💾 Archived View for gmi.noulin.net › mobileNews › 4860.gmi captured on 2023-06-16 at 18:31:24. Gemini links have been rewritten to link to archived content
⬅️ Previous capture (2023-01-29)
-=-=-=-=-=-=-
2013-09-28 05:27:10
Hiring the right person for a job can make-or-break a team.
But hiring isn t exactly scientific. The interview process can be difficult a
candidate who looks good on paper might not be as good in-person. Finding the
right match takes both skill and a clear understanding of what, exactly, is
needed for success in the position. In some professions, technical skill trumps
personality. In others, the ability to command a room matters as much as the
ability to keep a project on budget.
Yes, hiring is complicated. This week, more than 80 LinkedIn Influencers
weighed in on the art and science of hiring. Here is what some of them had to
say.
Richard Branson, Founder at Virgin Group
Branson, famous for using his intuition to make some key decisions, wrote in
his post How I Hire: Focus on Personality, that while some managers get hung
up on qualifications he looks at them last.
The first thing to look for when searching for a great employee is somebody
with a personality that fits with your company culture. Most skills can be
learned, but it is difficult to train people on their personality. If you can
find people who are fun, friendly, caring and love helping others, you are on
to a winner, Branson wrote.
Personality, he wrote, is key, but it isn t always easy to ascertain. It is
not something that always comes out in interview people can be shy. But you
have to trust your judgement. If you have got a slightly introverted person
with a great personality, use your experience to pull it out of them, he
wrote. If you are satisfied with the personality, then look at experience and
expertise.
Charlene Li, Founder and Partner at Altimeter Group
As a founder of a business, Li knows that each and every person that joins the
company changes the dynamic and make-up of how we work, she wrote in her post
How I Hire: Figuring Out Fit And The Exit Strategy. Li hires based on a fit
of culture, skills and purpose, she wrote.
First and foremost, we hire based on culture, she wrote. This is not about
having a shared background in terms of work history or education so that we can
get along. It's more about sharing the same values and norms that we can then
use to bridge differences and build momentum.
Once Li sees a cultural fit, she hones in on skills with a real-world exercise.
Then she considers how the candidate sees the position fitting into their
sense of purpose... We do this by digging into their life story, what drove the
major transitions in their lives, and what motivates them today. But more than
anything, it's about knowing that we share this sense of purpose. We want a top
candidate to feel [Altimeter] is a good fit for them as much as we feel they
are a good fit for [Altimeter] before an offer is extended.
Even with all of this effort around hiring for the right fit, Li also talks
about the day a candidate will leave the company. The idea of lifetime
employment is dead, so why not face up to the reality that this person we're
hiring will one day leave? It's a core part of us living the value of Integrity
that openness and transparency develops trust, Li wrote, adding that she
would rather know that the company is no longer a fit for someone months ahead
of time so that we can not only plan a transition, but also so that we can
support them with referrals and recommendations.
Tony Fernandes, Group CEO at AirAsia
I can usually tell within seconds of meeting someone if I want to hire them,
wrote Fernandes in his post How I Hire: You Got To Have Heart. It's in their
eyes, whether they have passion and dare to dream.
Education is important and skills are useful but can be taught he wrote.
Passion, on the other hand, is much harder to instil. Often, you either have it
or you don't. And that can make or break a business, wrote Fernandes. Without
passion, AirAsia would never have made it this far. Day three of operations, 9/
11 happened, sending the airline industry into a tailspin. There was SARS, bird
flu, tsunamis, earthquakes, floods... We could've thrown in the towel at any
one of those times.
But, he wrote, a passion for the business, for seeing Indonesia-based AirAsia
succeed, helped the company pull through. Now, Fernandes wrote, That s what I
look for when I hire.