The case for ‘personality hires’

One approach to hiring which is currently trending is the idea of personality hires which are characterised by their ability to bring the right ‘vibe’ to the workplace. The focus here is on evaluating a candidate’s personality traits and cultural fit within the company, rather than solely on skills and experience. However, social media has given the term ‘personality hire’ a negative connotation over the last few years believing that companies ignore hard-earned qualifications in favour of specific personality types.. However, there is a good reason for companies to employ a personality hire if they provide a balanced approach.  

The Pros of Personality Hires 

Enhance Cultural Fit: A significant benefit of personality hires is the potential for a better cultural fit. Companies with strong, cohesive cultures often see higher levels of employee satisfaction, engagement, and productivity. Hiring candidates who align with the company’s values and ethos can foster a harmonious work environment. When employees resonate with the company’s culture, they are more likely to stay longer, reducing turnover rates and the associated costs of rehiring and retraining. 

 Check out these interview questions to make sure your candidate fits your company’s culture 

Improve team dynamics: Personality hiring can help to enhance team dynamics. Teams are most effective when their members complement each other in terms of personality and work style. By carefully selecting candidates whose personalities mesh well with existing team members and managers which can create a more cohesive and collaborative team.  

Increased Employee Engagement: Employees who feel they fit well within their company culture are more engaged. Engagement is linked to motivation, job satisfaction, and performance. Personality hires can ensure that employees feel valued and understood within their organisation, driving them to invest more effort and enthusiasm into their roles. Engaged employees are more likely to go beyond in their duties, contributing to the company’s success.  

Better Relations: For customer-facing roles, hiring based on personality can be particularly advantageous. Employees with strong interpersonal skills and the right temperament for customer service can significantly enhance customer satisfaction and loyalty. These employees are often better at handling stressful situations, providing empathetic support, and building lasting relationships with clients. A personality hire often align with brand values, allowing them to provide the specific service customers typically expect from your organisation. 

The Cons of Personality Hires  

Risk of Homogeneity: One of the biggest risks associated with personality hires is the potential for creating a homogeneous workforce. While cultural fit is important, overemphasis on personality lead to a lack of diversity in thought, background, and experience. This homogeneity can stifle innovation and limit the organisations’ ability to adapt to new challenges and opportunities. Diverse teams are proven to be more creative and bette4r at problem-solving due to their varied perspectives. 

Subjectivity in Hiring: Personality assessments can be highly subjective. Unlike technical skills, which can be measured objectively through tests and certifications, personality traits are often evaluated through interviews and questionnaires influenced by unconscious biases. This subjectivity can lead to inconsistencies in the hiring process, where candidates are judged not by their abilities or potential but how well they conform to the interviewers’ expectations and preferences. 

 You may be interested in our post: Are culture interviews discriminatory? – Hireserve 

Potential for Misalignment: While personality tests and assessments can provide insights into a candidate’s temperament, they are not foolproof. There is always the risk that a candidate’s true personality may not align with the results of their assessment, leading to potential misfits. This misalignment can cause friction within teams and dissatisfaction for the employee, impacting performance and retention.  

Overlooking Critical Skills: Focusing too much on personality can sometimes lead to overlooking critical skills and experience necessary for the job. While a candidate may be a great cultural fit, they may lack the technical competencies required to perform their duties effectively. This imbalance can result in underperformance, increased training costs, and potential disruptions to workflow. Companies need to ensure that they are not sacrificing essential skills for the sake of personality alignment.  

Striking the Right Balance 

To leverage the benefits of personality hires while mitigating the drawbacks, companies need to strike a balance between evaluating personality and assessing skills. Here are a few strategies to achieve this balance: 

Use Comprehensive Assessment Tools: Integrating a mix of personality assessments and sills-based evaluations can provide a more holistic view of a candidate. Tools such as behavioural interviews, psychometric tests and practical skills assessments can help ensure that both personality and technical competencies are thoroughly evaluated.  

Promote Diversity and Inclusion: To counteract the risk of homogeneity, companies should prioritise diversity and inclusion in their hiring process. This can be achieved by setting diversity goals, implementing bias training for hiring managers, and using blind recruitment techniques to focus on skills and qualifications over personal characteristics.  

Continuous Monitoring and Feedback: Hiring does not end once the candidate has been onboarded. Continuous monitoring and feedback mechanisms can help identify any potential misalignments early on. Regular check-ins, performance reviews, and employee surveys can provide valuable insights into how well new hires are integrating into the team and performing their roles.  

 Growth Mindset: Encouraging a growth mindset within the organisation can help bridge any gaps between personality and skills. By providing opportunities for professional development, training and mentorship can enable employees to enhance their skills and adapt to the company culture more effectively.  

A personality hire can significantly enhance cultural fit, team dynamics, employee engagement and customer relations. However, they can also carry risks such as promoting homogeneity, introducing subjectivity into the hiring process, potential for misalignment and overlooking critical skills. By creating a balanced approach that combines personality assessments with skills evaluation and promoting diversity and inclusion, companies can maximise the benefits of personality hires while mitigating their drawbacks. In doing so, you can build a more dynamic, innovative, and effective workforce.