When reviewing resumes and interviewing candidates, it’s easy to get caught up in degrees, job titles, and years of experience. But if you’re only hiring based on qualifications, you may be missing the bigger picture.
Hiring for character over credentials doesn’t mean settling for someone unqualified. It means recognizing that some skills can be taught, but values like resilience, integrity, and drive are much harder to instill. In fact, hiring people with the right mindset and motivation often leads to higher retention, better performance, and a stronger team culture.
Here’s how to build a hiring process that puts character first:
- Define What “Character” Means to Your Organization
First start by ensuring your company has a clear set of stated values – Gather your leadership team and identify the traits and behaviors that define your culture at its best. Things like integrity, adaptability, empathy, or ownership. Think about the people on your team who consistently raise the bar and what qualities they embody.
Once your core values are defined, consider how those values show up in different departments. For example:
- Sales might value grit, resilience, and proactive communication.
- Customer Service may prioritize empathy, patience, and problem-solving.
- Operations could emphasize attention to detail, reliability, and process ownership.
- Marketing might focus on creativity, curiosity, and collaboration.
Creating department-specific value translations helps ensure you’re assessing character through a lens that’s relevant to each role. By defining what “character” means in both a company-wide and role-specific context, you’ll be better equipped to spot candidates who don’t just look good on paper, but genuinely fit your culture and mission.
- Create a Scorecard That Balances Skills and Soft Traits
Develop a hiring scorecard that includes both role-specific competencies and key character traits. One suggestion is to rate responses on a scale so you can arrive to an objective measurement of fit, rather than an arbitrary sentiment. This will help create a more consistent, and balanced decision-making process.
- Ask Questions That Reveal Motivators and Values
Instead of just asking about past job duties, dig deep:
- Tell me about a time you overcame a personal or professional challenge.
- What motivates you to do your best work?
- How do you respond to feedback?
- What’s your biggest personal goal right now?
These open-ended questions allow you to learn about the candidate’s character, ambition, and emotional intelligence.
- Observe Behavior and Emotional Cues
Hiring for character means paying attention to more than just what’s said in the interview; it’s about how candidates behave throughout the entire process. Notice how they treat your receptionist or coordinator, especially when no one’s watching. Do they respond to last-minute scheduling changes with grace or frustration? Do they follow up with a thoughtful thank-you note or go silent? These small, often-overlooked interactions can reveal a lot about someone’s attitude, professionalism, and emotional intelligence. The way a candidate handles the process is often a preview of how they’ll handle clients, teammates, and challenges on the job.
- Prioritize the “Why” Over the “What”
Skills are the “what”—what a candidate can do based on their training or past roles. But character is found in the “why”—the deeper motivations behind why they work, push themselves, and pursue growth.
In interviews, go beyond surface-level questions. Ask what drives them outside of work. Maybe it’s providing stability for their family, helping their parents retire, or giving their kids opportunities they didn’t have. These bigger-picture motivations reveal resilience, commitment, and a personal stake in success; traits that no certification can measure.
When you understand someone’s “why,” you gain insight into how they’ll show up when things get hard, and that’s what sets high-character hires apart.
The Bottom Line: Don’t miss out on all-star candidates just because they lack one specific, and often easily attainable, qualification. Traits like curiosity and resourcefulness are often better indicators of long-term success than a perfect resume. When you hire for character, you invest in potential, not just credentials.
Though, hiring for character doesn’t mean ignoring qualifications; it means elevating the qualities that define how someone shows up, learns, and grows. When you hire people who align with your values, you’re not just filling a seat… you’re building a better team.
Have questions? Let’s chat!
