5 Psychology-Backed Techniques
That Will Help You Find the Right Talent

Choosing the right talent for your organization can be immeasurably rewarding. Choosing the wrong talent, however, can cripple your organization and undermine your team's morale and productivity.

Various studies have shown that having the wrong people—whether they are unmotivated, incompetent, or simply a poor cultural fit—can negatively impact performance. Research has demonstrated that a single disengaged team member can significantly reduce a group's overall effectiveness. This highlights the critical importance of a robust and insightful hiring process.

To move beyond simply matching a CV to a job description, hiring managers can refine their approach by using principles grounded in psychology. These five psychology-backed techniques will help you find qualified talent for your organization:

1. Assess a Candidate’s Grit Level

   When asked to identify the biggest determinant of success, many people point to talent, IQ, or social intelligence. However, according to Angela Duckworth, a professor of Psychology at the University of Pennsylvania, the greatest predictor of success is actually "grit." Her research found that grit—defined as the passion and perseverance for very long-term goals—is a more reliable indicator of achievement than intelligence or leadership ability.

   When hiring, you want people with a "can-do" attitude on your team, not necessarily just the individuals with the most polished resume. You need people who are determined to achieve their goals, no matter what setbacks they encounter. It is about recruiting for potential, not just past credentials. Therefore, it is vital to make grit a key factor in your assessment of potential hires.

   How to Assess Grit in an Interview

   The tricky part is knowing how much grit someone has based on a short interview. To uncover this, you need to ask behavioural questions that reveal how they have handled challenges in the past. For example:

   • "Tell me about a long-term project you worked on where you faced significant obstacles. How did you stay motivated?"

   • "Describe a time you failed at something. What did you do in response, and what did you learn from it?"

   • "Walk me through a time when you had to learn a completely new and difficult skill to complete a task."

   Look for answers that demonstrate resilience, a focus on learning from failure, and a commitment to seeing a difficult task through to the end.

2. Prioritise Conscientiousness

   Another crucial factor to look for in a candidate is conscientiousness. Simply put, conscientiousness is a personality trait that reflects a person's tendency to be thorough, careful, and vigilant. Conscientious employees are more likely to be organised, meet deadlines, and care about the quality of their work and its impact on other team members. Not only does this trait make them more committed to the goals of your organisation, but it also increases their chances of being a reliable team player.

   Numerous studies have established the powerful role conscientiousness plays in job success. It is often cited as the most consistent predictor of performance across all job types. This is because conscientious people are highly organised, responsible, achievement-oriented, and excellent at controlling their impulses—all highly desirable traits in an employee.

   How to Assess Conscientiousness

   You can probe for this trait by asking questions about how a candidate manages their work and responsibilities:

   • "How do you organise your typical workday to ensure you meet all your deadlines?"

   • "Describe a time when you had to manage multiple competing priorities. How did you decide what to focus on?"

   • "Tell me about a project where you were responsible for ensuring the quality and accuracy of the final outcome. What steps did you take?"

3. Look for Emotional Stability

   For a long time, organisations attempted to separate the personal lives of employees from their professional ones. However, a growing body of research has shown that an employee's personal stability—specifically, their emotional health—can significantly impact their work performance. Studies have found that emotional stability is one of the most important traits to look for when hiring a candidate.

   An emotionally stable candidate will typically be calm, even-tempered, and able to handle stress without becoming overly anxious or reactive. These traits will be reflected in how they handle pressure, receive feedback, and interact with colleagues. When interviewing your next candidate, it is important to professionally assess how they might cope with the demands of the role.

   How to Assess Emotional Stability

   This is not about being intrusive, but about understanding how a candidate responds to professional pressure. Use situational questions to gauge their likely response:

   • "Describe a stressful situation you faced at a previous job. How did you handle it?"

   • "Tell me about a time you received difficult or unexpected feedback from a manager. How did you react?"

   • "Walk me through a project that didn't go as planned. What was your role, and how did you manage the setback?"

4. Evaluate Agreeableness for Team Cohesion

   Thanks to disruptive innovators like Steve Jobs, modern culture sometimes celebrates the "rebel" or the "troublemaker." While a willingness to challenge the status quo can drive innovation, it is not a trait that works well in every team environment. No matter how brilliant an individual candidate is, it is important to remember that they will not be working in a vacuum. The success of your organisation is highly reliant on the effectiveness of your teams.

   Research has shown that agreeableness is a major predictor of job performance, particularly in roles that require a lot of teamwork. Agreeableness indicates a person's tendency to be cooperative, compassionate, and altruistic. An agreeable employee is more likely to be a team player who is willing to help others and work towards a common goal.

   How to Assess Agreeableness

   This is not about hiring people who are afraid to disagree. It is about hiring people who can disagree constructively. Ask questions that reveal their approach to collaboration:

   • "Tell me about a time you had a disagreement with a colleague. How did you resolve it?"

   • "Describe your ideal team environment. What role do you typically play in a team?"

   • "How would you handle a situation where a team member was not pulling their weight?"

5. Identify Intrinsic Self-Motivation

   At the end of the day, you do not want to spend your time micromanaging employees. Research consistently shows a positive relationship between employee motivation and the effectiveness of an organisation. While it is essential to implement measures to motivate and encourage your employees, it is just as important to hire people who are self-motivated from the start.

   A self-motivated employee will take initiative without having to be prompted. You do not want an employee who has to be told what to do at every step; instead, you want someone who is aware of their responsibilities and carries them out because of their own internal drive.

   How to Assess Self-Motivation

   Look for signs of intrinsic motivation by asking about their passions and initiative:

   • "Tell me about a project you initiated yourself in a previous role. What was the outcome?"

   • "What are you passionate about in this field? How do you stay up-to-date with new developments?"

   • "What are your long-term career goals, and what steps are you taking to achieve them?"

Conclusion

Hiring the right talent is one of the most critical functions of any leader. By looking beyond the CV and focusing on these five psychology-backed traits—grit, conscientiousness, emotional stability, agreeableness, and self-motivation—you can build a more robust and effective recruitment process. These qualities are powerful predictors of long-term success and strong indicators of a candidate's potential to become a valuable and collaborative member of your team.

Further Reading from Skills You Need

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