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I remember interviewing someone for a position at Square years ago when I used to be an engineering manager there, and the candidate had all the people skills needed to achieve success in the role, but was unfamiliar with our technology stack.
Not knowing the technology used by a big tech company looks like a pretty good reason not to rent someone — but 80% of the technology we use now didn’t even exist back then. In hindsight, the biggest mistake I could have made would have been not hiring them, and it was pure likelihood that made me realize that at the time.
Below, I’ll explain some other big hiring mistakes—some I managed to avoid and others I’ve made myself. Use this information to guide your personal hiring decisions so you may feel confident in the people you select for your team.
1. Don’t hire people for their talent, not their character
“How well do you know JavaScript?” is one of the least useful questions you may ask in a job interview. Don’t get me fallacious; there’s room for technical screening during the hiring process. But as a leader, there are higher uses of your time.
Bottom line is, I can teach JavaScript to only about anyone — or at least anyone who is prone to get far enough in the hiring process that I’ll have to refer to them face-to-face.
I am unable to necessarily teach a candidate to get along with me. Compatibility will be cultivated to some extent, but a lot of it is innate. It’s either there or it is not.
It’s much higher to spend your interview time asking questions that talk to the candidate’s character. I wrote a completely separate article on this, which you’ll be able to read below.
2. Don’t assume pedigree is the same as value
The proven fact that a candidate graduated from a prestigious school or worked at a large company may help them get into the company. But it should never be enough to get the job instantly.
Not everyone who went to Harvard or Yale is a genius, and not everyone who worked at Microsoft is a visionary. An institution’s repute may suggest something noteworthy about its people, but it guarantees nothing.
In fact, many students who attend Ivy League schools are strangely shy about it — because they need their work and character to talk for themselves. Having big names on their CV can mean someone is special, but it may possibly also mean they are counting on those names to do the labor for them.
You can (and should) apply the same considering to the candidate’s specific experience. They may have managed a large team at their last job, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they may do the same at your organization.
What’s on their resume gets them an interview. What they say in an interview gets them the job.
3. Don’t hire someone who is just entering the position
This is probably a bit misleading because it seems to go against conventional wisdom. Shouldn’t you be putting people in positions where they’ll develop higher skills over time?
Of course you may. But your organization culture and leadership style will help the right candidate thrive, even if they’re overqualified at the start. And it’s much higher to rent someone who can get into their role instantly than someone who needs their mobile device.
Don’t hire someone who has to grow into the role; hire someone who can grow into the role. If you think your small business will grow (and hopefully it’s going to), then the role should have the option to grow into their skill set.
Let’s go back to the example I gave at the starting of this text—the candidate who was uncomfortable with our technology stack at Square. This candidate ultimately found success in the role, despite the fact that the technology required was now completely different. In other words, the role ultimately aligned with his people skills and personality.
How you hire a candidate sets the tone for your skilled relationship
Too many people treat hiring as a easy yes or no doubt, but it’s so much greater than that. Hiring a candidate becomes your first interaction with a latest worker, so the way you do it affects the remainder of your skilled relationship with them.
Technical skills, strong references, and growth potential are useful traits in a candidate. But character, accomplishments, and the ability to face out are much clearer indicators of how successful they will be.
And remember: hiring someone isn’t where you stop learning about them—it’s where you begin. Below, yow will discover more suggestions on how one can build strong relationships with your team.