Is ‘personality’ a good enough reason to hire someone?
May 28, 2024
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This podcast delves into the trend of hiring based on personality over hard skills, exploring the implications and challenges. It questions the value of charisma without competence and the importance of understanding status. The discussion highlights the clash between reward systems and diverse skill sets, emphasizing the need for measurable achievements. Overall, it challenges the idea of 'personality hires' and stresses the importance of authenticity in the workplace.
Employers should balance personality traits with technical competencies to avoid negative consequences.
Understanding and leveraging status in team environments significantly impacts team performance beyond traditional personality traits.
Deep dives
The Rise of Personality Hires
Many companies are now considering hiring individuals based on their personalities rather than just their hard skills or experience. This trend, especially popular among Gen Z employees, focuses on soft skills like communication and empathy. Employers are valuing interpersonal skills over traditional hard skills, seeing them as crucial for workplace engagement and reduced turnover.
Implications of Personality Hiring
While hiring for personality traits can enhance the team dynamic and employee engagement, it can also lead to resentment and feelings of incompetence among colleagues. Research suggests that competence downshift, where soft skills are prioritized over hard skills, can hinder career advancement and result in imposter syndrome. Managers are advised to balance personality qualities with technical competencies to avoid negative consequences.
Navigating Status Dynamics in the Workplace
Understanding and leveraging status in team environments can significantly impact team performance. The ability to assess relative status and hierarchies within a team is crucial for effective collaboration and task allocation. Traits like status acuity, which determine how individuals perceive and respect status levels among team members, play a vital role in team cohesion and performance, surpassing the influence of traditional personality traits.
TikTok and Instagram are awash with videos about so-called personality hires – young, fun-loving employees whose main contribution to work seems to be… well, ‘vibes’. These videos are tongue-in-cheek, but they raise interesting questions about the role our personalities play at work: how big a factor should personality be in hiring decisions? Can we put a value on being a good colleague? And can being known for your bubbly personality give the impression you don’t know what you’re doing? To find out Isabel speaks to NYU professor Tessa West, who explains why understanding status is crucial to success at work. Isabel also speaks to Bella Rose Mortel, a social media strategist and self-proclaimed personality hire, who explains that charisma alone is no substitute for competence.
Presented by Isabel Berwick, produced by Mischa Frankl-Duval, mixed by Simon Panayi. The executive producer is Manuela Saragosa. Cheryl Brumley is the FT’s head of audio.