The needs of your company are constantly changing — sometimes even before you realize it. The best way to handle these changes successfully is by building a workforce comprised of employees who can fearlessly face change head-on.

Unfortunately, courage in the face of change is not something you can teach, at least not directly. Employees who know how to anticipate and adapt to challenges did not learn to do so in school. Instead, they utilize a combination of hardwired emotional intelligence, intrinsic dedication, and courageous characteristics, all honed over many years of life and professional experience.

When you can’t train for the skills you need, your only choice is to hire people who already have those skills. But how can you tell whether a candidate has the attributes required to thrive in the face of change? Perhaps more importantly, how do you justify hiring a candidate with the perfect character traits but not all the technical skills you wanted?

What Does ‘Personality’ Entail?

Before we go any further in this discussion about hiring for personality, we need to clarify a few things.

First of all: “Personality” does not simply mean “first impressions.” While first impressions can offer hints about a candidate’s character traits, personality is much deeper. A candidate’s true personality entails all the different qualities that contribute to their thoughts and behaviors.

When hiring for personality, your job is to uncover insights about how a candidate’s character could contribute to the success of your company. These insights might include anything from how the candidate handles stressful situations to their desire for continuous learning. These insights can tell you whether or not a candidate has what it takes to grow and evolve with the company.

When It Makes Sense to Hire for Personality

Hiring for personality isn’t always the right choice. Sometimes, skills clearly take precedence. However, there are a few circumstances in which a personality-based hire is the right call.

For example, entry-level positions are often good places to hire based on personality. A candidate who fits with the culture and has the drive to learn and gain experience is likely to become the kind of employee who develops alongside your company. You’re not just filling a low-level seat: You’re investing in the future of your business.

Management roles often call for personality-based hires as well. Hiring a great leader with all the skills and experience you could ever want is nearly impossible. Finding a candidate with dedication and initiative built into their bones is a little bit easier. They may not have all the experience you may think you need, but a manager whose leadership style aligns with your culture can always be taught new skills, whereas it’s much harder to change someone’s ingrained beliefs about how to be a manager.

In general, regardless of the position you need to fill, it’s always a good idea to look for a candidate with determination, adaptability, and the will to learn. Candidates with these qualities are often the most susceptible to training and the most eager to assimilate into a new culture.

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