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#352 J. Paul Getty: The Richest Private Citizen in America

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Creative Minds are Curious Readers

Innovative hiring practices often reveal a candidate's true potential beyond traditional interview methods. Engaging candidates in a discussion about a genuine problem can showcase their problem-solving skills, as demonstrated by the hiring of a young physicist through a technical challenge. Additionally, in the quest for creative thinkers, exploring reading habits serves as a key indicator; candidates who exhibit enthusiasm for books tend to be more curious and passionate, essential traits for creative roles. The focus is not solely on the type of books read but rather the act of reading itself, which distinguishes curious individuals from the apathetic.

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And so this is his brilliant and unusual job interview process. And so he's talking about this organization. He's running called Amrad. At Amrad, I hired a young physicist from Texas named C .G. Smith. The way I hired him is interesting. An interview of that sort is always likely to be on an artificial basis and somewhat embarrassing. So I discussed with him a technical point on which I was then genuinely puzzled. The next day, he came in with a neat solution and I hired him at once. Here's another idea. This is from Nolan Bushnell. Nolan Bushnell is the founder of Atari, founder of Chuck Echees, and Steve Jobs' mentor. He hired Steve Jobs when Steve Jobs was like 19 Atari. He would ask people their reading habits in interviews. This is why. One of the best ways his whole thing was he wanted to build all of his companies laid on a foundation of creative people. So that's what he's looking for. He's like, I need creative people. One of the best ways to find creative people is to ask a simple question. What books do you like? I've never met a creative person in my life that didn't respond with enthusiasm to a question about reading habits. Actually which books people read is not as important as the simple fact that they read at all. I've known many talented engineers who hated science fiction but loved, say, books on bird watching. A blatant but often accurate generalization. People who are curious and passionate read. People who are apathetic and indifferent don't. I remember one—that's such a great line, and I obviously agree with it. I remember one—I'm gonna read it again.

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