We're doing a lot of interviewing lately, we always seem to be on the hunt for great talent in a number of areas. There are so many schools of thought about how best to interview people that I've lost track.
After over 20 years of interviewing people for a wide variety of positions, there is one trait that I've found that predictably leads to star performers, those A players that you want in your organization that can elevate everybody.
Sure we want smart people with great educations but that's not enough. We want rich experiences in relevant fields, but that's also not a great indicator. We want subject matter experts, but anybody can learn a subject.
What really sets apart the A players from the B players in my mind is T. G. I. M., which stands for Thank God It's Monday. Is the candidate passionate about what they do? Do they look forward to showing up every Monday morning and changing the world? Or is this just another job?
I ask a lot of random questions in the interview to see if people are genuine, if they can think on their feet. One of the most basic questions I ask everybody is "Why do you want to work here?" You would think in this day and age that people would have a pretty good answer to that one. I actually had someone interviewing for a very senior position that answered with "because it's close to my house." Really? Of all the things that are important about your next career, you put commute time at the top?
I've read a few relevant blog plosts recently that make the case far more eloquently than I ever could.
Pursuing our Passion Blog has a great post on TGIM from last year.
Feld Thoughts is more geared towards those just entering the work force.
Both of these posts can sort of be summed up with - Find something that you can be passionate about and go embrace it.
I know that we can't hire all A players and that Billtrust isn't the right place for everybody, but my most important job is to hopefully create an environment that passionate individuals can thrive.
