Two people walk into an interview with equal qualifications. Jack answers every question in a cool, professional manner and says just what the interviewer wants to hear. Jill, however, tells a compelling story; she intuits more of the interviewer’s personality and at the end leaves him wishing for the conversation to go on.

At this point the very fact that the interviewer wants to spend more time with Jill leaves her with a distinct advantage over Jack. Why? Simply because she is liked better.

Likeability prevents layoffs

Sanders outlines, for example, the case of a junior employee who manages to survive several rounds of layoffs at his company simply because he was always very well liked and appreciated by his bosses.

Concurrent bosses always stood up for him and even helped place him elsewhere in the organisation when necessary, although people with more seniority were being let go.

“Job candidates are more successful if they’re likeable. They’re more likely to get second interviews, and more likely to get short-listed for jobs. They are also more likely to keep their jobs, both in bad times and good,” explains Sanders.

What constitutes the likeability factor

According to Sanders, there are four key criteria, which play into the likeability factor:

Friendliness: The most basic element of likeability, friendliness is the capacity to communicate positive feelings through verbal and/or non-verbal methods.

It is the first factor we consider when we meet someone for the first time and is how we form our first impression of that person.

Relevance: This is the degree to which you can connect with the other person and find common ground (interests, wants and needs).

Empathy: The ability to understand what another person is experiencing, and the extent of being able to relate to their situation.

Realness: To be able to be sincere in all of the above points, to be honest and to practise what you preach.

Hiring is based on likeability

Linda Matias is a career expert who has also written about the importance of likeability. According to Matias, the majority of hiring decisions is based on a candidate’s level of likeability.

Character is as important as ability

In an interview situation, the challenge is the following: you must not only demonstrate your capability for doing the job required, but you also have to “go a step further and impress the recruiter with your professional makeup, that is, your ability to be assertive, focused, and versatile,” says Matias.

In other words, your character can be as important as your credentials. So keep this in mind on the job or in your next interview. What you can do is always important, but the key to the corner office might just be how much people like you while you do it.

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