You’ve probably saw a series of How do I hire posts by influencers in LinkedIn. Very interesting to read what do others value in candidates and what qualities they pay attention to.
These I liked most:
If I’m the Smartest Person in the Room, We’re in Trouble (Michelle Rhee)
Employ Someone You’d Want to Work For One Day (Randi Zuckerberg)
Come in and sit with my team (James Caan)
The road trip test (Shane Atchison)
The topic is very interesting for me, because I am involved in hiring a lot. This year I have hired 8 employees so far and there are 4 positions still open in my department. I would say that I do hiring all the time in background for atleast 2 years constantly. I though what would I answer if someone asked me “How do you hire?”.
Slowly
First thing that pops-out after hearing this question - slowly. I don’t like making fast decisions in this field. It’s very similar to Trust your gut and take your time (Josh Bersin).
‘Yes’ from everyone
While hiring I have one rule - everyone who participates in interviews should say “yes”. Usually we have 3-4 interviews for each candidate: initial screening with HR, talk with potential manager, technical interview with potential team and in some cases there are additional interviews with head of development or CTO. So there are several people who have the feeling and opinion about a candidate. If there is at least one who has doubts or is not willing to hire - then my decision will be “No hire”.
Attitude over skills
And my current hiring motto is “attitude over skills” it’s most common to Focus on personality (Richard Brandson). Person with the right attitude, good motivation and energetic enough can learn everything needed.
How do you hire?