For many TA leaders, hiring isn’t just about filling a job; it’s about investing in potential. Sure, experience might open doors, but it’s an individual’s soft skills that determine whether someone will succeed once they’re in.
Traits like adaptability, persuasion, and communication often matter more than a list of past titles or degrees. And when it comes to early career candidates, such as recent graduates, students, and individuals entering the workforce for the first time, this truth becomes even more pronounced. Without years of experience to lean on, you can’t afford to guess. You need a clear, reliable way to measure what truly drives success. That is where a soft skills assessment becomes essential.
Hiring for early career talent is a different game entirely. These candidates are not coming to you with decades of experience, polished portfolios, or long lists of professional milestones. At best, you might see a handful of internships, part-time jobs, or volunteer work—valuable, but not always a clear signal of how someone will perform in your unique environment. The traditional resume leaves too much to the imagination. So, how do you spot true potential when experience alone cannot guide you? You stop hiring for the past and start hiring for the possibilities.
This is where soft skills assessments change the game. They give you a science-backed window into a candidate’s natural abilities—their communication style, resilience, problem-solving instincts, and adaptability. These are the attributes that fuel success on the job, and they are the ones a resume simply cannot reveal.
While hard skills like coding in Python or speaking fluent French can be taught and tested, soft skills are more nuanced. They are the building blocks of teamwork, culture fit, and long-term performance. Think curiosity, empathy, resilience, and collaboration—the traits that fuel adaptability and leadership over time.
The best kind of soft skills assessments use the science behind Industrial/Organizational psychology to measure critical attributes such as:
These are the traits that often outlast technical knowledge and outshine experience alone, especially when you are hiring early career talent.
Unlike specific tools or platforms that come and go, soft skills stay relevant no matter how the landscape evolves. In fact, a 2023 report by the World Economic Forum ranked problem-solving, self-management, and the ability to work effectively with others among the top skills for the future. These are not technical skills; they are human skills, and they are the ones that technology simply can’t replace.
When you rely on guesswork instead of science, you create real risks:
A standardized soft skills assessment closes these gaps. It gives every candidate an equal opportunity by measuring their ability to succeed, grow, and contribute, not the prestige of their background.
When you're ready to add a soft skills assessment to your hiring process, here are a few steps to set yourself up for success:
Early career hiring does not have to be a guessing game. By incorporating a soft skills assessment into your process, you gain a clear, equitable, and future-ready view of every candidate, something a resume or GPA alone can never fully capture.
It is time to hire for potential, not just polish. Assessments like Plum’s provide science-backed insights into the soft skills that predict long-term success, helping you make smarter, more confident hiring decisions.
When you prioritize the traits that drive performance and growth, you are not only making stronger hires today; you are building a workforce that can adapt, lead, and thrive in the years ahead.