Skills vs. attitude: which one is more important when hiring new talent?

When hiring a new employee, the same question often comes up: do you choose someone with the right skills, or do you go for someone with the right attitude? It's a question that concerns many employers.

After all, what is really more important: someone who can get started right away or someone who may need some time, but is super motivated and fits well with the team?

In this article we explain it step by step, give examples, and find out how you can find the right balance as an organization. And of course: how Meta Career can help you do that.

Skills: useful if you need someone quickly

Skills are things you can measure. Think of:

• - experience with certain software
• - a diploma or certificate
• - language knowledge
• - technical knowledge
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Imagine this: you have a busy marketing team that needs someone who can work with Adobe Photoshop right away. Someone who has been doing it for years can probably start right away. That's handy.

Skills advantages:

• - You don't have to spend much time breaking in.
• - The new employee is immediately productive.
• - Especially useful in technical or specialized positions.
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But.

There are also pitfalls. Someone may be very good on paper, but not fit in with the team in practice. Maybe they prefer to work alone, while your company relies on cooperation. Or maybe the person is not open to new ideas or changes.

Did you know ... skills age? What you learned five years ago is already obsolete in some industries. According to the World Economic Forum, by 2027, as many as 44% of the skills people use at work will have changed significantly or will need to be replaced.

Attitude: the power behind growth and collaboration

Attitude is about how a person does things. Is someone eager to learn? Does someone work well together? Does the person feel like growing?

Someone with the right attitude might say:

"I have no experience with that program yet, but I'm super motivated to learn it. Give me a week and I'll have it mastered."

Benefits of attitude:

• - Good attitude = good cooperation.
• - Increased engagement and motivation.
• - Great long-term growth potential.
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The downside? It can take a while for someone to really get up to speed. So you have to invest in coaching and training. But often that investment pays off handsomely.

An example:

Two candidates apply.

• - Candidate A: lots of experience, but not very enthusiastic.
• - Candidate B: little experience, but super motivated and curious.
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Who do you choose?

More and more companies choose candidate B. Because motivation is hard to learn. But skills? You can teach them to someone.

What does research say?

Various studies show: attitude is becoming increasingly important. Employers indicate that characteristics such as motivation, communication and adaptability often have more influence on someone's success than technical knowledge. In a world that is changing rapidly, organizations are therefore looking for people who can move with them.

The best choice? A combination of both

It's not always black and white. You don't have to choose between just skills or just attitude. Often the best candidate is someone who has enough basic knowledge as well as the right attitude to learn and adapt.

How do you approach that?

• - Think in advance: what skills are really needed?
• - Where is room for growth and development?
• - Look not only at the resume, but also at motivation and behavior.
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Use assessments during recruitment and selection to look at both sides: skills and personality. This way you get an honest and complete picture.

How Meta Career helps you make the right choice

At Meta Career, we believe that choosing well starts with good insight. That is why we use smart assessments to discover who really fits your team, who has the right skills and growth potential and where opportunities and risks lie.

We combine personality and talent analysis with practical tests that measure both attitude and skills. On this basis, we provide tailored advice, not only for selection, but also for successful onboarding.

This way you make choices not just based on feelings, but on facts. And that gives peace of mind and confidence.

Wondering how that works in practice? Plan an introduction to Meta Career. We gladly think with you about how to find and keep the right people.