During the recruitment process, employers often focus on an applicant’s relevant qualifications and experience and give less attention to their personal characteristics. While being well-qualified and having the requisite experience is important, or even essential, for some jobs, personality factors should be given more consideration.
It is undeniable that in some fields relevant qualifications and experience are crucial to performing a job. A patient who needed a life-saving operation or a defendant falsely charged with murder would both like to have a competent doctor or a talented lawyer to help them with their respective problems. Even if the particular doctor or lawyer did not possess desirable personal qualities, they would still be valued for their ability to perform highly-skilled tasks.
Nevertheless, outside the realm of specialists, it would seem that personality should be given greater attention. In an office environment, most people can get on-the-job training and do not necessarily need an advanced degree or extensive experience to perform their duties. Instead, what is more important is their ability to work as a team with their co-workers and avoid workplace disputes. In this case, it would make more sense to hire the sociable person who needs extra training rather than the skilled worker who is unpleasant to be around.
Broadly speaking, the key requirements for requiring new staff will depend on the job in question. In some fields, personality has to play second fiddle to competence, but in many if not most jobs, it is the ability to interact well with other employees that is the most important criterion when hiring new staff.