Skills and experience are important factors when it comes to being hired for a job. You might be surprised to learn, however, that personality ranks third among hiring managers’ considerations, according to a study by TopResume, a résumé-writing service. In fact, it’s listed above a candidate’s potential and education.
While there are types, personality can also be a subjective assessment. Amanda Augustine, Fast Company contributor and TopResume’s career expert, says the way that people describe personality in the workplace is often what it would be like to work someone.
“Personality plays a big part in the cultural fit,” she says. “It impacts work behaviors such as your communication style, how you handle a crisis, and how flexible you are when something changes. You have to get along well enough to communicate and accomplish goals together.”
If a new hire’s personality doesn’t mesh with those of their manager or coworkers, there could be long-term complications. “Frankly, hiring a cultural misfit is a costly mistake,” says Augustine. “People don’t want to waste money or time on either side of that interview table.”
You don’t have to wait until the interview to put your personality on display. Augustine says there things you can do before, during, and after to help recruiters and hiring managers get to know you better.
Social media
Start with your digital footprint, especially LinkedIn. “A résumé is still pretty much a cut-and-dried document where you use an absent first person,” says Augustine. “LinkedIn provides more opportunities [to show your personality]. Everything from the photo you choose for your profile to what you put in that ‘About’ section is important.”
For example, in the About section, you can talk about why you’re passionate about what you do, how you’ve gotten to where you are today, what are you excited to be working on or doing in the future, and how you tend to work with others.
“Incorporate all those things in a casual conversational tone that may not necessarily be considered correct or appropriate for a résumé,” says Augustine. “Use that opportunity to give [the reader] a taste of what it would be like if you were having a conversation with them and they wanted to know, ‘Why do you like getting up every day to go to work?’”
In addition to your profile, Augustine says you can show personality by what you’re posting and sharing as well as the comments you leave. While LinkedIn is the more professional social media outlet, it’s important to remember that hiring managers will also check out other social media platforms. “You have to decide whether or not you want those available to the public versus private and kind of locked down for your personal circle,” says Augustine. “If you do decide to share it with the world and make everything public, make sure it’s the right reflection on you and your personality.”
Cover letters
Don’t discount the cover letter, says Augustine. “Most people overlook cover letters because they’re boring,” she says. “Often, you’re just regurgitating what [the reader is] going to see in the résumé. But if you use it very strategically, you can demonstrate your personality and why you’d be a cultural fit for that organization in a very interesting way.”
For example, Augustine suggests telling an anecdote, sharing a story about how you dealt with a challenge, or explaining how you got excited about the career that you’re in now. “Use that to give them a taste of your personality as well as offer proof of how you possess certain skills that are required for the role,” she says. “It’s one of those opportunities where you can share more than you can in a simple résumé.”
The interview
Of course, the interview is the obvious place to reveal your personality. Small talk at the beginning is an opportunity for candidates to share information and give a better sense of who they are.
“One of the most common topics is talking about the weather, but you could also ask the other person if they have any upcoming plans for the weekend,” says Augustine. “Those are openings that allow you to give them a bit more insight into what do you do in your free time or what your priorities are. In an ideal world, you find something that you have a mutual interest in, so you can leverage that to build rapport.”
During the interview, employers will ask questions that are designed to better understand your personality. “Twenty percent of the interview time is spent verifying you have the right skill set to do the job; the other 80% is spent seeing if the person will mesh well with the team,” says Augustine.
Behavior questions, such as asking how you handle certain situations, reveal personality traits. Augustine suggests using the CAR method framework to answer the question, covering the challenges, actions, and results.
“What challenges did you face? What actions did you take to accomplish the goal? And what was the result?” she asks. “This gives you a framework for telling a story with insights on how you think and how your personality comes into play.”
Follow up
When the interview is over, candidates continue to have opportunities to show their personalities. Augustine suggests following up with a note or email. “This is a good chance to bring up things that you had in common,” she says. “Remind your interviewer of the rapport that you built.”
Giving a taste of your personality is different than showing all your warts, Augustine adds. “Tone it down a little and make sure it’s a job you want before you show them everything,” she says. “Showing your personality shouldn’t be providing too much information. You want to give them a sense of what would it be like to work with you. It’s like a first date or meeting your potential in-laws. Apply those rules when trying to gauge how much of your personality you should be revealing at these various parts of the job search process.”
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