Researchers from the University of Groningen in the Netherlands have identified a shift in how remote work influences the value placed on social abilities within professional settings. The study, published in the Journal of Personality and Individual Differences, reveals that working remotely can lessen the emphasis on social skills at work while elevating the importance of core professional competencies.
During the COVID-19 era, remote work became a widespread mode of operation for many organizations. While some companies continue to use this arrangement, it has begun to shape hiring priorities. Historically, employers favored candidates with well-developed sociability, courtesy, and friendliness. Today, many organizations are placing greater weight on professional capabilities such as critical thinking, ambition, and craftsmanship, especially for roles that can be performed remotely.
The study comprised two distinct experiments designed to observe how hiring preferences shift with different work contexts. In the first experiment, 304 participants were asked to assess resumes for positions in telecommunications and office settings. The results indicated a tendency to recommend candidates with high professional competence for remote roles more often than those who demonstrated strong social skills. This suggests that remote work environments may reward task-focused expertise over interpersonal traits in candidate selection.
A second experiment involved recruiters who acted as participants. About 300 recruiters were presented with a job description and asked to choose between two candidates. When the vacancy indicated an on-site office environment, recruiters favored applicants with social skills. Conversely, for remote positions, the preference moved toward candidates exhibiting higher levels of professional proficiency. This pattern underscores the context-dependent nature of skill requirements in the hiring process.
Taken together, the findings indicate that remote work can transform the criteria used by companies to evaluate employees. The evolving expectations point to a growing prioritization of technical and cognitive competencies in remote roles, while social skills remain more relevant in settings that demand direct, in-person interaction. The study contributes to a broader understanding of how digital work arrangements influence talent selection and the alignment of employee capabilities with organizational needs. These insights are relevant for employers designing recruitment strategies and for job seekers tailoring their profiles to the demands of remote or in-office work, as the appropriate emphasis can differ markedly depending on the work arrangement. In interpreting these results, considerations of industry, job function, and organizational culture are essential, as they can modulate how much weight is given to social versus professional competencies. [citation: Journal of Personality and Individual Differences attribution]