How to Hire for “Soft Skills” When Everyone Claims to Have Them

Almost every CV in Singapore now describes its owner as a strong communicator, a natural team player and a quick learner. Knowing how to hire for “soft skills” when everyone claims to have them is one of the harder problems employers face, particularly when a wrong hire means fresh work pass costs, a new recruitment cycle and lost momentum. This article explains how to assess interpersonal strengths in a structured and fair way, and how that fits within Singapore’s hiring and work pass rules.

Who this applies to

This guide is relevant to Singapore employers of every size, from owner-managed SMEs hiring their first employee to HR teams recruiting across several departments. It is especially useful where you are considering foreign candidates who will need an Employment Pass, S Pass or Work Permit, because a poor fit is more costly when the role is tied to a work pass, quota and levy.

It also applies to hiring managers who interview without formal training. Soft skills are the area where untrained interviewers tend to rely on gut feel, and gut feel is where bias and inconsistency creep in.

Key rules and requirements in Singapore

There is no rule that tells an employer how to measure soft skills. What exists is a set of obligations that shape how you can go about it.

• Fair hiring: The Tripartite Guidelines on Fair Employment Practices require employers to select candidates on merit, such as skills, experience and ability to perform the job, and not on age, race, gender, religion, marital status or family responsibilities. Interview questions about “culture fit” should be tied to job behaviours and not personal characteristics.
• Fair Consideration Framework (FCF): For Employment Pass and S Pass roles, employers must advertise the vacancy on MyCareersFuture for the required period before applying, unless exempt, and must consider local candidates fairly. Documenting your soft skills criteria helps show that your assessment was consistent and job-related.
• COMPASS framework: Employment Pass applications are assessed on a points system covering salary, qualifications, diversity, support for local employment and other factors. Soft skills are not scored directly, but a well-chosen hire supports retention and long-term workforce planning.
• Personal data: Under the Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA), you may collect, use and disclose candidate data only for purposes the candidate has been told about. This covers interview notes, assessment scores and reference checks.
• Employment Act and work pass conditions: Once hired, the terms you offered must be reflected accurately in the employment contract and in MOM Work Pass Online submissions. Overstating a role in order to attract a candidate can create problems later.

Step-by-step process

1. Define the behaviours the role actually needs

“Good communicator” means very different things for a payroll executive and a client-facing account manager. Write down three to five specific behaviours for the role, such as “explains technical issues to non-specialists” or “raises concerns early instead of working around them”.

2. Use behavioural questions, not hypotheticals

Ask candidates to describe what they have actually done. A question such as “Tell me about a time you disagreed with a colleague and how you resolved it” produces evidence. “How would you handle conflict?” produces a rehearsed answer.

3. Follow up on detail

Genuine experience holds up under follow-up questions. Ask what the candidate said, what the other person replied, what they would do differently and what the result was. Vague or inconsistent answers are informative.

4. Score each answer against a simple rubric

Use a 1 to 4 scale with a short description of what each level looks like. Score immediately after each interview, before comparing notes with other interviewers, so that the first confident voice in the room does not set the outcome.

5. Add a work sample or short exercise

A short written reply to a difficult customer email, a role-play of a handover, or a brief group task shows more than conversation does. Keep exercises short, relevant and the same for every candidate.

6. Check references with specific questions

Ask referees how the candidate behaved in particular situations. Obtain the candidate’s consent first, in line with the PDPA.

7. Use the probation period deliberately

Probation is a legitimate point to confirm soft skills in real work. Set out in writing what you will review and when, and give feedback during the period, not only at the end.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Hiring people who resemble the interviewer. Similarity feels like chemistry, but it narrows your team and can drift into discriminatory selection.
• Treating confidence as competence. Fluent speakers often interview well. Quieter candidates may be excellent collaborators and simply need better questions.
• Changing the questions between candidates. Different questions make scores impossible to compare and weaken your position if a hiring decision is questioned.
• Asking about protected characteristics. Questions on plans for marriage, children or religion have no place in an interview.
• Ignoring cultural and language differences. A candidate educated overseas may communicate in a different style from what you expect. Judge the behaviour that matters for the job, not the accent or the manner.
• Skipping documentation. Without written criteria and scores, you cannot explain a decision later, and you cannot learn which methods predict good hires.

Practical examples

Example 1: A customer service supervisor

A retail company in Singapore needs a supervisor who can calm upset customers and coach junior staff. Instead of asking “Are you good with people?”, the hiring manager asks for a recent example of a complaint the candidate resolved, then presents a scripted role-play of a refund dispute. Each candidate is scored against the same four behaviours. The strongest scorer is not the most talkative candidate, and the team is better for it.

Example 2: An S Pass finance executive

An SME is hiring a finance executive from overseas. After meeting the FCF advertising requirement, it shortlists three candidates. All three claim strong teamwork. A short exercise asks each to explain a variance report to a non-finance manager in plain English. The scores are recorded, and the same notes later support the S Pass application and the employer’s own hiring file.

Example 3: A fast-growing start-up

A start-up hires quickly and relies on informal chats. After two early hires leave within six months, it introduces a one-page rubric and a second interviewer. Retention improves, and the founders find it easier to explain hiring decisions to candidates who were not selected.

How Singapore Employment Agency can help

Singapore Employment Agency supports employers with work pass applications, renewals and appeals, as well as HR compliance and immigration matters. Where you are hiring foreign talent, we can help you align your job advertising, candidate documentation and Employment Pass, S Pass or Work Permit submissions so that your selection process is consistent from interview to approval. We can also review how your interview process fits within the Fair Consideration Framework and the Tripartite Guidelines on Fair Employment Practices.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I test a candidate’s personality before hiring?

You may use assessments, provided they are relevant to the job, applied consistently and handled in line with the PDPA. Be cautious about treating a personality profile as a pass or fail result, because many tools have limited evidence behind them and can screen out capable people unfairly.

Does MOM assess soft skills for an Employment Pass?

No. MOM assesses qualifications, salary, and the COMPASS criteria. Soft skills are a matter for your own hiring process, though a good fit helps you keep the employee for the full duration of the pass.

Is it acceptable to reject someone for “poor culture fit”?

Only if the term refers to job-related behaviours that you have defined in advance. Used loosely, it can mask bias and conflict with fair employment practices.

How many interviewers should be involved?

Two or three is usually enough. What matters most is that each interviewer scores independently using the same rubric.

What if a new hire’s soft skills turn out weaker than expected?

Use the probation period to give specific, documented feedback and a reasonable chance to improve. Ensure any action taken complies with the employment contract and the Employment Act.

Key takeaways

• Soft skills claims on a CV are cheap, so look for evidence of behaviour instead.
• Define three to five observable behaviours for each role before you interview.
• Ask the same behavioural questions of every candidate and score them against a rubric.
• Add a short work sample where possible, and follow up on detail.
• Keep assessments job-related to stay within fair employment practices and the PDPA.
• Document your criteria and scores, which supports FCF compliance and future hiring decisions.

Requirements may change, so always check the latest guidance from MOM, IRAS or ACRA, or consult a professional adviser.

If you would like to find out more about how Singapore Employment Agency can assist with your work pass and employment compliance requirements, please get in touch with the team at [email protected].

Yours sincerely,
The editorial team at Singapore Employment Agency

Disclaimer: This does not constitute legal advice. If you require legal advice, please contact a lawyer.