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Every hiring manager wants to find the perfect candidate for the job.
But the application process is stacked against them. Typically, the first step involves reviewing a resume and possibly a cover letter that lists the candidate’s skills and experience. Unfortunately, many job seekers fail to pass this initial screening stage if their previous experience doesn’t perfectly match the job listing and they never have the opportunity to showcase their personality in an interview . This process is repeated thousands of times a day in human resources departments across the country.
It doesn’t seem very effective, and according to a study conducted by the education company Hyper Island, it’s worse than it sounds. Hyper Island interviewed more than 500 company leaders in the communications, technology and business development industries and asked what candidate characteristics would make them want to hire them. 78% of respondents chose “personality” as the quality they most wanted in employees. The next step was “cultural alignment.” Guess who was the last dead person on the list? “Skill set.”
Technology is helping hiring managers overcome this obstacle. New platforms, like CandidateView, ask prospective employees to sign up by answering personalized interview questions. This way hiring managers can quickly get a feel for the person behind the resume before deciding whether or not to call them.
So what are some key personality traits that managers should look for before hiring an employee? Here are five attributes that experts say will help predict whether this person will be a good fit for your company.
Related: Avoid costly hiring mistakes with these five essential tips
1. Good people skills
Playing well with others seems like something valued in preschool, but it’s just as important in the workplace. You want to hire employees who are good communicators, collaborators and just easy to be around.
Billionaire Richard Branson claims that a good personality “always trumps book smarts.” In an article for LinkedIn titled “You Can’t Fake Personality, Passion, or Purpose,” he writes: “Company knowledge and job-specific skills can be learned, but you can’t shape a personality. We look for people who are friendly and thoughtful and who like work with others.”
2. Problem solver
A resume can tell you how long a potential employee has worked at a particular job and what they have accomplished, but how good are they at problem solving? The ability to face and solve challenges head on is a trait worth its weight in gold in any business.
How do you find a problem solver? If you’re using a pre-interview video platform, start by asking them about a problem they faced in a previous role and how they overcame it. This is an effective screening question that can help you determine whether you should take the time to meet with this candidate in person.
3. Confident
A job candidate’s resume might tell you that he or she has accomplished a lot in his or her career. But competence is one thing: having self-confidence pushes a person over the finish line.
Whether your candidate makes it to the junior or senior level, their self-confidence matters when communicating with others, making decisions and taking risks.
Look for employees who can explain their strengths with real-life examples from past jobs. If someone avoids eye contact or has difficulty speaking clearly during the interview, it could be a warning sign.
Related: ‘Silent Hiring’ is on the Horizon: Here’s What Employers and Employees Need to Know
4. Reliable
Trust is the foundation of a strong manager-employee relationship. Without it, you will continually feel anxious about delegating any responsibility and will avoid this colleague or start micromanaging them. Neither is a good strategy.
Trustworthiness is one of those soft skills that is difficult to predict simply by looking at someone’s past experience. Be sure to identify candidates with a stable work history who aren’t job hopping every few months. Dependable employees tend to commit to roles for extended periods.
Also, check their references. If you don’t want to ask up front whether they are trustworthy, ask about their attendance record, consistency, and whether a former employer felt comfortable assigning them a complicated task.
5. Trainable
Is the potential employee open to learning or does he think he knows how everything should be? If the answer is the latter, you want to stay away. A key personality trait is openness to learning. You want to hire an employee who is eager to grow and has enough humility to ask questions if he doesn’t know how to do something.
To determine if someone is coachable, ask them about their past experiences learning from a peer. Invite them to share an experience where they learned a new skill from someone on the job. Ask them what they learned and why it was meaningful to them.