Sean Kelly, an expert in advanced hiring secrets, shares valuable insights on hiring. Topics include the importance of authenticity in interviews, recognizing and correcting hiring mistakes, using group interviews for filtering candidates, and key traits to look for in candidates.
Hiring is crucial for a successful company, focusing on finding supportive and connected individuals.
Interviews should prioritize authentic conversations and responses, fostering genuine interactions with candidates.
Deep dives
The Importance of Hiring
Hiring is a crucial aspect of building a successful company as it determines the quality of the people who will contribute to the organization's growth and success. Hiring is not just about finding individuals with the right skills and expertise, but also about creating a community of people who are connected and supportive of one another. Without the right people, even the best products and services will struggle to thrive. Hiring should focus on establishing personal connections with candidates, allowing them to feel seen and heard, and ensuring that the foundation of a potential relationship is built on authenticity.
Improving the Interview Process
The interview process should aim to create real and meaningful conversations rather than just a formality. Both interviewers and interviewees should avoid rehearsed answers and focus on authentic interactions. Interviewers should connect with candidates on a personal level, recognizing them as individuals and making them feel valued. Engaging in genuine conversations and asking follow-up questions allows for a deeper understanding of candidates and prevents canned responses. Additionally, interviewers should ask about candidates' proudest moments to gauge their ability to work collaboratively and show empathy. By reframing interview questions, interviewers can encourage organic and honest discussions.
Hiring for Empathy and Emotional Intelligence
Empathy is a key trait to look for when hiring as it fosters a supportive and collaborative work environment. During interviews, it is crucial to assess candidates' level of empathy and their ability to work well in a team setting. Candidates should have a track record of showcasing empathy and valuing the success of the team as a whole rather than individual achievements. Interviewers can evaluate empathy by asking about experiences of providing feedback, dealing with challenging situations, and working in group settings. Additionally, their response to constructive criticism can reveal their level of emotional intelligence and willingness to grow.
Recognizing and Addressing Hiring Mistakes
Hiring mistakes can occur despite careful consideration and thought during the hiring process. Signs of hiring mistakes include a lack of connection between team members, poor performance, and an inability to take instruction or feedback. When a hiring mistake is identified, it is important to reflect on the hiring process to understand what went wrong and make adjustments for future hires. Employing radical candor and providing a performance plan can help guide underperforming employees towards improvement. However, if the fit is ultimately not working out, it is crucial to approach the situation with compassion and empathy, either by finding a better fit within the organization or helping the employee transition to a different opportunity.
Have you ever wondered where the word 'company' comes from?
Most of us use it interchangeably with 'business,' but it's not quite the same thing. It's actually a lot simpler than that. The etymology tells us that company is a military term that simply means a body of people.
Company = people. Literally.
It's not a coincidence. Your product, brand, customer care, all that valuable IP - that's all created and managed by people. That makes people your most valuable asset.
So if people are everything in business, then it's absolutely critical that you hire well. In this episode, Sean gives you the hiring secrets that have served him over the last ten years-plus. You will learn:
The importance of hiring, and how it impacts culture.
How to break down the formality of interviews and get authentic answers instead of canned ones.
The single best question to ask in an interview.
One question you should get rid of.
The most important traits to look for when making a new hire.
How to recognize a hiring mistake, and how to quickly correct it.
Get the Snipd podcast app
Unlock the knowledge in podcasts with the podcast player of the future.
AI-powered podcast player
Listen to all your favourite podcasts with AI-powered features
Discover highlights
Listen to the best highlights from the podcasts you love and dive into the full episode
Save any moment
Hear something you like? Tap your headphones to save it with AI-generated key takeaways
Share & Export
Send highlights to Twitter, WhatsApp or export them to Notion, Readwise & more
AI-powered podcast player
Listen to all your favourite podcasts with AI-powered features
Discover highlights
Listen to the best highlights from the podcasts you love and dive into the full episode