6 Soft Skills Recruiters Will Need in the Age of AI

Even as the future of work becomes more intriguing and transformational, it also becomes more promising.

Our current boom in artificial intelligence, including generative AI systems such as ChatGPT, can make recruiting more efficient. High-effort, time-consuming tasks, such as posting job listings, sifting through applications, and keeping up with routine communication, benefit from automation and AI tools. 

But technology alone isn’t enough. Human-centered “soft” skills, which focus on emotional intelligence, interpersonal communication, and other hard-to-measure abilities, will become increasingly important for recruiters. 

Don’t believe us? Ask AI itself which skills matter. Jamie Merisotis, CEO of the Lumina Foundation, did just that and here’s how ChatGPT responded: 

“Training people to work with artificial intelligence (AI) in the future will require a combination of technical knowledge and soft skills. . . . Collaboration and communication skills are essential for individuals working in AI, as they will need to work with a variety of stakeholders, including technical and non-technical teams, as well as customers and stakeholders.”

Of course, soft skills can’t entirely replace the technical knowledge and “hard” skills that will drive innovation through AI. But they can deliver benefits and outcomes that automation and code alone cannot. Here’s a look at the six soft skills that will matter most to recruiters in the age of AI.

1. Communication skills build connections and improve the candidate experience

Communication skills have always been make-or-break for recruiters, but as conversations with talent, employers, and internal teams spread across more mediums, they become more complex. AI is fueling the rise of recruiter chatbots, which can help candidates get answers to basic questions, arrange interviews, and allow for initial screenings. 

But while technology can help start conversations, recruiters with the right soft skills are better at drawing the right information from them. “Recruiters need to be able to ask questions and really understand what they’re being asked to do, and how that fits into the overall goals and objectives of the business,” says Amplify founder Lars Schmidt. AI, meanwhile, still can’t dig deeper into motivations, build trust, or address more subjective or complex questions. 

As a result, active listening, through which people connect in conversation more deeply via verbal and nonverbal cues, is a key tool for recruiters. It allows them to get to the heart of what both the candidate and the employer want and to understand their expectations. Feeling seen and heard — along with timely and transparent communications overall — is key to a positive candidate experience. 

And that experience is crucial: It shows talent what they can expect once they’re hired and informs how they talk about the company even if they don’t land a job there. 

2. Empathy keeps recruiting human-centered

Automated video interviews (AVIs) and other variations on automated interviewing can save time for both applicants and recruiters in the early stages of the hiring process. And though they’re becoming more widely used, their screening potential is still limited — and they can feel cold to interviewees. What in-person interviews and other one-on-one contact with recruiters can offer is a human touch. That’s because human beings can utilize empathy — the ability to feel or understand another person’s emotions from their perspective — to connect in more meaningful ways. 

That human connection is something technology alone can’t deliver — and something that’s becoming increasingly important. The ability to put oneself in another’s shoes can help recruiters understand candidates’ needs and motivations, making them feel seen and heard. It can also foster healthy connections between colleagues and teams internally, which can have real benefits. One study found 61% of employees report being more innovative with “highly empathetic” senior leaders and 76% report being more engaged.

3. Relationship-building attracts top talent

Sorting through resumes can be time-consuming: 52% of talent acquisition leaders say it’s the hardest part of recruiting. AI tools such as intelligent screening software can sort through data to find candidates within a talent pool that may match a role. But recruiters build the complex web of relationships that help fill that pool in the first place. 

As a soft skill, relationship-building is critical to creating and maintaining a network of talent sources, as well as connecting with candidates themselves. In fact, LinkedIn’s Future of Recruiting research found that 73% of industry professionals believe relationship-building will be among the most important soft skills in the next five years. In a tight talent market, fostering relationships with top talent could be the secret to success. Related soft skills such as teamwork, interpersonal communication, and leadership can help smooth the complicated hiring process and give both employers and candidates the confidence they need to see the process through.

4. Critical thinking helps recruiters filter the noise and make more strategic decisions

AI can offer recruiters a wealth of information and an assortment of potential solutions to a host of problems. But which one is right? Discerning the best option is essential and that means soft skills like informed decision-making, analysis, evaluation, and curiosity need to be used to land on the best path forward. Critical thinking allows recruiters to sort through the sheer volume of information to determine which data points and ideas are most important — and most relevant to company goals.

Critical thinking skills will also be needed to intelligently sort through the quickly growing number of AI options and to decide which to deploy and when. Using soft skills like critical thinking and analysis, recruiters can better position themselves to get what they need from new technologies.

5. Cultural intelligence prevents bias and supports DEI goals

When companies put a premium on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), those values need to be baked into the technology they use. But while AI tools, such as intelligent screening software, can be programmed to look for certain criteria, they can’t entirely eliminate bias. “These tools can’t be trained to only identify job-related characteristics and strip out gender and race from the hiring process, because the kinds of attributes we think are essential for being a good employee are inherently bound up with gender and race," says University of Cambridge researcher Kerry Mackereth.

That’s where soft skills come into play. For recruiters to reflect DEI in their work, they need to focus on cultural intelligence. By developing and using those skills in tandem with automation, they can ensure DEI efforts are a part of the sourcing and hiring processes.

6. Adaptability helps recruiters keep up with change

Change, as they say, is the only constant. “Even for me, the pace of change right now is startling, particularly when it comes to AI,” says author and futurist Bernard Marr. “This means people will have to be agile and cultivate the ability to embrace — and even celebrate — change.” 

Given all the transformations — including new ways to use AI and GAI — in the workplace, recruiters will need to develop adaptability as a soft skill. People who are comfortable being flexible and resilient are more likely to thrive as they incorporate new technology into their repertoire. Adaptability is “necessary for working with AI systems that can change rapidly and unpredictably,” writes cybersecurity analyst Benjamin Rosen (in an article, appropriately, written in collaboration with AI systems). “It also helps us cope with AI’s disruption of various industries and domains.” 

Final thoughts

Artificial intelligence is rapidly changing the way recruiters operate. But making the most of new technology means developing not just the hard skills to use it, but the soft skills that maximize its impact. Communication, empathy, relationship-building, critical thinking, cultural intelligence, and adaptability, among other abilities, can help recruiters maintain a human touch in every part of their work. 

AI and automation may make the day-to-day tasks of talent acquisition professionals easier, but soft skills are what will make recruiters indispensable.