What qualities do you look for when hiring someone for your team?
Not long ago, we had a discussion here about the qualities that make an ideal CEO or founder.
I really enjoyed seeing how you expanded the list in the comments.
Now I'd like to flip the question around.
Founders and HR people – when you're hiring for a role, what are the key indicators you look for beyond hard skills and a well-completed assignment?
[I'd also like to share one quality that I believe founders should pay close attention to in employees: passion for the industry. Many times, I've seen people wanting to work on growing a profile through content, yet nobody ever asked whether I actually enjoyed the topic. In my view, when someone is genuinely enthusiastic about the industry, 50% of success is already done because learning, creating, and solving problems come much more naturally when you know about the topic.]
Replies
minimalist phone: reduce your screentime
@swati_paliwal Wow, so many soft skills list. Love it! :D
If you're an early-stage startup, it's really about the shared vision. Shared vision plus drive. The fact that you can't sleep until it's done.
minimalist phone: reduce your screentime
@ajinsunny This is more likely to be achieved at the beginning of the startup! :)
curiosity is the one I keep coming back to. you can teach almost everything else but if someone isn't naturally curious about why things work or why they don't, they plateau fast. the best people I've worked with always had side projects or rabbit holes they couldn't stop talking about
minimalist phone: reduce your screentime
@tina_chhabra This one is important for real :)
Honestly, I value people who do what they say they're going to do. They don't need to know everything, but they should be willing to learn, ask questions, and keep improving. When I see enthusiasm, accountability, and a willingness to find solutions instead of excuses, that's often more important to me than a perfect résumé.
minimalist phone: reduce your screentime
@martin_furst This is a real good one definition! :)
minimalist phone: reduce your screentime
@achille82 One more I would add: Learning (Constant learning) :)
Id assume general interest in what im doing..possibly over competence, perhaps? or is that hot topic...?
minimalist phone: reduce your screentime
@oshylabs Passion for the things is must have for me! :)
CraftBot
As a founder, I think understanding of the problem/vision we are solving and the 'vibe' is what I care for the most.
minimalist phone: reduce your screentime
@tham_yikfoong How many people you hired are really able to understand the problem?
@tham_yikfoong @busmark_w_nika 1. Ship mentality : il/elle ship même si c’est moche V1
2. Ownership : prend le problème jusqu’au bout sans qu’on respire derrière
3. Communication async : sait écrire clairement sur Slack/Notion.
Diplôme + années d’exp je m’en fous. Montre-moi un repo GitHub ou un side project et on parle. Et toi tu recrutes comment ?`
for my team, expertise is among the most crucial factors to consider since we need someone who can generate results almost instantly for the organization. However if they lack of real experience, we still give them time to get familiar soon.
For early-stage startups, I care more about resourcefulness, ownership, resilience, and belief in the mission than perfect credentials. I've never even asked a candidate I was hiring what school they went to - it isn't relevant to me.
Skills can be taught. What’s harder to teach is someone who takes initiative, figures things out, and genuinely wants to solve the problem you're building around.
I've learned that people who believe in the vision often outperform people who are only there for the job.
I think the #1 thing founders should look for is cultural fit.