An Employee's Personality Is More Important Than Skills According To A New Talent Study

By Rae Ann Fera

Looking to understand what makes a digital professional marketable, Hyper Island surveyed over 500 business leaders in the communication and tech fields to find out what they're looking for in new employees. Turns out being flexible and personable are more important than tech wizardry.

One of the greatest traps when thinking about bolstering a company’s digital capabilities is focusing too myopically on the technology. Sure, great digital teams require technical wizards, but it turns out that in the eyes of employers hard skills take a back seat to personal qualities such as creativity, drive, and open-mindedness when it comes to employability.

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This is the finding of a recent study from digital education company Hyper Island titled “Tomorrow’s Most Wanted.” In the study, conducted over a three-month period in 2013, Hyper Island surveyed over 500 leaders and employees across companies within the communication, tech, and business development industries, looking at future challenges and the skills and qualities needed to meet them.
Of those surveyed, 78% cited “personality” as the most desirable quality in employees, followed in importance by “cultural alignment,” and then finally “skill-set.” When it comes to specific personality traits, 14% of respondents listed drive as most important, followed by creativity (12% of respondents) and "open mind" (11%). The biggest overall industry challenge is finding, keeping, and developing the right talent, according to 20% of respondents; 10% of participants listed technical and digital development as the top challenge. You can read more findings from the study here.
Johanna Frelin, CEO of Hyper Island attributes the results, which some might find surprising, to the rapid speed of technological change. “The development of tech is so fast right now and there are no signs it will slow down. So skills become outdated very fast,” she says. “But how you work, the ability for self-leadership, and being an effective team member will make you employable for a long time. A personality that is curious and can un-learn and re-learn according to new environments and realities.”
Frelin says that this study helps define the idea of a digital professional in broader terms. “We are beyond looking at digital as something techy. We are relieved that the market finally understands that it is all about people and to have the right team players,” she says, noting that the findings will help employers understand how to find the best talent, and will additionally help Hyper Island “‘produce’ employable and attractive talent and meet market demands.”

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“Employers should see this as an opportunity to be able to prepare for a trend that will be stronger. They need to create value-driven and un-hierarchical work places that will be able to retain talent.”

[Image: Flickr user R. Nial Bradshaw]