Three Ways Personality Fit Matters When Making Hiring Decisions

May 3

Have you ever been required to take a personality assessment as part of the screening or hiring process and wondered why? There are good reasons for it. Personality plays a huge role in company culture and how effectively people and teams work together. If a human being interviews you, it's pretty safe to say that they've already determined that you're qualified to do the job. What hiring managers are screening for during the interview process is fit. How well will you fit in with the existing team, and how will your personality type mesh with the work, existing culture, and other personalities? One of the biggest headaches for managers is office politics and conflict between employees and teams.

Here are three ways that personality fit matters when making hiring decisions:

1) Avoiding Conflict with Existing Team(s)

If you've never experienced working in a toxic environment, then bravo to you! Toxicity in the workplace can make every workday miserable. Toxic environments are typically the result of poor personality mixes that clash. By ensuring that a team has complimenting personalities, a hiring manager can expect less conflict overall because the team is more likely to work together with positive synergetic energy.

2) Promoting Feelings of Belonging

Having a sense of belonging in the workplace makes all the difference. We spend so much time at work, often more time than we do with our families. Feeling like a part of a professional workplace family significantly increases a sense of wellbeing, belonging, and happiness. Happy employees are much less likely to quit. In reality, when people quit their job, it's often the case that they are leaving because of their manager, boss, or team, and less so because of the company or work itself. Again, it comes down to poor personality matches. People who get along well with their coworkers are much more likely to stay in their roles, even if the work itself isn't the most desirable or the pay is lower.

3) Cultivating Strong and Productive Teams

Savvy managers pay attention to personalities and how they can fit together like a puzzle, interlocking in strategic ways to form a productive and successful team. Organizations are made up of different roles, departments, and teams. Paying attention to each person's personality, goals, and interests and setting them up for success is crucial. The right personality combinations and how they interact individually, with each other, and collectively can make the difference between a project's success and its failure.

So, the next time you go into an interview or are required to take a personality assessment, know that there are no right or wrong answers for personality. It's all about fit. You wouldn't be happy in a job where you don't fit in just as much as the company won't be happy with the wrong personality combination and hire. So take a deep breath and be your awesome self!

#jobsearch #career #motivation #tipsandtricks #success #personality #hiring

Steph Guillen

I’m an art therapy and counseling master’s degree program student, as well as an artist, writer, and program director with a strong background in communications, photography, art, and job search/employment strategies. I have a passion for uplifting marginalized communities through means that champion knowledge, growth, and empowerment. My professional history largely resides in working with unemployed mid-to-high level executives, refugees, immigrants, and newcomers from the Middle East. I’ve advocated for and empowered these communities through the mediums of online graphic communications, writing, education, workshops, program development, and art.

I combine skills in art, graphics, photography, writing, project management, content creation, social media, advocacy/awareness initiatives, program development, and research to make a positive impact.

Certificates in: Positive Psychology, The Science of Well-Being, Creative Writing, Therapeutic Art Life Coaching, Career Brand Management, and Social Media Marketing. Education in Graphic Communications Technology, Photography, Middle Eastern Studies, and International Relations. Pursuing a competitive M.A. program in Art Therapy & Counseling.

KEY ACCOMPLISHMENTS

• Graduated Summa Cum Laude with a B.A. in Middle Eastern Studies while working full-time.

• Nominated for membership in Pi Gamma Mu Honor Society, Sigma lota Rho Honor Society, and The Society for Collegiate Leadership & Achievement.

• Recipient of the Global Goodwill Ambassador’s Humanitarian Award in recognition of years of impactful volunteer work, primarily in the refugee and international arena.

• Inducted into the Golden Key International Society with a 4.0 GPA in Middle Eastern Studies.

• Invited and accepted into the following committees and board: YMCA International’s Refugee College Scholarship Committee five years in a row, YMCA International’s Triumph of the Human Spirit Art Selection Committee two years in a row, United Nations Association of Houston Board Member & Global Classroom Liaison, World Refugee Day-Houston’s Panel Committee and Fundraising Committee.

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