If all hiring was conducted strictly by
reviewing resumes it would be very easy to make the best staff picks. You can
quickly size up a potential employee's education and real world job experience
by scanning their CV.
However, that won't necessarily provide you
with the full portrait of that worker. That's why the in-person interview is a
vital step in the hiring process. It's through the one-on-one interview that
you can access the individual's personality and whether or not they'll be a
"good fit" for your company.
All of this begs the question: Should you
hire for experience or personality?
Building
a Better Staff
If an employee doesn't have a specific
skill set they can always be trained. That approach works best when the skills
required have more to do with operating equipment or computer programs. When
the requirement is something like sales or marketing, those skills might be
harder to come by because they are personality based. Building a strong staff
for your company means assessing your specific needs beyond the "I want to
work with good people" idea.
A valuable employee needs to be equal parts
dependable and a team player. The majority of folks who quit a job do so
because they can't get along with a co-worker.
Is it their fault or the fault of the
co-worker? How much of a role does personality play into that type of decision?
There is no guarantee that everyone you
hire is going to get along and become the best of friends. They just have to
work well together. However, there might be a slight edge when it comes to
hiring personality over experience.
Putting
Personality First
There are a few reasons why hiring an
employee for their personality might be a benefit for your company. A staff
member that gets along with others could mean they'll be sticking around.
A lower employee turnover rate helps
increase productivity. If you don't have to take time out to retrain workers
than you'll be able to focus on the tasks at hand. This idea of a productive
team comes into play when there is room for advancement. Allowing for
promotions within your company keeps the "family together."
The goal is to stick with the good hires
and toss out the bad hires.
Every new hire means you're making an
investment in that employee. Do you want your return on that investment to come
back in the form of a good team member or someone who causes friction?
A person with an abrasive personality can
still get the job done, but at what cost to company morale? You also have to
consider your company's relationship with your clients and customers. Simply
put, do you want the face of your company to be smiling or frowning?
