Personality is one of the most important factors when considering an employee for hire. A prospective employee's personality can influence how that employee may perform within the confines of the business and interact with the existing staff. A goal-driven, positive personality can also be contagious and may boost the morale of the entire staff, leading to increased productivity and success.
A Member of the Team
When hiring an employee, an employer must consider how a prospective employee's personality may mesh with the existing staff. Too many strong personalities with leadership characteristics can lead to a lack of teamwork, whereas a staff composed primarily of conservative personalities may lack the initiative necessary to achieve the business's goals. A knowledgeable employer who is aware of the personality needs of his staff can use this as an effective hiring criterion right along with job experience.
Customers Buy From Nice People
An employee with a more "people friendly" personality is good for a business that depends on customer service to drive sales. Customers buy from people they like and who are nice to them, and they quickly leave establishments where customer service is inattentive or rude. This is seen most often in the restaurant industry where a table server has the power to influence a dining experience simply with attitude. An upbeat server with a positive attitude may convince tables to stay longer and order dessert or an extra round of drinks, while a server with a negative attitude may cause a table to leave early, spend less and tell friends of the poor experience they had.
The Drive to Learn
A prospective employee's personality can tell an employer a lot about the drive and performance potential of the employee. This is particularly important in competitive fields like marketing or in commission-based sales positions. An employee who lacks drive or who does not display the desire to close sales will not fare well in those industries and is therefore not an ideal candidate for hire.
Hire Whom You Like
As an employer, you get to hire whomever you want within the limits of the law. Hiring an employee whose personality you enjoy and whom you could see yourself being able to stand seeing every workday is an important factor when considering anyone for hire. If you hire someone whose personality clashes with your own, it could lead to problems in the workplace that could bleed over onto the rest of the staff, causing a more stressful work environment. Stressed-out employees make bad decisions that could ultimately impact the performance of the business.
Tags: employee personality, prospective employee, prospective employee personality, customer service, existing staff, server with, that could
