Understanding the Different Personalities of Hiring Managers

All people are different and believe it or not Hiring Managers are people too. To be successful with your job interview you need to be able to identify and understand what that particular Hiring Manager is looking for. Here are the four personalities of Hiring Managers that most decision makers can fall within:

High Energy: This Hiring Manager is emotional, extroverted and inspired. Liked by most this type of personality is prone to occasionally step on a few toes. This person is always on the go, enjoys being the center of attention and talking with people, makes quick decisions and has a short attention span. This person is also very competitive and will take responsibility for what they do whether good or bad. During the interview process this Hiring Manager will be enthusiastic and will make you feel good about the opportunities. This person will talk a lot and really enjoy telling you all the great things about the company.

Pragmatic: This type of Hiring Manager will be very business like and very hard to read. This is a bottom line oriented person and just wants the facts that will make it possible for them to make a decision. The pragmatic Hiring Manager will control the interview. This person is firm but fair. They want the facts quickly and also make hiring decisions just as fast.

Analytical: The analytical Hiring Manager is slow, cautious and in no hurry to make a hiring decision. This type of personality really enjoys reviewing and evaluating data. They want all the facts and data before making a decision. This type of personality is not sensitive to the people around them. Because of this the interview with this Hiring Manager can be tough and they can easily come off as a jerk.

Congenial: This is the Hiring Manager that wants to be liked by everyone and will go to great lengths to avoid conflict when possible. Because of this person not liking confrontation or high pressure situations their decision making can be very erratic. This Hiring Manager wants everyone to win and hire everyone she interviews so no ones feelings get hurt. If you are not picked to fill the open job position it is very likely they will not contact you in any form to notify you of the situation. If you do not hear back from this person with good news in a short period of time you will probably never hear from them.

Hopefully by understanding the different personalities of Hiring Managers you will be able to tailor your interviewing style to the specific personality you are dealing with. By doing so you should be able to improve your success rate.

Learn more about this author, David Clemen.
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