Soft Skills: The New Frontier for Equal Opportunity
Éline Bardeau, a business relations specialist at Article 1, offers a fresh take on how soft skills can help level the playing field in recruitment. Her reflections, published in RH&M magazine, highlight how these personal attributes are becoming essential for equal opportunity.
Breaking the Bias in Hiring
According to Institut Montaigne, when two candidates have similar qualifications, factors like their name or background can lead to one applicant needing to send out four times more applications to land the same interview. Traditional hiring criteria—such as degrees or previous job experience—can unintentionally perpetuate inequality.
At Article 1, the goal is to challenge these barriers by highlighting individual strengths, especially those learned outside formal education: soft skills.
What Are Soft Skills?
Soft skills are transferable abilities gained through everyday life—school, sports, volunteering, part-time jobs, or even family responsibilities. These include:
- Emotional intelligence
- Adaptability
- Teamwork
- Communication
- Problem-solving
Unlike technical skills that become outdated (the OECD says their lifespan is about 2.5 years), soft skills stay relevant and adaptable.
Recruiters are increasingly focusing on these qualities. A 2019 LinkedIn study revealed that 89% of hiring failures during probation periods are due to a lack of soft skills.
They also influence career growth—soft skills account for 20% of salary differences among people with the same qualifications (CEREQ, 2019).
Helping Young People Showcase Their Strengths
Too often, young applicants:
- Don’t recognize the value of their personal or informal experiences.
- Struggle to translate those into professional terms.
- Leave them off CVs or don’t mention them in interviews.
Recruiters, meanwhile, often filter candidates based on degrees or prestigious internships.
That’s why Article 1 created Jobready—a program that:
- Uses a digital tool to identify transferable skills.
- Offers in-person coaching and workshops.
- Builds self-confidence by helping participants present their experiences effectively.
It also guides companies to consider these skills in hiring, promoting inclusive and diverse recruitment practices.
Conclusion: A Shift in Culture
Focusing on soft skills empowers both sides:
- Young people can break free from self-doubt and challenge outdated norms.
- Companies benefit from more diverse, resilient, and high-performing teams.
Soft skills unlock equal opportunity by making potential more visible—and recruitment more human.