Dive Brief:
- Soft skills such as adaptability, reliability, work ethic and emotional intelligence are stronger predictors of long-term performance than technical qualifications alone, according to a survey by Snelling, a U.S. staffing firm within the HireQuest network of staffing and recruiting brands.
- Snelling surveyed its offices across more than 100 local markets and found that employers were hiring for potential rather than based on “perfect resumes.” In addition, many offices estimated that between 50% and 75% of recent successful placements “were based primarily on attitude, coachability and growth trajectory” instead of an exact skills match.
- The survey also found that strategic hiring during downturns such as the COVID-19 pandemic and regional slowdowns created lasting advantage, with recruiters saying that companies that continued hiring during challenging periods “emerged faster and stronger, gaining market share and leadership depth.”
Dive Insight:
Snelling commissioned the survey to mark its 75th year in business. The company said in a release that its survey findings not only highlighted the ways in which hiring priorities are shifting in 2026 but also “what decades of workforce cycles reveal about what truly endures.”
The survey found that human relationships continued to outperform digital-only recruiting, with most Snelling offices reporting that placements that were recruiter-led and relationship-driven performed “slightly to significantly better” than placements and candidate sourcing driven only by algorithms. These findings underscored the value of cultural fit and real-world judgment, per the release.
“Every generation believes today’s labor market is unprecedented, yet over seven decades we’ve seen the same cycles of disruption and renewal,” Rick Hermanns, CEO of HireQuest, which acquired Snelling in 2021, said in the release. “What consistently drives success isn’t just technology, it’s trusted relationships, local insight and a deep understanding of what fulfills people at work.”
Meanwhile, recent LinkedIn research found that recruiters are increasingly using artificial intelligence as they face pressure to find the right candidates for a limited number of available spots. Ninety-three percent of TA professionals told LinkedIn that they planned to grow their AI use in 2026 in order to meet hiring goals, evaluate candidates and source talent.