Why you should Hire For Personality and Train For Skills

While sometimes honest, resumes rarely convey a candidate’s full potential.

At times, they paint a grandiose version of an individual’s capabilities or history. He or she may exaggerate qualifications or skills, or simply make them up altogether.

On the other hand, some of the best prospects are tossed aside because of a poorly presented resume. In fact, some may undervalue their skills or experience, and therefore not mention them.

Of course, many candidates are often tossed aside due to a lack of experience; however, these individuals may have a great deal more potential.

As a result, performing pre-employment testing allows employers to determine what potential a candidate brings to the table. Not only will doing so uncover hidden strengths, but it also allows managers to determine how much an individual will enjoy a given role. Consequently, these tests reduce employee turnover and costs associated with hiring.

Skills can be Trained

Some skills are difficult to train, and others are extremely time-consuming. Nevertheless, most skills can be taught. In fact, some companies prefer to train employees to ensure their skills meet company standards; some skills are unique to a particular role or company. Furthermore, prior training may actually hinder the ability for new employees to fully embrace their new role.

Personality is Fairly Hardwired

Personalities adapt over time, and life experience changes people. With this in mind, there is a strong genetic component to personality. Even as individuals evolve through the years, they still retain some core traits. While there is a strong “nature versus nurture” debate, even traits that are acquired through life are fairly hardwired. It is much easier to train a skill than to reshape behaviour.

Finding Workplace Compatibility

Hiring for skill may guarantee that an employee performs tasks efficiently, but it doesn’t guarantee compatibility in the workplace. Indeed, the ideal fit on paper may have very little chemistry with a team. Moreover, hiring someone based on their personality ensures that employees may create a well-balanced team. Not only should they get along, but teammates should complement each other’s strengths and weaknesses.

Performing a psychometric assessment during the pre-employment screening allows companies to determine what an individual brings to the table. These tests measure an individual’s mental and behavioural capabilities in order to determine whether he or she is suitable for a particular role. As a result, employers are able to hand-pick individuals based on the most accurate information. Moreover, they are able to select the ideal fit for both the team and a specific role.