Should You Hire People You Get Along With?

Table of Contents:

#1. What exactly do we mean when we talk about affinity?

#2. Is there "one"... or "multiple" affinities?

#3. What is the impact of these different affinity categories on work success?

#4. How to anticipate affinity between 2 people?

#5. Individual psychology as the starting point!

#6. Where it gets complicated...

#7. Key takeaways at this stage

#8. Why should you consider affinity when recruiting?

#9. How to do it in practice?

When recruiting someone, the first thing we generally focus on is:

Will this person have the ability to succeed in the role I'm hiring for?

Will they be able to take ownership of the responsibilities, execute assigned tasks, and ultimately make a real daily contribution?

To predict people's ability to succeed, we look at their technical skills, of course, but not only that.

Social skills (Soft Skills) matter enormously too:

– natural leadership for managers

– friendliness and spontaneity for client-facing roles

– rigor for accounting roles...

We also know that having values aligned with the company's DNA greatly facilitates integration.

If the company highly values collaboration and the person systematically works solo, tensions will emerge sooner or later.

But what about interpersonal affinity?

Is it necessary to have strong affinity with the people you work with?

Does affinity truly impact team results?

Does it influence retention?

Is there a danger in hiring with too little affinity... or too much?

#1. What exactly do we mean when we talk about affinity?

Affinity can be defined as the "subjective perception of the quality of the relationship" you have with someone.

Having good affinity with someone means feeling a connection of a certain intensity with them.

When affinity is strong:

– you feel drawn to the person

– you share things in common

– you learn from them

– you enjoy collaborating

– everything feels "natural"

Conversely, low affinity can generate indifference, irritation, or even anxiety.

Affinity is a subjective experience.

#2. Is there "one"... or "multiple" affinities?

Affinity is not monolithic.

Affinity can be summarized in two dimensions:

– Social affinity: the pleasure of spending time together

– Work affinity: the ability to collaborate effectively

These two affinities can vary independently.

#3. What is the impact of these affinity categories on work success?

Social affinity

It influences:

– the feeling of connection

– the desire to share time together

– emotional fluidity

– ease of communication

It serves as a relational lubricant.

It is determined by:

– personality traits

– motivations

– relational style

– emotional drivers

Work affinity

It influences:

– mutual understanding

– problem solving

– collective productivity

– synergy (that famous "1+1 = 11")

It depends on:

– working style

– intellectual abilities

– processing speed

– attention to detail vs big-picture thinking

– creativity

– approach to situations

Image: The 4 affinity combinations (social/work)

https://media-exp1.licdn.com/dms/image/C4D12AQGwWoH-m1sxXQ/article-inline_image-shrink_1000_1488/0/1567116788156

#4. How to anticipate affinity between 2 people?

To predict affinity, you need to identify its predictors: the elements that strongly impact affinity.

The equation is complex, but it can be simplified.

#5. Individual psychology as the starting point

Three main factors influence affinity:

– Intellectual abilities: how we process information

– Motivations: what drives us

– Personality: what guides our behaviors

Intellectual abilities

We get along better with people at a similar level.

Motivations

We get along better with those who share the same drivers.

Personality

Here, it's more nuanced:

– sometimes similarity helps

– sometimes complementarity works better

#6. Where it gets complicated...

There are no universal rules, because psychological needs vary from person to person.

There is often asymmetry in the relationship.

Example:

A highly intelligent person can adapt to someone less intellectually gifted, but the reverse is more challenging.

This creates a difference in the level of satisfaction experienced.

#7. Key takeaways at this stage

To maximize effective collaboration, you need to consider:

– affinity potential

– both affinities (social and work)

– the asymmetry of needs

– psychological profiles

Having both social + work affinity = the ideal situation.

#8. Why consider affinity in recruitment?

You might say:

"We hire for a job, not for a manager or a team."

True... but the people we work with enormously influence:

– our satisfaction

– our effectiveness

– our engagement

– our well-being

A study conducted by HR-Voice confirms the impact of the relationship with managers and colleagues.

Considering affinity doesn't mean seeking maximum affinity, but understanding under what conditions collaboration will work.

It is a major lever for:

– successful onboarding

– collective performance

– reducing friction

– retention

#9. How to do it in practice?

AssessFirst has been studying interpersonal affinity for over 3 years across 30+ countries.

Its algorithms analyze:

– the psychological profile of both individuals

– the asymmetry of their expectations

– over 50 analyzed criteria

Results are delivered as:

– an overall affinity score

– a relational affinity score

– a work affinity score

– similarity / complementarity indicators

– recommendations for each person

Today, more and more companies are assessing Soft Skills.

Affinity is the logical next step.

Imagine what your hiring would look like if you could see the potential affinities between each candidate and their future manager.

If you'd like to learn more or meet with us, contact me:

https://assessfirst.com/en/contact/

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