A potential employee can look fantastic on paper—they have the requisite skills and years of experience doing exactly what you need them to do. Then, two weeks in, it becomes abundantly clear they just aren’t a great fit, thus highlighting a common dilemma: should you hire for skills or personality? It’s rare that a candidate will hit both targets, so hiring managers are often left choosing between the two. There’s a compelling argument, though, why personality should take priority over experience. First, it should be remembered that skills can, and should, be taught. Being successful in a position doesn’t require having every skill in place from the start. Second, employees who need to be trained from the ground up don’t have any bad habits to unlearn. If they’ve been in a similar position for years, they may be set in their (often unmotivated) ways. Finally, personality fits can also lead to stronger teams overall, and therefore, greater customer satisfaction. So much of business is based on interpersonal relationships; it makes more sense to hire someone who will fit in and give them the tools they need to succeed than to hire someone with the tools who can’t play well with others.