January 15, 2024
With the current stress on job applicants being higher education, work experience, and certifications it's easy to prioritize skills and experience over intangible qualities such as personality and cultural fit. However, intelligent companies recognize that these seemingly soft factors play a pivotal role in shaping a thriving workplace and fostering long-term employee satisfaction. The importance of hiring for personality and company culture fit cannot be overstated. These are the things that take a business from functioning, to remarkable.
The personality of the team is what makes it comfortable for colleagues and coworkers to share physical and mental space. While hiring, one must recognize that strategically placing people who will strengthen the backbone of the company is as important as knowing the role that they will play within the business.
Resumes and job descriptions are centered around qualifications and technical skills. While these aspects undoubtedly remain valuable, there is a missing emphasis on the significance of personality traits and cultural alignment. With our own employees staffing the offices of our many clients around the country, we must acknowledge a candidate's ability to integrate seamlessly into the existing team. Aligning our people with the organization's values is a critical determinant of success and one that is essential in serving our clients with excellence.
GLC's own Recruiting Manager, Samantha Eib, commented on the topic by saying “We can teach skills, but we cannot teach someone to have the right attitude and passion for the field. Hiring candidates with the right personality is imperative to the company’s success.” Knowing that each new person we hire may be working directly alongside our clients places a certain awareness of how interactions with our employees will leave an impression on our business overall. As a result, we’re more willing to meticulously train the needed skills and allow employees to grow within their role over time, just to have the ideal personality strategically placed.
A team is more than just a collection of individuals with diverse skills; it is a collaborative entity where effective communication and mutual understanding are necessary. By bringing in individuals whose personalities complement each other and align with the company culture, managers are laying the foundation for a high-performing team that thrives on collaboration and innovation.
Drawing on more than ten years in the field of recruitment Sam went on to say “The typical recruiter questions won’t truly give you any insight into who you are speaking to. You need to be able to have a conversation. Just a normal conversation, about likes, dislikes, passions, goals, motivators. Only then will you be able to get a good look at the person and not just the resume.” As a family-owned business, we stand by this principle. It’s all too easy to get caught up in the keywords of a job application, but at the end of the hiring process you will be left with an individual that needs to acclimate to an existing team, and those on the team will be left to adjust to the new personality they must work alongside, often each day.
On the management side, our champion Regional Director, Jose Lopez, says “When making hiring decisions, choosing a candidate with relative work experience in the position seems like the logical choice. However, in my 20+ years of management experience with GLC, I’ve learned that hiring for the right personality is often more important than hiring simply for job experience for several reasons.” He expanded on those reasons stating first that “Hiring for experience does usually allow for a shorter learning curve on the technical functions of the position. However, it can present its own challenges as individuals can sometimes be set in their ways of working and not always willing to adapt to new ideas and methods.”
Company culture shapes a business’s identity and brand, influencing how employees interact with each other and their work, and how that company’s customers view them and interact with them. When hiring for personality and cultural fit, you're actively contributing to the cultivation of a positive and vibrant workplace culture. Our teammate Jose commented, “Employees with the right personality traits have proven to be more motivated and engaged in their work. This has led to higher productivity and better overall performance. They often bring qualities like adaptability, resilience, and a positive attitude. These traits are important in our fast-paced and ever-changing work environment.” These natural advantages that Jose describes have a measurable impact on the business overall. As we strive for productivity at every level, we know how crucial it is to take the necessary steps to achieve it, especially when it comes to hiring.
Retention is another significant concern for our business and for many others in the wake of the Great Resignation. Jose said on the subject, “A candidate with the right personality is more likely to fit into our client’s culture and learn the needs and preferences of our clients. This can lead to better teamwork, higher client satisfaction, and lower turnover rates.” High turnover rates can be disruptive and costly. Hiring individuals whose personalities align with the company culture from the beginning ensures a smoother integration into the team and contributes to higher employee retention rates. Employees who feel a connection to the organizational culture are more likely to stay committed, reducing the need for frequent recruitment and onboarding.
Hiring individuals who fit seamlessly into the company culture also reduces the likelihood of interpersonal conflicts, which are the enemy of productivity and morale. When team members share common values and communication styles, they are better equipped to resolve disagreements amicably and maintain a positive working relationship.
To conclude on the topic Jose said, “Given that our services focus heavily on customer-facing roles, hiring for the right personality can lead to better interactions with our customers. They are often better at building rapport, showing empathy, and resolving conflicts. These are the reasons that when hiring, personality traits such as emotional intelligence, integrity, and communication skills are often more important than technical skills alone.”
Hiring decisions can make or break a company's trajectory. While technical skills and experience are undoubtedly useful, they are often the things that are most easily trained. The importance of hiring for personality and cultural fit should not be underestimated. Building a team that not only possesses the right skills but also shares common values and communication styles is a strategic investment in the long-term success and sustainability of your organization. As you navigate the hiring landscape, remember that the true strength of a team lies not just in what its members can do individually, but in how well they can come together to achieve shared goals.