If you or a colleague are outgoing, engaging, and equipped with other soft skills, but little technical experience, you might be a “personality worker.”
These employees are often charismatic and have excellent interpersonal skills, which can go a long way in the workplace. So-called personality hires do indeed serve a valuable purpose: they boost morale, encourage colleagues, and can close deals with clients.
And hiring managers are looking for people who can champion company culture at a time when only a third of U.S. workers say they are engaged at work and nearly half of employees say they are stressed, according to Gallup's annual survey. report about the situation on the work floor.
“Personality hires refer to employees who are hired for their personality. Think about their charisma and their ability to cheer on the team,” said Vicki Salemi, career expert for Monster. “If it was baseball, they’d be on the top step of the dugout cheering on the team. They’re hired for their approach to work and their attitude.”
Nearly half of employees (48%) consider themselves to be personality employees, according to a recent survey from career site Monster. Of those, 85% say they have the opportunity to strengthen relationships with clients, customers and colleagues. Another 71% say they improve work culture, and 70% say they lighten the mood and boost morale. More than half say they get excited about company-sponsored events like happy hours.
Daniel Bennett, a 28-year-old founder of a creative agency, DX Creative, told CBS MoneyWatch he believes he was a well-known personality in a previous role at an advertising agency.
“You get hired based on whether people like you or not,” he told CBS MoneyWatch. “I got my job with no experience, and I attribute my victory over other candidates to the fact that I made interviewers laugh and have a good time with me, rather than being stoic and telling them what they wanted to hear.”
“The right cultural fit”
There is also a relative consensus, among both new hires and traditional employees, that the most valuable personality trait is their ability to strengthen relationships with customers and colleagues.
“They are the person on the team who can get along with everyone, especially if a relationship is sour. They can repair it and turn it into a positive relationship,” Salemi said.
Of course, having soft skills or technical skills doesn’t necessarily have to be mutually exclusive. “The sweet spot is a candidate who has both. They have the technical skills to do the job and they’re a good culture fit,” Salemi said.
“It's a balance. Imagine going into an office and no one has a personality, and you're not having any fun. That's an extremely difficult environment to be successful in,” said Bennett, the creative agency's founder.
He added that people who have good personalities do not always do a bad job.
“Being a personality type doesn’t mean you’re bad at your job. It just means your personality gives you that extra push to make it,” he said.
Can cause resentment
On the other hand, employees who fall into the traditional category may sometimes become angry when a colleague they perceive as inexperienced or who is simply too talkative in the office is rewarded for their liking.
According to Monster research, about four in 10 employees believe that workers who take a job are given opportunities and recognition they don't deserve because their personality is valued more than hard work or the technical skills to do the job.
“Someone who is more introverted might still be positive about the work environment and have high morale, but not as outgoing as a coworker, and might be passed over,” Salemi said. “They would say, 'I bring as much or more, and here's this personality hire who is stepping up,' but not for what they consider real work.”
But according to some, including the personalities they themselves have hired, chatting with colleagues in the hallway or at the water cooler is an integral part of the job and actually adds value to companies.
In a video On the social media app TikTok, comedian Vienna Ayla jokes about hiring celebrities, but also highlights their merits.
“So this job requires five years of experience and expertise in Excel,” Ayla said of a fictional role she fills. “I had no experience and thought Excel was for astronauts or something. But you know what I did have? A can-do attitude, and I think they really saw that.”
Ayla also said that the character she played had not had to deal with numerous layoffs.
“There are rumors of some crazy layoffs coming. Am I nervous?” she said. “No. I've survived eight rounds of layoffs.”
