In Defense of “Personality Hires”
I’m here today to champion the “personality hire.” This was a popular topic last year. It is now, along with the TikTok trend that started it, well past its 15 minutes. But I’m adding delayed commentary because while working on last week’s Feel the Learn on Workplace Friendships, I kept getting hits on “personality hires” and found what’s out there limited and lacking nuance.
There’s plenty of research on personality hires. And infinitely more thought pieces! Below are three just from Forbes, all published within a 9-month span. Two in favor, one against.
To varying degrees, they all share the notion of sacrificing technical capabilities for “soft skills” (eye roll). In brief, the key insight, across both thought pieces and research, is “employees are more engaged and productive when their colleagues are agreeable and good at their job.”
These are thoughts (and a rant) based on 20+ years of experience as a HR/People professional and a “personality hire.”
Framing “personality” and “competence” as opposing, mutually exclusive factors is stupid. It’s also insulting to anyone likeable or capable. A belief (even consideration) that hiring for “personality” equates to sacrificing competence says a lot more about you(r boring ass) than it does about anyone likeable.
The term “personality hire” is a lie. Abso-fucking-lutely no one is hired for their personality. How do I know this? Because resumes don’t crack jokes and ATSs can’t screen for wit. Obviously, personality can be a contributing (even deciding) factor for a candidate’s success. But not once, in the history of time, was someone lacking relevant experience or qualifications hired for a job because they were just so damn fun.
The notion that companies “sacrificed” skill is preposterous. The (questionable) Forbes piece Avoiding Personality Hires notes that (in 2024) companies started indexing more for “personality,” and lowered technical skill requirements, because the candidate market lacked the desired technical skills. They didn’t say “Screw capability! Let’s get fun people in here!” They said “Fuck! We can’t find people. We either keep looking (while work piles up and teams burn out), OR we assess for other important skills, get butts in seats, then (hopefully) train them.” The decision to hire vs. prolong a search is a serious one with important trade-offs. But it’s stupid to cry “Beware of the fun people!”
I have to note, that Forbes piece cites research published in Personality Science, a peer-reviewed journal, for the “legitimate reasons to make personality hires,” and then cites a monster.com poll for reasons that personality hires are “A No-Win."
The obvious, but boring and not click-bait-y truth is that it’s not one or the other, it’s both. More importantly, what can you do to ensure your company isn’t “sacrificing” either? The answer may surprise you: be realistic and put a little bit of effort into the interview process. BOOM!
A lot of interview decisions go off resume skims and vibe checks, especially at startups where People infrastructure is nascent (or non-existent). That’s fine! Just structure your vibe check.
Here are three easy steps to help you up-the-game on your interview vibe checks:
Step 1: WRITE OUT WHAT YOU’RE VIBE CHECKING FOR in each of these three areas.
This clarifies for you and others what to actually look for, and is — without a doubt — the most effective step to avoid making a bad hire.
What do they gotta KNOW?
What should they be an expert in? If they know X well enough to talk about it without sounding like an idiot, they’ll be able to keep up, teach others, etc.
What do they gotta DO?
This is what boring people think gets “sacrificed.” What actions do they capably need to carry out? When they do X, the work gets done, outcomes are delivered, results happen.
What do they have to BE LIKE?
This is the personality thing. What characteristics or traits matter for the role, team, and company? If they are X, they’ll click. Use adjectives: friendly, reflective, detailed, action-biased, not-an-asshole.
Step 2: SELECT HALF THE ITEMS ON YOUR LIST AS “DEALBREAKERS/GOTTA HAVE IT.” The other half are “Bonus” items.
This will help you prioritize what’s most important to vibe check for when you’re in the room. And no, the entire list can’t be Dealbreakers. See below.
Step 3: DETERMINE HOW WELL THEY GOTTA KNOW, DO, OR BE THOSE DEALBREAKERS?
This will help you calibrate and make tradeoffs. You should not expect someone to be 10/10 in every Dealbreaker item. Don’t be that person. You don’t need that. Some items are good at a 8/10, others you only need 5/10.
Extra Credit Step: WRITE A FEW NOTES FOR EACH DEALBREAKER ON HOW YOU’LL KNOW THEY PASSED YOUR VIBE CHECK.
This will help you go in with an idea of what a good answer looks like or should consist of, vs. winging it because you just “know a good answer when I see it.” …Don’t be that person.
You don’t have to pick between skills or vibes. You can have both. But FFS, stop thinking that you, miraculously, will be the one company – in all of existence – that will somehow repeatedly find (1) overqualified candidates, (2) who’ll work long-ass hours (3) for a “competitive” salary (4) because you expect them to care about this super special opportunity more than MONEY, (5) so they should want to do administrative grunt work, (6) while also being strategic. GTFOH with that shit. This is why companies feel they have to “sacrifice.” They don’t need to sacrifice, they need to wake the fuck up.
Again, if you’re realistic and put just a little bit of effort, you solve the “personality” vs. “capability” bullshit.
A Rant on Behalf of “Personality Hires”
Being a ‘personality hire” can be exhausting and thankless. You are maybe one of a few on a team of 6, 15, 30, who can adequately start and maintain an inclusive conversation with a group. Your bosses regularly (and not so subtly) imply that team outings are not optional for you because “we really need your energy there.” Everyone looks to you during boring ass team building meetings (especially virtual ones) to “get us started.” You regularly give your time and energy (sometimes money) to make the workplace more pleasant (or tolerable), and then have to stomach salty, dull-ass coworkers, execs, and internet ghouls saying that you’re inadequate or incapable of doing your job and that you’re only here because you’re fun.
As if boring, incompetent people aren’t everywhere.
“Personality Hires” (i.e., people who give a shit about being kind, inclusive, and positive) play an important role for your company. Again, research shows how these colleagues improve productivity and business outcomes, because –shockingly– workforces are prone to disengage when their workplace sucks. These are people who want work to be a positive experience for themselves and their teammates. They want their colleagues to feel seen, heard, and appreciated. They make your company better. Show them some fucking respect.