6 tips on being a successful ‘personality hire’

Published Updated 3 Min Read

Adobe Stock

Some people are hired because they had the right experience, others are hired because they had the right attitude — and both are equally valuable to the workplace. 

Fifty-four percent of hiring managers believe that soft skills, such as creativity and teamwork are highly important, according to Resume Genius’ 2024 Hiring Trends survey. What’s even more surprising is that 48% of these hiring managers say they’ve chosen not to hire a candidate because of a lack of soft skills. As for the people they hire exclusively for those soft skills, they’re referred to as “personality hires.”

“Look for roles where being a great communicator, team player, and problem solver are key. When updating your resume and cover letter, share real stories where your people skills shine, like defusing a tense situation at work or leading a team project to success.”

“One of the easiest ways to show you’re genuinely interested in the company is to dig deep into a company’s values, recent projects, or any notable achievements that you can use as talking points. You should also look up your interviewers beforehand. Finding common ground or topics of interest can help you create a connection. Chatting about these little details shows you’re putting in extra effort to connect. But rather than completely bulldozing the conversation, save your questions or comments for the end of the interview — unless they come up naturally.”

Paola Peralta
Associate Editor

Paola Peralta is an Associate Editor at Employee Benefit News and has been with the team for five years. She is a proud UCF journalism graduate who got her start through a Dow Jones News Fund … Read full bio


For reprint and licensing requests for this article, click here.


More From Employee Benefit News

Sign Up Form

Login Modal Form