What do you think matters most in an interview out of the following:?

[Anonymous]

Personality

Skills

[MTC29]

Skills are expected: if someone lacks the skills required to do the job then why did they even apply?

Personality, especially in an office setting, is important, as well as being able to work as part of a team.

[MuddyMole]

Personality and presentability. You wouldn't even get an interview if they didn't think you had the skills to do the job (a quick glance at your resumé will have told them that already).

[Jessica405]

In a way, it is personality. Aptitude is so important, and that is part of your personality. Skills can be learned, but personality is harder to develop.

[TheBootyChest]

For me it's personality. Because I want to know the person who is going to be working next to me or under me can work well inside of a team. Not become some lone wolf.

[BeJames]

Definitely skills.

The politician can have the best personality I have ever seen but it doesn't mean they will get the job of a heart surgeon unless he also has necessary skills.

[Birdlegs]

A politician wouldn’t be in the running to get a job as a heart surgeon in the first place. If I’m trying to get a job as a waiter and I’m super outgoing in the interview, I’ll get the job over someone who’s more reserved and quiet even if they have more experience.

[BeJames]

Unless they discover you can't count, are illiterate or lack any other of the skills necessary to be a waiter.

Anyone applying for a job must first fullfil certain skillset and only AFTER that their personality decides the next round of selecting between acceptable candidates.

[Birdlegs]

If you have the interview you clearly have the base set of skills. As I said a politician won’t even get an interview for a heart surgeon.

[BeJames]

If hospital gets two applicants for an emergency room surgeon position and one is middle aged introverted surgeon with years of experiences of managing stressful situations and the other is really sympathetic and outgoing fresh graduate with just the bare minimum experiences, would get the job? Whom should the hospital trust?

Or if a new military general position opened up because of impeding war, who would get the position? An officer with great record of leading their squad into battle but bad personality, or an officer with great personality but terrible record loosing most of military engagements they participated in?

[Birdlegs]

You’re going to extremes. Obviously if it’s a life or death thing you’d want the most skilled person possible. But I’m the majority of jobs especially in customer service you’d want a personable person over someone who isn’t but might be more experienced. I’ve gotten numerous jobs because employers loved my personality and I was just taught the skills at work.

[BeJames]

Well, for customer service the people handling and personality ARE the required skills. But that is only a part of the general job market.

And it is not only life/death situations. The same applies for scientist (one with better results gets the job), chef (one cooking better gets the job), sculptor (one with better sculptures gets the job), book translator (one with better language skills gets the job),... Basically any job, where the quantity of their output/production is determined by their skills.

[BeJames]

*quality of their output/production
Pardon for autocorrect

[Birdlegs]

As I said the jobs where you deal with people your personality is major and skills can be taught later. Scientists, chefs, book translators, and any other jobs like that don’t deal with customers in the way a waiter does or a cashier. Why would a scientist need a personality? Be logical here. Obviously a factory worker doesn’t need personality.

[BeJames]

The question was about a general interview. So why did you cherry pick the only field of work that doesn't require previous skills and keep promoting it as the general rule? Your example is literally the last tier of goods processing - the sales and service, which is directly dependent on all the previous tiers of Primary production, Processing, Distribution, and R&D, where previous skills directly determine the result. Unskilled miner ruins the diamond, unskilled jeweler can't properly polish the diamond, and unskilled driver can damage the jewelry during transport. Only then the cashier can sell the jewelry to the customer.

Similarly, waiter can have the most charming personality, but if the chef ruins the food, if the plates are all cracked and badly washed, if the floor is not cleaned, and if the table is unstable, the customer won't be satisfied.

Yes, even company president needs somewhat good personality, but president with great personality and bad skills will be beloved by their people, but the company will be in ruins.

[Ithink_igoodperson]

of course skills