“Everything in moderation” has always been the accepted axiom, even when it comes to social orientation. Unlike total Extroverts or total Introverts, “Ambiverts” enjoy the best of both worlds: They enjoy socializing and working with others, but are also comfortable tackling solo projects.

New study by PsychTests.com reveals that companies are more likely to benefit from hiring a mix of Extroverts and Introverts, rather than solely Ambiverts.

HR managers seem to have found a shortcut to success. Rather than endeavouring to find an extrovert for more socially oriented positions, and an introvert for more solitary work, HR managers could streamline the hiring process and simply opt for an Ambivert.

While many companies claim they would be better off hiring an ambivert, over an extrovert or an introvert. Dr. Jerabek, president of PsychTests explains, “On the one hand, if you have a position in which tasks vary a great deal and employees are required to work on individual as well as team projects, Ambiverts might be considered ideal. However, just because ambiverts share characteristics of both introverts and extroverts, that doesn’t mean they also share their strengths.”

“This isn’t to say that Ambiverts are not good employees; they are still strong performers.”

Recent research from PsychTests, however, indicates that both introverted and extroverted personalities have a slight edge over Ambiverts. Based on data collected from 365 Ambiverts, Introverts, and Extroverts, the PsychTests’ study reveals:

Areas Where Introverts Outperform Ambiverts

• 20% of Introverts thrive on other people’s approval, compared to 36% of Ambiverts.
• 62% of Introverts have good attention to detail, compared to 57% of Ambiverts.
• 85% of Introverts are conscientious decision-makers, and make sure to take the pros and cons of a decision into consideration before moving forward, compared to 76% of Ambiverts.

Areas Where Extroverts Outperform Ambiverts

• 94% of Extroverts actually enjoy having a busy work day, compared to 80% of Ambiverts.
• 78% of Extroverts display patience in even the most trying or frustrating situations, compared to 72% of Ambiverts.
• 51% of Extroverts are confident making decisions, compared to 46% of Ambiverts.

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• 95% of Extroverts are viewed by colleagues as being approachable and easy to get along with, compared to 87% of Ambiverts.
• 77% of Extroverts create to-do lists in order to stay organized, compared to 70% of Ambiverts.

Areas Where both Extroverts and Introverts Outperform Ambiverts

• 72% of Ambiverts achieve most of the goals they set for themselves, compared to 75% of Introverts and 81% of Extroverts.
• 56% of Ambiverts are satisfied with their jobs, compared to 62% of Introverts and 65% of Extroverts.
• 85% of Ambiverts are good at regulating their emotions, compared to 88% of Introverts and 94% of Extroverts.

Yet even when controlled for Emotional Stability, Openness, Agreeableness, and Conscientiousness … four of the well known ‘Big Five’ traits personality test and looked only at the top performers, Introverts and/or Extroverts still exceeded Ambiverts by at least 5 points.

“The only areas where Ambiverts had an advantage – and only in comparison to Introverts – was their level of persistence when completing a difficult task, their tendency to be optimistic , and their ability to overcome the temptation to procrastinate.”

“The bottom line is that each of these personality types has their strengths and areas that need development, so it’s very important to make sure that a job candidate’s competencies as well as his or her personality are suitable for a particular position.”

“Most importantly, don’t make assumptions about a person based on labels like extroverted or introverted; introverted doesn’t imply that a person is shy, and extroverted doesn’t necessarily mean that a person talks to excess and doesn’t listen. Take the time to get to know about the different facets of an individual’s personality – to get to know the real person,” concludes Dr. Jerabek.

Also read: Comparing Equally Qualified Candidates? Here are the Essential Questions

Image credit: playbuzz.com