When there’s a perception that a particular employee was hired for something other than their directly applicable job skills, some kind of “hire” term is often applied to their situation. For example, the term “diversity hire” or “affirmative action” hire is often used pejoratively to refer to a woman or minority who is perceived to have been hired for their demographics more than their skills. Similarly a “nepotism hire” or “nepo hire” is a label often used to refer to children of or those with close personal connections to influential people within an organization.
Impact of Soft Skills on Hiring Decisions
Now, a new “hire” term has emerged: “personality hire.” The term has been spreading on social media, where employees or their coworkers refer to themselves as “personality hires” if it’s believed that the employee was hired for their people skills, as opposed to their job skills.
A recent survey by Monster sheds some light on the term and the prevalence of the phenomenon it describes.
One interesting takeaway from the survey was that nearly half (48%) of workers self-identify as a personality hire, meaning they think their soft skills had more to do with their hire than their ability to perform the key functions of the job.
Additionally, there is a close split among employees when it comes to the perceived value of personality hires compared with other hires. Forty-two percent of workers believe personality hires have more worth in the workplace, while more than half (58%) of workers feel traditional hires are more valuable.
Value of Personality Hires
There are also differing opinions of the value of being a personality hire when it comes to career advancement:
- 45% of workers said it’s easier for personality hires to advance due to their relationships with executives, while 18% think it’s harder for personality hires to advance and climb the corporate ladder.
- 39% of workers feel personality hires receive opportunities and recognition they haven’t earned because their personality is beloved, and 32% of workers think personality hires may be overlooked due to a lack in relevant skills or experience necessary for career advancement.
It’s easy to brush off so-called personality hires as unqualified schmoozers. However, there’s no doubt that personal skills are critical in the modern workplace, and there’s nothing to suggest that those with great people skills don’t possess any other job-specific talents.
While personality hires are often viewed skeptically, the importance of people skills in the modern workplace cannot be overlooked. The term highlights a growing recognition of soft skills’ value, though opinions vary on their impact on career advancement. Ultimately, balancing technical skills with interpersonal abilities is crucial for workplace success.
Lin Grensing-Pophal is a Contributing Editor at HR Daily Advisor.