What is a 'personality hire'?

When hiring, employers tend to focus on a candidate’s skills, qualifications and experience. But the concept of the "personality hire" has gained traction on TikTok, with many people suggesting characteristics like having charisma, a sense of humour and being personable can bring many benefits to workplaces too.

Often, the term personality hire is used in a slightly derogatory way to refer to colleagues who bring the "good vibes" rather than delivering the work. But this isn’t necessarily accurate as having employees with good social skills can actually be the key to a positive, productive workforce.

"It's hiring someone predominantly for their personality and behavioural traits either because they will fit in well with the team, work better with clients or just because they are a more likeable person in the eyes of the hiring manager,” explains Rachel Grace Elliott, a career change coach.

"But personality hires are not always an alternative to hiring for skills — the skills are often an expected baseline and considering someone's personality can be a differentiator."

There is a strong case to be made for personality hire, depending on the role they fill. For example, a client-facing job — one that involves connecting with people on a personal level or "schmoozing" — may be ideal for someone with good interpersonal skills. These so-called ‘soft skills’ are often overlooked, but are essential for communication and collaboration.

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Research suggests businesses recruit workers for different tasks depending on their personality traits. In a study published in 2022, recruiters of 634 German firms were asked to choose between job applicants with different characteristics. They found people who were extraverted and agreeable were preferred for interactive tasks that involved working with other people.

“A personable character is more desirable for a client-facing role whereas a routine-loving, detail-oriented character is likely to be a more sustainable choice for a rigid role where accuracy and repetition is key,” says Elliott. “Technically though, this isn't really choosing personality before skills because our competency — and enjoyment — in performing certain skills is influenced by our natural personality traits.

“When personality hires are made at the expense of someone else with more skills or experience, it's usually because the nature of the job itself requires certain traits that take precedence over who is technically best at the job,” she adds.

If a role requires a fair amount of interacting with others, someone who appears shy but has the skills and experience to put on a personable front may not be a sustainable hire. Having to ‘mask’ their true self day in and day out may well lead to stress and burnout — and research suggests that feeling able to be yourself is important for productivity and creativity. However, someone who is naturally personable may thrive in that role.

“If done carefully and fairly, a personality hire can result in better team dynamics, higher employee retention and more productive outcomes for the business,” says Elliott. “It can ensure the business is represented by carefully selected employees who represent the company's culture and values."

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Although it’s human nature to hire people who are generally likeable or to whom we can relate to in some way, this can also be problematic. Bias is one of the biggest issues recruiters face, and hiring someone based on their personality can easily be discriminatory.

Managers may end up hiring people that fit with their idea of a "good" employee. And often, this is someone who is similar to them in age, ethnicity, gender and other factors, which is one of the reasons why there are fewer women and people of colour in leadership positions.

"The risk with personality hires is allowing bias to seep into your business,” says Elliott. “It's important to have a diverse hiring team to mitigate this. Stats show that companies perform better with diverse teams. If you hire a set of similar personalities into one team, the lack of different perspectives can impact innovation and creativity.”

Also, just because you get along with a candidate doesn’t mean they will be successful in a job. Research shows using personality traits as a basis for hiring doesn’t predict job performance. Instead, it can lead to someone with excellent skills and experience being overlooked because they aren’t outgoing.

“Employers can regret a personality hire when they lack an understanding or training in personality and motivational theories,” says Elliott. “There is a risk that they might hire someone who is wrong for the role itself even if the person is right for the team. For example, hiring someone they think is likeable and fun for the team when they fundamentally need someone instead who likes routine, repetition, detail and churning out work.”

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