Tazio Trends: Showing passion isn’t a reliable measure of potential – here’s why
Don’t worry, you haven’t stumbled onto the Cosmopolitan magazine website. We’re talking about the value job ads and hiring managers often place on applicants showing passion.
Before we all went off on holiday we posted about Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s comments on the subject. He worried that candidates would struggle to show their “passion and personality” in a virtual interview.
There’s nothing wrong with either of those. But when it comes to whether someone is right for a particular role, being able to performatively demonstrate these characteristics isn’t a great indicator of potential.
Now most of us are back at our desks, we wanted to look a little more deeply into why – we hope you’re sitting comfortably Mr Burnham.
Confidence doesn’t equal potential
The candidate who steps into the interview room with a firm handshake, easy small talk and some well-placed one liners that put everyone at ease, may well be the person you’re looking for. And in some roles, sales for example, these kind of skills definitely come in handy.
However, equating confidence with capability and charisma with success, isn’t a reliable recruitment strategy.
Likewise, overvaluing personality. We are understandably drawn to people we click with, whose personality matches ours, who we’d happily go to the pub with. But would you employ all your friends? Even the one that’s always late and has gone to the wrong pub anyway?
The challenge for recruiters is to look beyond traditional credentials and subjective instincts, to processes that are fairer and lead to the best person getting the job.
The traits that really count
Of course, employers want motivated and engaged talent. The problem is recruiters often judge it through the visible behaviours we’ve described. But research consistently shows they’re not universal predictors of job success.
For example, one influential study found that conscientiousness was the personality trait that most successfully predicted performance across a wide range of occupations.
Why is that? Typically, conscientious individuals are organised, reliable, self-disciplined and goal focused. As employees they tend to be more productive, learn more effectively during training and contribute positively to their teams through behaviours such as helping colleagues, being dependable and going beyond their core responsibilities.
They’re also less likely to engage in counterproductive workplace behaviours such as cutting corners, ignoring processes or creating conflict.
Other research has demonstrated that general cognitive ability is a similarly strong predictor of performance across most jobs.
The brilliant candidates you don't see
Instinctive responses to highly visible signals can, therefore, be misleading, because they obscure more telling attributes such as conscientiousness and cognitive ability.
Recognising this is particularly urgent if you’re aiming to create a jobs market that enables social mobility. Outward confidence often comes naturally to those from more privileged backgrounds, who have more experience speaking publicly and a greater understanding of interview expectations.
There is also evidence to suggest less capable people are less aware of their shortcomings and more likely to inflate their abilities.
On the other hand, a candidate may be deeply motivated by a role but struggle to express that enthusiasm in a formal interview. They may be nervous. They may have had limited exposure to professional environments. They may come from a background where self-promotion was neither encouraged nor rewarded.
None of this means they lack commitment and won’t perform strongly.
Levelling the playing field
We recognise the Prime Minister’s concern that virtual interviews may work against people who do not have certain institutions on their CV or know the right people. We share that concern.
But as we’ve shown, relying on visible signals of passion as a proxy for potential, risks reinforcing those glass ceilings.
Our Head of Sales and Solutions, Justin Somerville-Cotton, says: “Assessment-led approaches can help level the playing field. By focusing on what candidates can do, how they solve problems and how they are likely to perform in the future, employers can reduce reliance on factors that are often influenced by background, opportunity and circumstance. The result is a more meritocratic process that widens access without lowering standards.”
That doesn’t mean taking the hiring manager out of the process. It means giving them evidence they can truly trust through validated tests and structured interviews.
As always, our mission is to empower you to make smarter, faster hiring decisions and create exceptional experiences for your candidates. Stay connected with us on LinkedIn for the latest news and resources.
If you have any thoughts on this edition of Tazio Trends or want to find out more about our platform, it would be great to hear from you.
