During recruitment season, hiring managers hold the responsibility of picking out the best and brightest among candidates. This usually means searching for the most skilled applicants and offering them a position in your organization.

However, there are instances where an applicant does not have or exceed all the qualifications but has a personality and work ethic that is potentially a great fit for the company. It then becomes a question of, what should you hire for skills or character?

There is more to a potential employees than just their work experience. Good qualities often assure you of dedication to the organization and its growth. There are many other ways your business can benefit from hiring someone based on their character.

Looking at Soft Skills and Hard Skills

We understand that there are two kinds of skills a recruiter looks at: soft skills and hard skills. Soft skills are tied to a person’s social and emotional intelligence, character traits, and general attitude, which allow them to effectively manage various work environments and accomplish their work.

Hard skills, on the other hand, are more quantifiable. These are the technical capabilities an employee brings to the table. Hiring managers can gauge these by giving tests that show a candidate’s expertise in tools relevant to the job.

Since soft skills are often difficult to determine after just one or two interviews, pinning down a candidate’s qualities is not an easy process. Often, recruiters have to rely on personal comments made by candidates themselves to learn about their best qualities. Take the time to verify these claims through integrity tests for potential employees that assess trustworthiness for the positions they are applying for.

How Good Character Benefits Your Team More

In looking for those most suitable for positions on your team, deciding based on character offers great gains. Here are some reasons why you should take a chance on candidates who have soft skills, though they may lack technical aspects.

1. Hard skills are learnable.

Don’t automatically write an applicant off for not ticking off all the qualifications for a job. If a new employee does not have all the skills from the start, the simple solution is to train them. In fact, it should be standard practice to train all new employees to gain and enhance the relevant skill set for their work.

When filling entry-level positions, in particular, you will lose precious time trying to find someone with ample work experience. Find employees who are enthusiastic and willing to learn new things as they continue to work in your organization.

It is also a big mistake to hire someone and leave them to fend for themselves. There is a good amount of mentoring involved in helping your employees become more competent and productive in the workplace. At the same time, leave room for them to put their skills into practice.

2. Customer-facing services require pleasant personalities.

One important aspect of business success is customer satisfaction. Customers who are happy with the service they receive are more willing to come back to your brand.

While hard skills can be taught upfront, friendliness is not as easily relayed to employees. This is why you need people who can put their game faces on when dealing with different kinds of customers. You don’t want to risk losing customers because of unpleasant employees.

Maintaining composure and professionalism in speaking with customers is a must to gain their loyalty. Employees who are warm and welcoming accomplish this for your brand.

3. A team that gets along works well together.

Your customers are not the only ones who prefer employees who are easy to communicate with. For your team to function smoothly, you need employees who can adapt to a new working environment and be on good terms with everyone. This is especially important today as more businesses adopt a remote or hybrid work setup.

Employees with good character and people skills can quickly integrate themselves into the team and start accomplishing tasks with them. They can communicate well with other people and, as a result, more easily collaborate. An employee’s personality can make a world of difference in a team’s ability to meet their goals.

The “perfect fit” for your vacant job position is not always the candidate with the most promising work experience. It is the one who possesses a teachable and sociable character. The next time you bring in new hires, take the time to coach them and let them evolve into a committed part of the team.