We are entering a unique time in business when people are searching for more meaning in their professional lives and the drive for purpose has taken precedent over paycheck. A time when open communication in the workplace is key. A time that Daniel Pink predicts will be a “right-brained” era.Work cultures are sacred, and you should be selective about who you invite to join your team. The goal when talking to an interviewee should be to discover the human underneath the professional. Search for unicorns — brilliant, wildly talented and exceptional at translating thoughts into valid points.
Here are five keys to Parisleaf’s hiring process that help us select the very best candidates.
Gut checks, not background checks
If the person is a good fit, you’ll pick up on this well before running a background check. If you’re paying attention, you’ll sense it. You don’t need a background check to tell you this.
Discover the human underneath the professional
Candidates are generally thrown offbalance when you spend more time asking them about their life goals and the impact they want to have on the world than you do asking questions about their experience. Look for answers that tell you whether the candidates can communicate what’s going on in their heads clearly. Give them space to let their minds run wild. The more they talk, the more the authentic person in each candidate will be revealed.
EQ before IQ
We’re all in the business of solving problems, and those problems are rarely our own. To craft meaningful solutions, you have to be smart — that goes without saying. More importantly, you have to understand what others see, feel and experience. You have to know who they are and you have to care about their lives, or you’ll only yield marginal results. EQ is the ability to identify emotions, empathize with others and communicate effectively. Hire brilliant thinkers with bright ideas and place a huge emphasis on EQ — ideas are only thoughts until you can share them with the world.
Hire the hungry
If we blame others for our mistakes, we give away our power to learn and grow. Hire someone who is not afraid of making mistakes but instead proudly owns them and works toward learning and growing. Hire people who are always looking for new ways of approaching problems and who aren’t afraid to tip-toe on the edge of their comfort zones, even if it means falling off from time to time.
Ask the team to join in on the fun
At the end of the interviewing process, interview as a team. If something doesn’t “feel” right for any one person on the team, address it. If the feeling still doesn’t go away, then the candidate is simply not the right fit. Bringing the team in is also a great way to tell the team, “I value what you think, and I want to hear if you think this person will add to our culture.” It says, “I value our culture as much as I say I do.”