5 unconventional traits this CEO looks for when hiring the best person for the job

The best salesperson I ever hired had no experience at all.

I ran a company selling a SaaS product and payments in the beauty space. When a sales position opened up, I used to be determined to search out someone with experience in at least two of our three core areas: B2B SaaS, payments, and/or the beauty space. While I value education and military experience when hiring the ideal candidate, these are actually requirements that are simply “nice to have,” not absolute requirements. In short, I all the time need to have the best person for the job.

In this case, an worker of my company really useful that I speak to someone who didn’t have any relevant experience. He didn’t sell software/SaaS, had never worked in the payments industry, and had no experience in the beauty industry. He also had no higher education. After several conversations, I got here to the conclusion that although he wasn’t the “obvious” alternative, I wanted him for the role. He didn’t have any relevant experience, but here’s what I saw in him:

1. Heart: In short, he was a nice guy with a big heart. He cared about people (family, friends, team, clients); you possibly can tell it was authentic. He had a big heart, which was clear to everyone who talked to him and was definitely evident to our current and potential clients.
2. Honesty: This feature is not only necessary; it is the foundation of every successful person and team. People need to do business with people they trust who are honest, fair and honest. Having these qualities is not only nice; are essential to achieving success and creating a thriving work environment.
3. Organizational skills: Some people have great intelligence and character, but are so disorganized that they essentially grow to be ineffective. There are many tracking and organizing tools that are purpose-built so that anyone can use them effectively. That said, someone who is highly disorganized and naturally acts chaotically might be much less effective than someone who is generally well organized and operates this way.
4. Values: I identified very much with this person’s values, each professionally and personally. He was very dedicated to his wife and family, and I could see that he was a great parent. It was clear to me that he had a very strong set of well-established values ​​that were well aligned with my ethos and that of our company.
5. Intelligence: Often what matters is not what someone knows, but their ability to soak up recent information. In fact, none of the fields I used to be hoping to realize experience in were “rocket science.” Anyone who has the drive and the vital intelligence can learn them. Being hired over the years has taught me that I highly value learning and intelligence. No one has experience in all the things, so it’s extremely necessary to search out a smart person who can solve the problem quickly.
6. (*5*)/Endurance: This is a very necessary characteristic and also difficult to measure, but if you look closely you’ll notice some signs. In this particular example, it was obvious that this candidate was hard-working, determined, and a “go-getter.” I could see that he would ride harder than I imagined driving him; he had fierce perseverance, a quality I greatly value in an worker.

Immediately after being hired, this person worked hard, studied, pushed, drove, and sold. Every day his calendar was filled with opportunities he created, and the results were quickly visible. The bottom line is that it completely crushed all expectations. In lower than a yr, I promoted him to go of the payments sales team.

So what’s the takeaway? In short, yes, experience is abundant and for some varieties of positions, having the required qualifications is absolutely essential. However, do not forget about the features I described above – they are equally necessary, and in some cases much more necessary, because they influence a person’s character. But methods to recognize and evaluate features corresponding to heart, honesty and perseverance in the recruitment process? Here are some key and less conventional hiring techniques that can help define a person’s character:

• Eat a meal together—not in the office cafeteria or break room, but at a full-service restaurant. Observe how the candidate interacts with individuals who help him, with strangers, and with you in a non-business environment.
• Step away from the CV. Try to grasp the candidate as a person, what drives him, what he is passionate about, what motivates (and demotivates) him, what is necessary to him, etc. This caveat never applies to asking about something inappropriate, discriminatory or related to the person’s beliefs. protected class.
• Ask some “behavioral interview” questions, focusing on how the candidate has used their experiences and skills to resolve real problems (not necessarily related to your corporation or company).
• Ask them what they know about your organization and products/services. Someone who really wants the job, who is smart, organized, and persistent will take the time to research the company and prepare for the interview. Sometimes you’ll be able to learn more about a person by what they ask you, fairly than what you ask them.

After interviewing a whole bunch of individuals and observing what ultimately worked, I’m a big believer in so-called soft skills and non-traditional interviewing. While experience is beneficial, it is not the only factor to think about when hiring. Qualities corresponding to heart, honesty, organizational skills, values, intelligence and determination are in some cases equally, if no more, necessary. I think it is necessary to acknowledge and evaluate these characteristics during the recruitment process. That’s why I suggest using unconventional interviewing practices to get to know a person beyond their resume and assess their suitability for a position.

Try it – possibly you can find the best worker in the world.