3 Reasons Not To Employ Personality Hires

Based on a solid set of soft skills that make up for a lack of technical knowledge, personality hires have become a standard method of recruiting, interviewing, and hiring for businesses.

While the process undoubtedly benefits, there can also be severe drawbacks for both companies and candidates. Thus, caution and thoughtful consideration should be exercised when making a decision.

Because of the tight talent market, businesses are more ready to lower their requirements for some technical talents, which has led to an increase in personality hires.

Furthermore, because the industry is changing so quickly, companies are discovering that staff may need to be trained regardless of whether or not their current abilities are relevant. Therefore, they might be prepared to give up their complex skills to fit a role.

What Is a Personality Hire

Employers who prioritize a candidate’s approach, conduct, and character over their technical competencies are doing so when they make a personality hire. More and more employers are mentioning personality traits in their job postings. Adzuna data indicates that friendliness, confidence, enthusiasm, reliability, and motivation are the most sought-after qualities by companies.

Soft skills like communication, relationship-building, cooperation, and adaptability are the foundation for Personality Hires. Furthermore, although referred to as soft skills, they are anything but. Instead, they control an individual’s capacity to complete tasks and collaborate with others within the company. Resumegenius research found that 54% of hiring managers think soft skills are important.

Personality Hires Can Be Successful

• Since personality has been connected to performance and satisfaction, there are good reasons to hire people with certain personalities.

• Individuals who possess honesty and humility are more likely to exhibit integrity and a positive work ethic, which includes punctuality and follow-through.

• Dependability and accomplishment orientation are traits of successful personalities, and these people typically perform better.

• More outgoing and diligent people are likelier to form lasting bonds with others, advance into leadership positions, and eventually flourish in those capacities.

• Furthermore, outgoing and diligent workers typically report higher levels of job satisfaction.

These are all based on scholarly research published in the Personality Science journal.

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The Disadvantages of Personality Hires

It’s crucial to be aware that hiring personalities might have drawbacks in addition to benefits. A few essential considerations should also be carefully considered when hiring someone with a personality.

1. Personality Hiring May Decrease Output

Ensuring you’re not impeding performance may be the most crucial reason to hold off on hiring someone with a personality. Of course, selecting individuals who will complement the team and bring energy to the culture is essential. Still, if they lack the necessary skills or take too long to train, they will negatively impact the team’s performance.

Individuals are significantly impacted by the decisions and actions of others in their immediate environment, so if a personality hire cannot pick up technical abilities, it could negatively impact the team.

Employers should look for candidates with a positive attitude and lots of enthusiasm and those who can pick up the technical skills necessary to perform well over time.

2. Personality Hiring May Decrease Commitment

Avoiding setting people up for failure is a crucial additional reason to exercise caution when making a personality hire. Everyone has a natural need to matter and feel like they have a purpose in life. We want to be pleased with the impact we have.

Hiring someone incapable of doing the work or taking too long to become proficient may cause them to lose self-worth and identity, which can lower motivation, engagement, and retention.

They can question your hiring decision or believe their skills and the position demands don’t fit. Ultimately, individuals are likely to seek employment elsewhere where they can contribute value if they don’t think they can.

Hire motivated, determined, and committed individuals who can contribute significantly once they’ve had time to hone their technical skills.

3. Personality Hires May Cause Dissatisfaction

Employers also need to use caution when hiring personalities to avoid fostering animosity inside the team. People want justice. In fact, among the most significant values for individuals and groups in a study including sixty distinct nations were fairness and justice.

A person hired only based on their personality runs the danger of becoming a liability to the team or being seen as not contributing, which can lead to dissatisfaction, resentment, or disengagement among team members.

Happiness and fulfilment are fundamentally based on connections, camaraderie, and relationships. Achieving these often requires cooperation. Thus, casting someone in a bad light in front of colleagues can harm the individual and the team’s experience.

Employers should look for candidates who can relate well to others and who, with some training, can be relied upon to complete tasks, complete work, and carry their fair share of responsibility.

A Situation Where There Is No Win

The possibility for a no-win scenario for personality hiring arises from the mix of these elements, which impact motivation, performance, and team relationships.

Significantly, 32% of respondents think personality hires might not advance because they don’t have the required training or experience. Conversely, 39% are worried that personality hires get promoted without having to work for them because of their personality. All of this is based on a Monster survey.

Therefore, the difficulty for a personality hire is that they might encounter obstacles to their professional advancement; if not, they might encounter barriers in the form of bitter coworkers.

The key to the answer is striking a balance between giving new workers foundational solid skills and desirable personality traits. It will be challenging to hire someone based on personality. Still, hiring someone based on a foundation of skills that will need further development is conceivable.

Look For The Personality And Skills Balance

Every candidate will bring a variety of abilities. Nevertheless, the ability to blend in and advance the culture may be the most crucial.

Look for individuals with fantastic personalities and the technical skills necessary to execute the job well, contribute to the team, and feel proud of their work.