR method. This means sticking to the 3rd key question.

3.1 Describe the steps you took to adapt your collaborative style.

3.2 Describe a challenge you encountered when collaborating with this team.

3.3 Tell me the easiest thing you had to do in this collaboration.

3.4 Tell me a difficult thing you had to do in this context.

3.5 Tell me, what would you do differently this time?

All these 3 key questions offer consistency, and as you can see, you don't need to select more to evaluate a candidate's team collaboration competency. The idea is to address them and follow up with supporting questions, as in all the above examples. If the candidate is not offering in-depth answers, this means that they most likely do not have team collaboration skills.

Happy interviewing!

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