Charisma: How to Quantify?

Charisma is not quantifiable. You can’t test for it. People who may have zero charisma will state that they are very charismatic. How can someone tell them yes or no they have charisma? What is the test?

Charisma is quite similar, in my mind, to moxie. How would I quantify Charisma? Easy! How adaptable is the person? How do they handle adversity? What, if anything, drives them? What happens when they show up to the interview over or under dressed? What happens when they are put back on their feet by the interviewer? How do they handle an unexpected phone call from the interviewer?

Are these things that can be graded and scored? Of course not! Too much of society has become about what we can standardize or what we can quantify. Old-Fashioned talent is something you know and feel when the person walks in the door and speaks. It is something about the way they carry themselves.

How do you judge this talent? That is a bit more complicated than one would think. First and foremost the person will have a certain attitude about them. Not cocky but reserved and in control. Their being in the room will feel like a bar has been raised. Secondly the person will be at ease no matter what the situation is that they encounter. Maybe the interview was less formal than they expected. Maybe a crazy question was just asked. To see if the person you are interviewing has charisma you must test their limits and boundraies. See how they react to conditions that would not be the norm.

Another surefire way to tell if a person has charismia is to ask them what their greatest weakness is. Some people will answer a sterotypical response. Others will say “No weaknesses at all of course!” Those are the people you know right off the bat don’t have ‘it’. The person with charisma, while possibly not expecting to be asked such a deep question, will respond openly and honestly even at the expense of the job. Take the same logic a step further and you can ask why the person should not get the job. How a person reacts to this question can be your final litmus test.

I have always had the ability to talk to anyone no matter what walk of life. What I have honed after 10 years of EMS experience is my ability to read a person and situation. I will know right away if the person I am interviewing has the level of charisma I am looking for. I will also know right away if you are faking it or trying to play me. Don’t.

Charisma can’t be quantified or taught. It is an ability a person either has and nutures over time or simply does not have. It is the tangible intangible that sets aside the rising stars from the herd. Hopefully you now have a bit more of an understanding of what that means and how to spot it. My last bit of advice is once you find it in someone, do whatever it takes to keep that person working with you. The benefits will be astounding!