Why your personality could matter more than experience - Women's Agenda

Why your personality could matter more than experience

A recent report from recruitment company Hays found that the ‘cultural fit’ of a job candidate now rates as just as important as the skillset that candidate brings to the position.

It begs the question: does your personality trump what you can do? And what exactly is cultural fit anyway?

Cultural fit can be defined as the extent to which a candidate upholds, models or shares a company’s values, principles and beliefs. It’s all about finding people who align with a business’ ideals, so it makes sense that more employers are making an effort to get to know the person behind the power suit.

Founder and managing director of Employment Office, Tudor Marsden-Huggins, says that while skills and experience still underpin the requirements of most jobs, employers now believe they can teach and train any suitable candidate to perform most roles well.

“What employers seem to struggle with is finding candidates with the values, morals and ethics they are looking for,” he says. “Employers tell us they can invest in training and education to upskill most employees, but values like honesty, loyalty and diligence simply cannot be taught and that’s the precious commodity for many businesses.”

Theressa Hines, managing director at Employer Global Solutions and a 2011 Telstra Businesswoman of the Year, agrees, and says if people assimilate with an organisation, they consequently feel part of it, take ownership and contribute fully, often going above and beyond. “If they do not assimilate, they can detract from the organisation’s agenda, fail to contribute and exit, which can leave both parties failing to have their expectations met,” she says.

It’s not difficult to see why recruiting for cultural fit is gaining traction in the workforce. The costs of making a poor hiring decision can be a headache for employers, according to Marsden-Huggins. “When you consider that an employee who does not fit in with the company culture can cause friction among the team, contribute to a loss of productivity and also result in damage to a company’s clients and supplier relationships, it’s no wonder that employers are putting more emphasis on personality and behavioural patterns of potential employees than ever before,” he says.

But while cultural fit is important, Hines says it must not detract from a candidate’s ability to perform a role adequately. “Whilst cultural fit is very important, we cannot underestimate the need that candidates meet most of the skills and abilities for a role,” she says.

“The investment and time required to train an employee with little or no demonstrated skill is expensive and fraught with caution. How often do we hear an organisation manager say, ‘he’s a good bloke, he just doesn’t get the job’? He may fit the culture but not have the experience or skill for the job, and a lot of investment is then required without guarantee of a successful outcome.”

What are your thoughts? How important is cultural fit today? Are skills and experience still as relevant as they once were?

×

Stay Smart! Get Savvy!

Get Women’s Agenda in your inbox