I responded to another similar comment already but suffice it to say, noting that someone was charismatic is not going to land them the job unless charisma is a valuable skill for the specific job. When hiring engineers we allow a very wide range of “people skills,” because they aren’t critical so long as they’re above a critical threshold.
Not saying this is you necessarily, but your post makes me think of certain friends I’ve had over the years who are very introverted and can be very salty about extroverted and/or “charismatic” people. They tend to judge people who are friendly and outgoing as being vapid or shallow - thinking, I suppose, that if they were deep thinkers, they too would be quiet and not care about social niceties.
I think that’s a really dangerous mental trap to fall into. It is perfectly possible to be both brilliant and charismatic. It is also very possible to learn and improve “people skills,” just as you can learn anything else. Thinking otherwise can lead to badly underestimating or misunderstanding others, and limiting ones self.
I don't think that, I just think a) you have to be careful not to let the halo effect from them being charismatic bleed into your technical evaluation, and b) you seemed to be making a huge leap from a single question, not even adding a caveat about e.g. delivery, just thinking he's suddenly brilliant from a "clever" question he may not even have thought of himself.
Not saying this is you necessarily, but your post makes me think of certain friends I’ve had over the years who are very introverted and can be very salty about extroverted and/or “charismatic” people. They tend to judge people who are friendly and outgoing as being vapid or shallow - thinking, I suppose, that if they were deep thinkers, they too would be quiet and not care about social niceties.
I think that’s a really dangerous mental trap to fall into. It is perfectly possible to be both brilliant and charismatic. It is also very possible to learn and improve “people skills,” just as you can learn anything else. Thinking otherwise can lead to badly underestimating or misunderstanding others, and limiting ones self.