To Get That Job, Bring On The Charm: Survey

A survey of 223 senior executives and managers found that 63% rely on "likeability" and personality of a candidate when making hiring and promotion decisions. So what does this mean to the stereotypical techie who is often labeled as lacking sparkle when it comes to people-skills?

As a manager over our programming department, I look for the same thing when hiring.

Well, I don't exactly look for charm. I look at it from the opposite point of view...they just can't have a toxic personality. If they'll cause issues and fights, it ruins the entire group. We like easy-going people the most. My favorite question to ask applicants is to ask with a smile "Name three things that really bug you". That question really weeds out the bitter, angry types from the easy going ones.

The other top qualities for us at our programming place are:
1) Being detail oriented. If they can't keep track of details in a complex project, then they won't be a good programmer for us. Period.
2) Ability and desire to think. For example, most applicants come in while still going through school. I ask them their math, science, and computer grades. Many say they get C's and D's, but still insist they can program. We know then not to hire them. But if they have a history of doing *something* that makes you think, we like them. Whether its programming, or math, or physics, or electronics, or teaching complex material, or whatever. We've hired people who were great thinkers but had no programming experience. Within a couple of months, they were plugging away as valuable employees, far better than people who have gone to school for 4 years.
3) Loyalty. Too many people jump on a job only to leave a few months later for perhaps a better one. If we see a resume sheet with people jumping from one job to the next every year, we really wonder. If we see people that stick around through tough times, we love them.

Other helpful traits for us:
* Simpsons and/or futurama knowledge.
* Past history of gaming.
* Hard worker, doesn't get distracted.

The HR trend nowdays is to look for social skills above the other skills, regardless of the area in question. I think this is a bit wrong, since quite a few brilliant and very productive people lack sociability and are anxious when dealing with other people.

Of course you can invoke the importance of teamwork and all that here, and of course you'd want a charming, easy going person to work in your company, but there is way more in people then charm and friendliness, and some people spend their lives dedicating more in other forms of skills than social ones. I believe this trend is bad for these people, and given their skill levels, it's quite a waste of good human resources.

I've done a minor amount of interviewing and hiring, and you know what? I hire people that I will *enjoy* working with and who seem to *care*. I don't hire the guy who has certifications out the ass (at least on his resume, which could very well be a lot of BS) but you have to pull teeth to get to say anything.