Nicole NicholsonIf you are a living, breathing human being then you definitely know who the former head of Apple was: Steve Jobs. There are many different opinions on his business practices, but it’s clear to see that Jobs hired and had one of the best teams on his side. He wouldn’t accept anything short of what he deemed as perfection and wouldn’t let anything get in the way of his vision. You can say that his business practices were selfish or immoral, but they led him and his team to great success. Take a look at four ways to hire the best talent like Steve Jobs.
Collaborate
Steve Jobs has been quoted as saying, “You need to have a collaborative hiring process.” Collaboration is present in any office or company. The marketing department needs to collaborate with the content department in order to all be on the same page. By the same token, why wouldn’t you hire your new talent collaboratively? Regardless of what department you are hiring for they will likely have to interact with employees from other departments. Plus, if the person that fills this position is going to be part of a team, then it only makes sense to have the team in on the decision.
This is a great reason why Spark Hire is such a great aid to your hiring process. When you receive a candidate’s one-way interview responses you can share them with each member of your team and you can all collaborate. Furthermore, when you have a two-way interview, or a Live Interview on Spark Hire, you can record the interview with the candidate to play back for other team members at a later date. Often times, panel interviews are a mess, so online interviews offer a great solution.
Hire Candidates that Are Future-Minded
Jobs was always thinking about the future, so it only makes sense that his team was future-minded as well. You will want to bring on employees that are constantly looking into the future and coming up with new ways to create something new or make something better. You can ask certain questions in the interview such as, “What are the first five things you would do if you got this job?” If they already come in with new ideas or suggestions on ways to make things better then they may be the hire for you.
Commitment and a Love for the Product/Company
If you want a stellar employee that produces great results and takes your company to new levels, then they are going to have to be committed to the company. In the interview process, you need to make sure that this person has a strong desire to be immersed in your company and not just looking for a paycheck. You can do this by asking questions like why this particular position interested them, why they want to work for your company, etc. If your company is focused on certain values, then make sure this person is in line with those values or your overall company purpose.
Get a Feel For Their Character
It is widely known that Jobs took his potential hires on a walk before he brought them onto the team. There’s nothing that states exactly what it is he discussed with them, but chances are he was looking to get a better feel for what makes this person tick and who they really are. In fact, Mark Zuckerburg of Facebook took a note from Jobs’ hiring process and takes his potential hires out on a hike before hiring them. Before you bring a candidate onto your team as an employee, perhaps spend some time with them outside of the sterile interview setting and get a better feel for their personality and what really drives them. If cultural fit is really important to you, then this hiring practice will produce better results.
It’s hard to agree with everything Steve Jobs did, but we can obviously take a few tips from his hiring practices. Often times we may focus more on the extreme details and qualifications of the candidate and not the actual person themselves. Keep this in mind the next time you need to hire a new employee.
IMAGE: Courtesy of Flickr by Todd Huffman
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