Chapter 7
Hire for Personality
Personality before CV. A person who has multiple degrees in your field isn’t always better than someone with broad experience and a wonderful personality.
—RICHARD BRANSON1
Over the past decade, hiring has changed for the better—and for the worse. But one thing that has remained constant is that when you make the right hiring decisions, you advance your team, your company, and your own career. However, because the pace of business is constantly speeding up and companies are always looking for ways to save money, many have looked to technology to lower the cost of recruiting talent and increase the number of people they can reach.
While these companies tout how much money they’re saving by doing their interviewing by phone or video, they don’t seem to realize that neither of those approaches can ever replace in-person interviews, in which you actually meet people, see their body language, and observe how they handle themselves. In short, those approaches are missing the critical emotional connections and personality traits that will help you hire the best possible candidate, who will stay with you longer. This is huge. Hiring someone who doesn’t fit with your company’s culture or can’t work with the rest of the team will have a measurable negative impact on your ability to compete, keep customers happy, and adapt to change. It can also send a ripple effect through your team and cause others to question their overall commitment.
Some job seekers believe that technology has made the interview process more efficient, but most feel that it causes frustration, lacks transparency, is less personal, and doesn’t provide the essential feedback they seek.2 They fare much better when online assessments and automation bring them closer to a personal interviewer than when that technology removes the humanity from the experience. Job seekers benefit from technologies that help them find jobs but require human interaction to make the right employment decision. Whom you work with is just as important as, if not more so than, where you work or what you do.
The bottom line is that any cost savings from using technology in the hiring process are more than offset by additional expenses and other losses associated with hiring the wrong candidate.
Hiring the Wrong Employee Has Consequences
The smaller your company, the more pain hiring the wrong employee will cause your team and your company. If you’re leading a start-up and the second employee you hire doesn’t work out, that setback could be serious enough to make your company fail. Tony Hsieh, the CEO of Zappos, has said that bad hires have cost his company more than $100 million.3 One study found that the cost of a bad hire is two to three times the employee’s salary,4 and when we interviewed a few hundred employers with Beyond.com, we found that it costs about $20,000 to replace entry-level workers.5 Other studies have put the direct costs of a bad hire at between $25,000 and $50,000 per employee.6 Jennifer Fleiss, cofounder and head of business development at Rent the Runway, agrees. “Hiring right is the most important key to productivity—in particular because when you get it wrong it takes up a ton of time,” she says.
The following chart lists some of the biggest direct and indirect costs (which can often be far more significant than the direct ones) associated with hiring the wrong person.
Recruiting
Job advertising
Interviewing
Training
Severance
Background checks
Onboarding
Lawsuits
Indirect Costs
Increased stress on current employees during the three to seven weeks it takes to hire a fully productive worker
Productivity loss
Decreased morale
Knowledge loss
Reduced work quality
Decreased customer satisfaction
Damage to your company’s reputation
When I was just starting out in my career, the head of communications told me the story of one employee who was incredibly talented yet toxic to his team. He continually showed up late, complained, spread rumors about his coworkers, and generally had a lousy attitude. They didn’t immediately fire him because of his superior work, but his teammates ended up leaving, and eventually the company laid him off. The point is that just because someone is talented doesn’t mean they’re the right person to hire. A talented-yet-toxic employee will end up costing you more than they’re worth.
Technology Versus Humanity
Because relationships are the cornerstone to a healthy workplace, shouldn’t we put more emphasis on personality when recruiting new employees? It’s challenging to work with someone we don’t like, but it’s exciting to work with someone who has a great personality that meshes well with our own. Hard skills are important, but they can be learned on the job. It’s the soft, intangible skills that are so valuable to creating a team that thrives. They’re also the ones that technology has a difficult time assessing.
As companies experiment with using machines, predictive algorithms, bots, and artificial intelligence to do their recruiting, we need to take a step back and really think about our objective. Recruiting, at its core, should be focused on matching the right talent with the right job and team. As we continue to invest more in machines, we lose track of the actual connections that make for good hires and work friendships. Companies are using machines to eliminate bias, assess human qualities like personality, scrub résumés to identify and analyze word choices, and scrub social media posts to review gestures and emotions. Although this might help narrow down hundreds or even thousands of applicants, at the end of the day only a human should be making hiring decisions, and we can’t rely on these tools to make those decisions for us. In our Virgin Pulse study, 93 percent of people agreed with that thought.7 But what worries me is the remaining 7 percent—and my suspicion that humans are gradually being removed from the hiring process by a growing number of tech-based options.8
To start with, using technology to interview is rife with complications. For example, candidates must have a good Internet connection, which, shockingly, isn’t always guaranteed. I once lost reception during a job interview and immediately got rejected for the position even though I was qualified. Poor connectivity can also cause delays, which can make candidates seem less competent or give rise to misunderstandings. (How many times have you been watching the news and wondered why a reporter in another country is goofily nodding and not responding to a question posed by the US-based anchor?) Few candidates will have their home set up with the lighting, sound, backgrounds, and makeup artists that are optimal for the perfect interview. And let’s not forget about the introverted candidates and others who are camera shy and might not perform as well in a video as they would in person. All in all, while using tech might be easier, it’s simply not a pleasant way to be recruited, and it’s a horrible way to make a final decision about a candidate.
A perfect technological connection is no guarantee, either. Sam Worobec, director of training at Chipotle Mexican Grill, explained to me why he’ll never use video for another candidate interview. “I hired someone that was a rock star on camera. He gave all of the right answers, had a great personality, and had the demo reel to show how talented he was. During the face-to-face interview, we breezed through the process, and the whole team fell in love with the guy. Two weeks later I let him go,” says Sam. “He was completely self-serving and arrogant. He was extremely charismatic, but he was a cancer to the team.” His advice? “Digging in during a face-to-face interview is the only way to really get to know if someone will be a great fit for your team. The video interview is just a weeding process.”
Mike Schneller, associate director of talent acquisition for Biogen, agrees with Sam. “Throughout the course of an in-person interview, you are given the opportunity to understand the person in front of you for who they truly are; there is no technology for them to hide behind, no cell phones, no video conferencing, no email. It is just you and the candidate, discussing what could potentially be a life-altering decision for the both of you.” Mike believes that you can make the wrong hiring decision when technology is present, because people have a false sense of confidence, which can keep you from seeing what you really need to see: their honesty. “Human-to-human interaction is the only honest connection we have left during the interview process; let’s not overlook the value of a handshake,” he told me.
It’s also important to keep in mind that job interviews are a two-way street. Sure, the candidates need to impress you. But you have to impress them as well. When you have in-person interviews, you’re giving them an important opportunity to meet you, observe the office environment, get a taste of the corporate culture, and get to know some of their prospective teammates.
Technology Versus Likability
One of the biggest challenges with high-tech recruiting and screening tools is assessing one of the most important interpersonal intangibles of all: likability.
In one study, professors at McMaster University in Ontario, Canada, found that applicants who are interviewed through video come across as less likable and are less likely than those interviewed in person to be recommended for hiring. At the same time, candidates rated the interviewers as less attractive, personable, trustworthy, and competent.9 Other studies have found much the same thing,10 and the conclusions are inescapable (although far too many companies aren’t making the connection): (a) using technology to interview is bad for both the interviewer and the interviewee; and (b) while tech-based interviews may serve a valuable purpose, if you need to do initial screenings of large numbers of candidates, when it comes to the final hiring decision, in-person interviews are essential.
Om Marwah, global head of behavioral science at Walmart, reached similar conclusions based on his own leadership experience. He believes that we lose out on nonverbal communication when we’re on video calls or the phone. The capacity to feel empathy and absorb ideas is magnified in person, so when you’re not, you’re only getting a slice of the quality of conversation that could take place. “I’ll often fly across the country just to do an in-person meeting like many other people simply because of these reasons,” says Om.
Hire for Personality to Promote a Positive Work Culture
A lot of people are smart enough and have the skills to do the job you’re hiring for, but not as many have that unique combination of personality traits that will make them a good fit with the rest of your team. And because skills can be taught and personality can’t, I always recommend that managers hire for personality and fit, then train for skill. If you don’t get along with an employee or if she doesn’t have the right attitude or work ethic, it will negatively impact your entire team. Many—but far from all—companies already realize this. In a study we did with Beyond.com, employers told us that cultural fit is the single most important hiring criterion, more than experience, coursework, GPA, and education. And the top three skills employers are looking for are soft: positive attitude, communication, and teamwork.11
The following are top CEOs’ reasons for hiring for personality.
Top CEOs Hire for Personality
Robert Chavez, CEO of Hermes US: When it comes to hiring, we look for people who have a sense of humor, people that can smile.12
Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and SpaceX: My biggest mistake is probably weighing too much on someone’s talent and not someone’s personality. I think it matters whether someone has a good heart.13
Howard Schulz, chairman and CEO of Starbucks: Hiring people is an art, not a science, and resumes can’t tell you whether someone will fit into a company’s culture.14
Cultural Fit Versus Diverse Ideas
Lauren Rivera, a professor at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, studied the top professional service firms, looking at the impact of cultural similarities between job seekers and employers.15 She found, not surprisingly, that employers seek candidates who are similar to them in terms of culture, experiences, goals, and work styles.
In chapter 4, I discussed diverse ideas and why it’s important to deliberately create a team that includes members who have a variety of backgrounds, experiences, cultures, and so forth. What I’m saying here about cultural fit in no way contradicts what I said about diverse ideas, and I encourage you to build the most diverse team you possibly can. That said, workplace cultural fit is a little harder to define than overall culture. The issue here is how people will mesh. The woman who shows up for an interview with a conservative investment bank wearing jeans and a T-shirt might not be a good fit. And neither would the shy young man who’s applying for a high-powered sales job but who has trouble making eye contact. You wouldn’t hire a clothing designer who wasn’t detail oriented, an obese personal trainer, or an anxious surgeon.
Carly Charlson, senior manager of public relations at Best Buy, sums up the issue of fit versus diversity nicely. “When hiring, I look for someone who has the same values as me. This doesn’t mean they need to be like me—different backgrounds, styles, experiences can be a huge asset to the team,” she says. “But finding someone who shares my core values at work: open communication, a willingness to learn, and a team-first attitude, make all the difference.” Besides asking about work-related issues, Carly asks candidates about what they like to do in their free time. “It sounds like a throw-away question, but I’m shocked how frequently it says something deeper about who they are, what they like, and how they’d fit in with the rest of our team.”
Five Personality Traits to Look for in a New Hire
When you’re hiring for your team, there are five personality traits that you should look for. You’ll be able to screen for each by paying close attention to the answers you get to a number of key, strategic questions. Let’s take a closer look at each of these traits, how it makes for a good employee, and how to determine whether or not the candidate has it.
Confidence
Many of the employers and hiring managers I’ve spoken with tell me that confidence is a trait that too many applicants are missing. If you’re not confident, you’re less likely to share new ideas, stand up for what you believe in, and perform at your best. You second-guess yourself and come across as less competent than you actually are. When you’re confident, you know what you’re doing and how to convey your knowledge to others. When one person lacks confidence, it permeates through the rest of the team and hurts everyone’s overall performance. As the interviewer, you will naturally lose interest in someone who doesn’t make eye contact, has a weak handshake, doesn’t speak clearly and coherently, or “uptalks” (makes statements that sound like questions). These are often signs of people who lack confidence or aren’t sure what they’re speaking about. Confident employees are more effective at teaching and helping others and at getting work accomplished without stress and distraction. Sometimes you’ll interview someone who appears shy or has a stutter, which could convey a lack of confidence. Instead of immediately judging them, assess their subject matter expertise, the questions they ask, and how they dress. Try to make them feel comfortable and safe, which will make them more likely to be open with you.
Attitude
You want to hire employees who have a positive attitude because they tend to boost the morale of everyone around them and encourage and motivate their team members to perform better. Conversely, employees with a negative attitude are generally horrible to be around. They can detract from the whole team’s performance and the overall culture of the company, and they often cause others to want to switch teams or leave entirely. “Of course, you always hope to find the smartest and most talented people,” Simon Bouchez, CEO of Multiposting, told me. “But I quickly realized that someone bringing a positive attitude toward your product, your business, and your team creates much more added value than any smart but less enthusiastic person.”
Consultant Mark Murphy tracked twenty thousand new hires, looking at the impact of attitude on career trajectory. Mark told me that he found that when new hires failed, 89 percent of the time it was for attitude reasons and only 11 percent for lack of skill. Those who had a negative attitude were harder to coach and had lower levels of emotional intelligence, motivation, and cultural fit. Basically, the negative attitude got in the way of their ability to produce superior work, get along with their colleagues, and be satisfied at their company.16 When inevitable changes and challenges happen at work, teammates with a positive attitude can more easily cope with them and remain levelheaded instead of panicking.
Professionalism
The most obvious signs of professionalism are punctuality at the interview (or being early) and the candidate’s basic manners. The second candidates enter the room, you can make a quick judgment about the impression they’re making and whether they’ll be a good fit for your organization. The way they dress has a major impact on how they feel about themselves and how they’ll perform. In one fascinating study,17 subjects were asked to switch between formal and casual clothing before taking cognitive tests. Those wearing formal attire were more creative and better able to solve problems. When you wear formal clothing, you feel more powerful and in control, and you take yourself more seriously. When a candidate comes in for an interview late, wearing a T-shirt, he clearly isn’t taking the interview seriously, and you shouldn’t, either.
Likability
I have two friends who definitely have the likability factor. They exude positive energy, and they’re a pleasure to be with. In the workplace, likable people somehow manage to bring out the best version of you. Also, they have an incredible competitive advantage because they tend to get promoted more quickly (managers tend to promote people they like over those they don’t) and build strong relationships with others, which leads to new opportunities. Since 1960, Gallup has published a personality factor poll prior to every US election, and these polls show that likability is one of the three consistent factors that predict the final election result. People can’t relate to candidates they don’t like and won’t vote for them. In a study published by the American Psychological Association, researchers compared likability and self-promotion.18 Likable candidates were perceived to be a better fit and were more likely to be recommended by a recruiter or hired directly for the job. Candidates who were big on self-promotion, on the other hand, either had a neutral or a negative result on the hiring decision.
Curiosity
You want candidates who are curious about your background, your executives, your products, your company, and your industry. People who are curious about their own potential and are willing to try new tasks and roles are better able to adapt to change, challenge themselves, and grow as team members. This trait is defined by problem-solving abilities, an ongoing need to learn, and a strong commitment to a team. Curious people are more likely to want to learn from others and are open to team diversity. One study found that 57 percent of companies are looking for candidates with intellectual curiosity.19 Multiposting’s Simon Bouchez told me that he often comes right out and asks candidates whether they’ve visited the company website and what they’d change.
Sample Interview Questions to Help You Hire for Personality
Question: How would you describe yourself?
What It Tells You About the Candidate: This will challenge candidates to reflect on how they view themselves.
Question: How have you handled previous conflicts with coworkers or clients?
What It Tells You About the Candidate: You’ll gain insight into how candidates deal with difficult situations.
Question: How would your best friend describe you?
What It Tells You About the Candidate: This will get candidates to talk about how they treat others—especially those they really care about.
Question: How are you involved in the community?
What It Tells You About the Candidate: This will give you a sense of what candidates care about and what their life outside of work is like.
Question: How would you handle a task that seemed impossible at first?
What It Tells You About the Candidate: This will help you better understand how candidates can solve problems even if the issues are challenging.
Question: Do you prefer to work in a team or on your own? Why?
What It Tells You About the Candidate: You will get a sense of the candidates’ work habits and if they are capable of successfully collaborating in your team.
Question: When have you been most satisfied in your life?
What It Tells You About the Candidate: This will give you an idea of how you can best support the candidates if you choose to hire them.
Question: What things do you not like to do on the job?
What It Tells You About the Candidate: You will learn about what the candidates are not willing to do and what they may believe is beneath them.
Question: When were you excited about your work?
What It Tells You About the Candidate: This reveals what motivates your candidates.
Question: What types of activities or hobbies do you enjoy outside of work?
What It Tells You About the Candidate: Aside from their community involvement, this question gives you a sense of where the candidates invest their time.
Signs You Shouldn’t Hire Someone
Chances are, one of these days you’ll find yourself interviewing a candidate who does something that makes you realize that they aren’t going to be a good fit for your team or your company. It might be lack of eye contact, a weak handshake, showing up late, laughing too much, or something else. Or it could be a lack of passion about working with you and your organization. Other red flags include energy level, attitude, and even the number of questions someone asks during the interview. When you ask candidates about a time when they felt they had a successful work experience or excelled on a project and they can’t pinpoint one, that says a lot—and none of it’s good. Typically, they lack self-esteem or haven’t had enough experience or results in their prior work history.
Pay close attention if you get a sense that a candidate is exaggerating their achievements. If what they say is far removed from what’s on their résumé or online profile or what you know is true, be wary. They may be embellishing because they’re nervous or want to impress you. Or they’re demonstrating that they’re dishonest or not a team player. People who take credit for their team’s hard work are often selfish, and if you hire them, they may not be able to collaborate successfully with the other team members.
Another potential red flag: if you ask a candidate about their life outside of work and they just keep talking about work, they may be a workaholic. Although it might sound nice to have someone like that on your team, people who don’t get downtime eventually burn out and are often unhappy. Both will lower their individual and team productivity. Finally, when candidates give you canned answers that you’ve heard numerous times in previous interviews, they probably lack creativity. Obviously preparing for an interview is essential, but you also want someone who can think on their feet and who answers naturally and with confidence.
Sample Interview Conversation
Let’s say that you’re hiring a digital marketing associate for your team and are looking for a range of soft and hard skills. To give you a better sense of the personality traits that may appear in an interview and what they might mean, here’s a sample dialogue.
You: Tell me about your experience using digital tools to increase leads for your previous company.
Candidate: I’ve had five years of experience in digital marketing, using tools such as email marketing, social media, and mobile. In one online marketing campaign, we used a variety of social media sites to generate a million impressions, which resulted in half a million dollars in new product sales.
The candidate’s response not only succinctly answers your question but also shows that they’ve been able to use a variety of tools to generate real business results. This is an indication that they’re competent and could predict that they’d produce similar results for you.
You: I’d like to hear about a time when you made a mistake at work and what you did to make it right.
Candidate: In my last job, I was unable to meet a project deadline because I was overloaded with work and failed to prioritize accordingly. The first thing I did to resolve the problem was to get my teammates together and acknowledge that I’d made a mistake. I then asked them for a few days’ extension. Ultimately, I was then able to finish up the project without having too much of a negative impact on my team.
At first you might think that this candidate would be unreliable. But they were honest and explained how they handled the situation with professionalism. Most applicants won’t admit their mistakes because they don’t want to be perceived as having failed or as not being worthy of the job. But everyone makes mistakes, and honesty is the most important thing in building a trusting relationship with anyone.
You: How do you feel you’d fit into our organization?
Candidate: I plan to use new technologies to advance your organization’s marketing efforts, and I want to eventually be a chief marketing officer. I have a passion for working with strong teams, learning from them, and achieving great results through our combined efforts.
This response tells you about the candidate’s ambition and motivation and shows that they care about the team instead of focusing solely on their own interests. If you’re interviewing someone who has the right skills and expertise, is motivated, and is a team player, why look any further?
You: Do you have any questions for me?
Candidate: What will my day-to-day tasks be if I’m hired for the job?
This is a great question because a job description rarely tells you exactly what you’ll be doing on an ongoing basis or how work actually gets done in the organization. This candidate is curious and wants to know what she’s getting herself into before accepting an offer. I’m guessing that you can think of a time or two that you wished you had asked a similar question before taking a job.
Creating a Unique Interview Experience
You don’t have to restrict yourself to the traditional interview format or setting. When you put candidates in an unusual or unexpected environment, you often get a better sense of their personality and can better gauge their problem-solving skills. You can also see how they adjust their style, posture, and ability to think on their feet. The following are three examples of how to make the interview situation more effective, unique, and useful for both you and the candidate you’re interviewing.
The Café Interview
During one of my first interviews right out of school, one hiring manager invited me to go to a café instead of his office. I had never had that type of interview before, but he told me after I got the job that he found that doing interviews in nontraditional places was a great way to get to know candidates and see how they’d perform in a different environment. I still considered it an interview and brought my A game to the café. The next time you do an interview, tell the candidate to come to your office, but then take them out somewhere to see how they adjust and whether the less formal surroundings make them open up and relax.
The Business Challenge Interview
Instead of a traditional interview in which you ask a series of questions, give the candidate a real business challenge to present on right in front of you. The challenge could be something you’re thinking about with your team or something you’ve worked on in the past. This format will give you a sense of how the candidate would perform if hired (and might help your team solve a problem whether you end up hiring the candidate or not). Melanie Chase, vice president of brand marketing at Fitbit, uses this approach when hiring. “I might ask to get a candidate’s take on how we bring new user groups into the tracker category or to discuss an approach we are taking in one of our international markets. How the candidate wants to present is up to them and their style. Seeing a candidate present not only gives me a sense of their problem-solving abilities and creativity, but also how they communicate and answer tough questions. The best candidates are those I learn something new from. I love people who challenge our way of thinking, spark an interesting discussion, or show off a unique area of expertise. It’s not about getting an answer right, but about demonstrating how they got to an answer.”
The Extended Interview
If you’re serious about finding the right person for the position you’re hiring for, you may need to invest time. Om Marwah, global head of behavioral science at Walmart, is willing to put in hours for a single candidate to test the candidate’s stamina and feel them out. He often interviews people for more than four hours—sometimes right through dinner—to assess their capacity to keep going. “I had a candidate that tired me out,” he told me. “She just kept going, coming up with fantastic ideas, and had unlimited energy so I hired her on the spot. She was the best person I’ve hired.” Aside from demonstrating stamina, her style aligned perfectly with Om’s work style, so it was clearly a great fit for both.
The First Interview
If the first interview doesn’t go well, you won’t ask the person to come in for a second round of interviews and to meet the team. Good chemistry between an interviewee and an interviewer is a good indicator of whether the work relationship will work.
This means that you should have a pretty good handle on the personality traits and hard skills that you’re looking for in a prospective team member. And you should have an equally good (or maybe a better) handle on deal breakers that will prevent you from hiring them or even finishing the interview. Although it’s a good idea to have a written list of what you’re looking for and what will end things, it’s also important to listen to your gut. Quite often we look back and can clearly identify a red flag or two that we willfully disregarded during the hiring process because everything else seemed so great.
Onboarding a New Hire
Onboarding might not sound exciting, but it’s extremely important to the long-term success of your new hires. Their first few weeks on the job allow you to set expectations and goals, and that time gives new hires a chance to connect with the key players they’ll be interacting with and to learn what you expect from them so they can excel. The more you invest in their careers in the first weeks, the bigger the long-term payoff will be. To be more specific, a successful onboarding program can increase retention by 25 percent and improve performance by more than 10 percent.20 During employees’ first week on the job, they want on-the-job training, a review of your company policies, a tour, and to find a mentor (you or someone else).21 Let them shadow you so they see what you do every day, and spend time introducing them to your team members and others they’ll be working with regularly. (But don’t go overboard; too many introductions can be overwhelming.) Instruct them on office protocol and how to reserve a conference room, and give them an employee handbook if your company offers one. Be there to mentor at first so they feel comfortable on your team. Eventually they’ll find others to support them as they get situated in your organization.
Onboarding Checklist
Collect the required new employee registration data.
Provide access to the employee handbook.
Introduce them to the tech your team uses.
Orient them with your office facility.
Allow them to shadow you.
Schedule a weekly meeting with them to sync up.
Give them training.
Hold an all-hands team meeting to introduce them.
Communicate your expectations and goals.
Ask them what their career goals are.
Allow them to evaluate your onboarding process.
During the onboarding process, don’t overload your new hires with too much information, or they won’t retain it and will get stressed out. And don’t assume they’ll be able to hit the ground running just because they’ve had prior work experience. When developing an onboarding experience, use technology as a way to increase efficiencies instead of relying on it to immerse the employee in your culture. For instance, offer a mobile-friendly handbook instead of a hard copy, artificial intelligence to answer standard new-hire questions, virtual training options, and a directory of staff so they can familiarize themselves with the organizational structure. While technology can be useful, nothing replaces the human touch, especially when you’re onboarding new employees. You should meet them, introduce them to their teammates, get lunch with them, and offer them mentoring support. Interact with them daily to ensure they have everything they need to become fully productive employees over the next few months. Finally, don’t fill their calendars with meetings, and urge them to allow themselves plenty of time to learn their new roles and start getting to know their teammates.