Recruiting for 'Fun to be with'

I have written in a previous post about how one of the criteria we recruit for is 'fun to be with'. In a conversation with a close friend a few days ago, I realized that this criterion is as subject to recruiter bias as any other.

Recruiter bias refers to the tendency of people to recruit people they approve of, generally, people like themselves. We thought we had a strong unbiased algorithm in trying to look for people who are driven, curious and fun to be with.

Drive is generally reflected in the CVs. Driven people have demonstrated that they have to drive to work hard for good grades and to get into good schools. Details of prior work experience can also provide indicators of drive. Indicators of curiosity can be sought in the interview, in the conversations.

But 'fun to be with' can be contentious. The unstated part of the statement is the weak link, the part that can be prone to recruiter bias. The unstated part of fun to be with is 'for me'. The recruiter is making the decision. Effectively the test reduces to, 'Does the recruiter think this person is fun to be with'?