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
I think the #1 thing founders should look for is cultural fit.
I never look at the resume to begin with. That always tells me what someone has done.
The conversation tells me who they are.
I started paying more attention to how someone handles a question they don't have the answer to. Whether they sit with it or rush past it. Attitude, how they hold their own opinion when someone pushes back, where they want to go and whether they've actually thought about it or just rehearsed it.
Passion for the work, like you said, sits underneath all of it. You can teach skills. You cannot manufacture genuine care.
I like how the majority of the opinions revolve around passion.
For me, it's always about how genuine the person is. I am, after all, hiring a human being, one who will interact with everybody and share about themselves; there will be moments of ups and downs, pressure, discussions, and personal things happening. Someone kind, polite, willing to work and step up when needed.