1. Goal setting

Goal setting is the ability to assess a project, define objectives, establish a timeline and create a plan of action. It’s a good foundation for all other time management skills. Before beginning any task or project, employees must know what to accomplish and when.

Employees with strong goal-setting abilities can be an asset in every industry. However, it’s particularly important for roles that involve project management or team oversight.

How to hire for goal-setting skills

Consider including the following goal-setting skills in your job description:

• Request applicants who can evaluate projects and identify objectives.

• Highlight your preference for strong organization and decision-making skills.

• Note the importance of developing and sticking to a timeline.

Assessing the skill

Try these strategies to assess candidates’ goal-setting skills:

• Behavioral questions. Ask interviewees about their preferred goal-setting method.

• Experiences. Ask about a time when the candidate successfully set goals for a project.

• Scenario responses. Explain a potential scenario and ask them how they would approach identifying key objectives.

Read more: Time Management Interview Questions

Roles where this skill excels

Roles that require advanced goal-setting skills often include:

• Project manager. Project managers are responsible for setting goals and milestones and tracking progress.

• Executive director. These professionals set company-wide objectives that help businesses develop and grow.

2. Prioritization

Prioritization is the practice of ranking and completing tasks in order of importance. Employees with this skill work on urgent tasks first, ensuring deadlines are met and projects stay on schedule. They can usually manage their workloads without extensive oversight.

This skill is critical for roles that involve teamwork and interdependencies between departments. When team members regularly assess project goals and prioritize tasks accordingly, they’re less likely to create delays or bottlenecks that impact the group.

How to hire for prioritization skills

Consider using these phrases in your job description to help find applicants with prioritization skills:

• Applicants who can prioritize tasks to support project or team goals

• Candidates who are comfortable rearranging priorities

• Desired skills such as organization and boundary-setting

Assessing the skill

You can evaluate candidates’ prioritization skills by:

• Assigning a practical test. Create an example situation that requires prioritization and ask candidates to determine how they would prioritize work on a daily and weekly basis.

• Asking process-based questions. Ask candidates about their experience prioritizing tasks for complex projects.

• Asking open-ended questions. Ask questions that help you assess prioritization indirectly, such as “Can you describe a typical morning at work?”

Roles where this skill excels

The following professionals often benefit from having strong prioritization skills:

• Manager. Managers establish team and individual goals, making real-time adjustments based on shifting company priorities.

• Owner-operator. Business owners constantly assess the company’s priorities and adjust goals accordingly.

3. Ability to meet deadlines

Deadlines often require employees to give their full attention to a single task. However, how an employee finishes their duties may depend on the worker.

For example, some employees may prefer to shift between tasks, enabling them to complete multiple deadlines simultaneously. Others may identify the most important task and work until it’s complete. As long as employees meet deadlines, the approach can often be adjusted based on individual preference.

How to hire for the ability to meet deadlines

To recruit applicants who meet deadlines, consider including the following in your job description:

• Ask for applicants who can enforce boundaries.

• Note duties that require candidates to meet tight deadlines.

• Mention the work environment and request candidates who can thrive in a similar atmosphere.

Assessing the skill

To assess how well a candidate can complete tasks on time, try these methods:

• Experiential interviews. Conduct an interview assessment in a coffee shop or another busy location and observe how the candidate responds.

• Skills test. Ask the candidate to complete a skills test for other relevant skills to see how they complete the task in a high-pressure situation.

• Behavioral questions. Ask how the candidate has managed deadlines in the past. The answer can tell you about the person’s self-awareness and personal working style.

Roles where this skill excels

Meeting deadlines is an essential skill for jobs including:

• Writer. Writers often face quick turnaround times as they do background research, encounter new ideas and conduct interviews.

• Executive assistants. This role is often deadline-driven, with frequent phone calls, emails and other assignments.

4. Planning

Planning involves evaluating project objectives and determining how to achieve them on time. Employees with this skill are detail-oriented. They consider a range of factors, including deadlines, milestones and dependencies, when creating a plan. They help ensure deliverables are complete and finished on time.

Hiring effective planners is beneficial for companies in any industry. However, this skill is essential for roles that own projects or manage multiple tasks simultaneously.

How to hire for planning time management skills

While writing a job description for a position that involves planning, use these tips to help find quality candidates:

• Indicate a preference for candidates who are organized, logical and detail-oriented.

• Suggest that applicants with experience planning schedules, projects or events may be well-suited for the role.

• Highlight responsibilities that require planning, such as organizing business travel or hosting fundraisers.

Assessing the skill

These methods can help you determine whether a candidate has adequate planning skills:

• Experiential questions. Ask about a candidate’s experience with large-scale planning.

• Potential scenarios. Propose a scenario where the candidate has multiple projects due in the same week and ask how they would prioritize their work.

• Related questions. Ask how a candidate meets deadlines and stays on schedule to get a sense of their planning process.

Roles where this skill excels

People with strong planning skills are often necessary for roles such as:

• Event planner. This role requires a high level of forethought, organization and attention to detail.

• Personal assistant. Assistants often plan and organize many details of their supervisor’s professional lives, including planning business trips and scheduling meetings.

5. Delegation

Delegation, the act of handing off tasks to other team members, is one of the top time management skills to look for in job candidates. It requires humility and self-awareness; employees must recognize which tasks are outside their core expertise and give them to someone who can complete the work more efficiently.

There’s a reason delegation is a key factor in many examples of time management—when employees know their limits, they’re often better able to meet deadlines and prevent burnout . Delegation is an essential skill for managers because it requires employees to understand and respect other team members’ areas of expertise.

How to hire for delegation skills

As you’re writing a job description, use these tips to help attract people with delegation skills:

• Mention the need for prioritizing tasks and identifying the right employee for each job.

• Include soft skills such as self-awareness, communication and trust.

• Call out job duties that require delegation, such as team and project management.

Assessing the skill

These methods can help you evaluate a candidate’s delegation abilities:

• Role playing. Ask candidates to pretend you’re an employee and delegate a new task. Pay attention to how clearly they communicate instructions and expectations.

• Behavioral questions. Ask about the factors a candidate considers when delegating work.

• Experience examples. Have the candidate provide time management skills examples that involve delegating tasks to meet a deadline.

Roles where this skill excels

Jobs that typically benefit from delegation skills include:

• Team leader. This role requires the candidate to monitor projects and individual workloads and delegate tasks according to current needs.

• Executive chef. This person supervises a kitchen and delegates tasks to keep orders moving smoothly.