Current:Home > ScamsWhat's a personality hire? Here's the value they bring to the workplace. -USAMarket
What's a personality hire? Here's the value they bring to the workplace.
View
Date:2025-04-16 20:10:07
If you or a co-worker is extroverted, personable and equipped with other soft skills but low on technical experience, you could be what is known as a "personality hire."
These employees are often charismatic and have stellar interpersonal skills, which can go a long way in the workplace. Indeed, so-called personality hires serve a valuable purpose: They boost morale, cheer on coworkers, and can seal deals with clients.
And hiring managers are looking for people to champion corporate culture at a time when only one-third of U.S. employees say they are engaged at work, and nearly half of workers say they are stressed, according to Gallup's annual report on the state of the workplace.
"Personality hires refer to employees that were hired for their personality. Think about their charisma and their ability to cheer the team on," said Vicki Salemi, career expert for Monster. "If it were baseball, they'd be on the top step of the dugout cheering on the team. They are hired for their approach to work and their attitude."
Almost half of workers — 48% — consider themselves a personality hire, according to a recent survey from career site Monster. Of those, 85% say they bring with them the ability to strengthen relationships with clients, customers and coworkers. Another 71% said they improve work culture, and 70% said they lighten the mood and boost morale. More than half say they exhibit enthusiasm for 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 personality hire in a former role at an advertising agency.
"You get hired based on if people like you or not," he told CBS MoneyWatch. "I got my job with zero experience, and I attribute my beating out other candidates to making interviewers laugh and have a good time with me, instead of being stoic and telling them what they wanted to hear."
"The right cultural fit"
There's a relative consensus, too, among both personality hires and traditional employees that the former's most valuable attribute is their ability to enhance relationships with clients and co-workers.
"They are the person on the team who can get along with anyone, especially if a relationship is sour. They can repair it and turn it into positive one," Salemi said.
Of course, possessing soft skills or technical skills doesn't 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 are the right cultural fit," Salemi said.
"It is a balance. Imagine going to the office and no one has a personality, and you're not having fun at all. That's an extremely hard environment to be successful in," Bennett, the founder of the creative agency said.
He added that personality hires are far from bad at their jobs.
"Just because you're a personality hire doesn't mean you're bad at your job; it just means your personality got you the extra oomph to get it," he said.
Can cause resentment
On the flip side, workers who fall under the traditional hire category can sometimes be resentful when a colleague they deem inexperienced or simply too chatty in the office is rewarded for their likability.
About four in 10 workers say they believe personality hires may receive opportunities and recognition they're not deserving of, because their personality is valued more than hard work or the technical ability to do the job, according to the Monster survey.
"Someone who is more of an introvert may still be positive about the work environment and have high morale, but not be as extroverted as a colleague, and might be passed over," Salemi said. "They'd say, 'I bring just as much if not more to the table, and here is this personality hire who is advancing,' but not for what they consider to be actual work."
But in the view of some, including personality hires themselves, chatting with colleagues in the hallway or at the water cooler is an integral part of the job, and does drive real value for companies.
In a video on social media app TikTok, comedic actor Vienna Ayla pokes fun at personality hires while also highlighting their merits.
"So this job calls for five years of experience and expertise in Excel," Ayla said of a fictitious role she's in. "I had no experience and thought that Excel, was for, like, 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 was playing had been insulated from numerous rounds of layoffs.
"There are rumors about some crazy layoffs coming. Am I nervous?" she said. "No. I've survived eight rounds of layoffs."
Megan CerulloMegan Cerullo is a New York-based reporter for CBS MoneyWatch covering small business, workplace, health care, consumer spending and personal finance topics. She regularly appears on CBS News 24/7 to discuss her reporting.
veryGood! (533)
Related
- The Grammy nominee you need to hear: Esperanza Spalding
- Do you have bothersome excess skin? There are treatment options.
- Michigan mother found guilty of murder in starvation death of her disabled 15-year-old son
- Keke Palmer's Ex Darius Jackson Accuses Her of Physical and Verbal Abuse in Response to Restraining Order
- Why members of two of EPA's influential science advisory committees were let go
- Georgia election workers ask for court order barring Rudy Giuliani from repeating lies about them
- Death of 5-year-old boy prompts criticism of Chicago shelters for migrants
- Keke Palmer's Ex Darius Jackson Accuses Her of Physical and Verbal Abuse in Response to Restraining Order
- Which apps offer encrypted messaging? How to switch and what to know after feds’ warning
- Israel finds large tunnel near Gaza border close to major crossing
Ranking
- What were Tom Selleck's juicy final 'Blue Bloods' words in Reagan family
- Mason Rudolph will get the start at QB for struggling Steelers in Week 15 vs. Bengals
- CIA director William Burns meets Israel's Mossad chief in Europe in renewed push to free Gaza hostages
- The UK and France reiterate that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine must end in failure as US aid falters
- DeepSeek: Did a little known Chinese startup cause a 'Sputnik moment' for AI?
- NFL Week 15 winners, losers: Believe in the Browns?
- Millions of Apple users can claim part of a $25 million settlement. Here's how.
- Jennifer Love Hewitt Has Honest Response to Claims She’s Unrecognizable
Recommendation
Travis Hunter, the 2
Five-star quarterback recruit Dylan Raiola flips commitment from Georgia to Nebraska
An airstrike likely carried out by Jordan’s air force targets drug dealers in Syria, reports say
Pope’s approval of gay blessings could have impact where rights are restricted, LGBTQ+ advocates say
Taylor Swift Eras Archive site launches on singer's 35th birthday. What is it?
Three great songs to help you study
Keke Palmer's Ex Darius Jackson Accuses Her of Physical and Verbal Abuse in Response to Restraining Order
Kate Middleton's Adorable Childhood Photo Proves Prince Louis Is Her Twin