Plays well with others

There are many good and bad aspects to this new idea of hiring those that you know will mesh well with your current employees.

Casciaro and Lobo of Duke University brought up one point that plays a big role in who companies often hire. Today there are many laws that ensure equal job opportunities to all that apply. If companies begin to have this frame of mind while hiring new employees we may lose diversity in the work place because people naturally prefer those similar to themselves.

At the same time, when people get along with one another at work they are found to be more productive. For example, a sports team is always better the closer the teammates are to one another. In this same way, a company's productiveness may rise the more a like its employees are.

Of course, this may make job hunting even more stressful than it already is. You may be the most mentally prepared person to take the job but still not be chosen for the position. Although I believe this may be unfair at times it also may be a good idea for our society to revisit, valuing a person's character over their job qualifications.