Harvard i-lab | Startup Secrets: Hiring and Team Building

Name: Harvard i-lab | Startup Secrets: Hiring and Team Building
Uploaded: 2014-02-01T00:00:00.000Z
Duration: 3 h 52 min 40 s

Introduction

In this section, the speaker introduces the topic of hiring and explains why it is important to participate in the workshop.

Hiring is not a sport that can be engaged in from the sidelines.

Culture is critical for hiring as it establishes who you are and how you behave.

The focus of tonight's workshop is on practical elements of hiring.

Vision, Mission, and Culture

In this section, the speaker discusses the importance of culture in hiring and refers to last week's discussion about vision, mission, and culture.

Culture establishes who you are and how you behave.

Building a team that can continue your culture is critical.

Last week's discussion about vision, mission, and culture can be found at startup secrets or mjscock.com.

Practical Elements of Hiring

In this section, the speaker talks about practical elements of hiring and why they decided to split this workshop into two parts.

Startups are challenged with hiring the right people.

Making sure hires stick around is also critical.

Two guests will share their experiences on how to hire the right people.

Introduction of Guests

In this section, the speaker introduces two guests who will share their experiences on how to hire the right people.

Russ is a 25-year veteran of HR profession with experience at iRobot and other companies.

Eric Gaffin manages hiring at Acquia which has been recognized as one of the fastest-growing software startups in the country.

Challenges Faced by Acquia

In this section, Eric Gaffin shares his experience managing hiring at Acquia which has grown rapidly over recent years.

Acquia has had to conduct 16,000 interviews to make 180 hires in the last year.

Managing such a process is not easy.

Workshop Agenda

In this section, the speaker outlines the agenda for the workshop.

The workshop will provide background information and tools for hiring.

Attendees will be given questions to help them engage with the topic.

The goal is to encourage discussion and engagement on the topic of hiring.

The Importance of Hiring A-Players

In this section, the speaker emphasizes the importance of hiring A-players and avoiding bad hires.

Hiring A-Players

A-players know how to hire quality candidates.

B-players tend to hire C-players because they don't want to be challenged.

Hiring the wrong people can cost your company valuable knowledge, networks, and relationships.

Avoiding Bad Hires

Don't make the mistake of hiring someone just to fill a gap.

Take time to understand the art and science of hiring.

The Art and Science of Hiring

In this section, the speaker discusses how hiring is both an art and a science that requires attention to detail.

The Details Matter

Finding a fit for someone's experience is important for their success in applying themselves effectively.

Finding the Right Fit

In this section, the speaker discusses the importance of finding the right fit for a role and how to determine if a candidate has what it takes to be successful.

Determining Success

A successful fit requires having the right set of skills and experience.

Candidates must have their own convictions and internal motivation to sustain them through tough times.

Cultural fit is also important in determining success.

EKS IQ and CQ

EKS stands for Experience, Knowledge, and Skills.

Experience, knowledge, and skills are different things that should not be confused with each other.

Skills may be listed on a resume but do not necessarily indicate proficiency or experience in applying those skills.

Experience is important because it shows how skills have been applied in specific contexts.

Having a long list of programming languages on a resume does not necessarily mean someone is a good programmer.

The Importance of Domain Expertise

In this section, the speakers discuss the importance of domain expertise in solving problems within a specific industry.

Importance of Domain Expertise

Having experience building web backends and being a good programmer is not enough if you are tackling a completely different domain that you have never worked in before.

Healthcare has specific regulations and requirements that need to be coded into software. For example, privacy requirements for data movement across geographic borders.

When recruiting for software developers at Phase Forward, they needed people with knowledge of healthcare regulations and FDA requirements.

It is rare to find someone who has all three skills: programming ability, experience with web scale, and domain knowledge.

Finding Smart People

In this section, the speakers discuss how to find smart people when hiring for a team.

What Does "Smart" Mean?

Hiring only really smart people with high IQ does not necessarily lead to building a great team.

Some of the smartest people can be difficult to work with because they believe they are the smartest person in the room and do not want to collaborate with others who may challenge them.

Interviewing for Passion

In this section, the speaker emphasizes the importance of finding out what people are passionate about during an interview. He shares his personal experience and explains how passion and persistence can overcome almost every other attribute that employers look for in a candidate.

The Importance of Passion

Finding out what people are really passionate about is crucial during an interview.

Passion and persistence often overcome almost every other attribute that employers look for in a candidate.

Passionate candidates bring energy, real desire, strong conviction, and persistence to the table.

Hiring someone who is not interested in the problem you're solving or the domain you're working on may lead to failure.

Interviewing for Passion

The speaker asks candidates what makes them tick and what they are passionate about before letting them out of an interview.

Asking easy questions like "what gets you out of bed in the morning?" or "what do you love doing?" can help find out what candidates are passionate about.

Unfortunately, very few people stop and ask themselves what they're passionate about. Many take jobs because they need to pay bills or have debt to pay off.

Passion and Work

In this section, Michael Seibel talks about the importance of passion in work and how it can lead to success. He also discusses how good company cultures set employees up for success by enabling their passion to connect with the mission and vision of the company.

Passionate Employees

Passionate employees are excited about their work and feel that it is a part of their life.

Employees who are just doing a job will eventually be surpassed by those who have a passionate team with all the gas in their tank.

When you love what you do, you tend to take pride in your work, do it well, and produce great results.

Virtuous Circle

When people love what they do, they tend to take pride in their work, which leads to good results and rewards.

Good company cultures enable employees' passion to connect with the mission and vision of the company so that they can contribute in every way possible.

When employees make a difference in the business, they get rewarded for it, which feeds into a virtuous circle.

Drupal Founder's Passion

Dries Buytaert founded Drupal because he is passionate about connecting and enabling people to communicate through open-source methodology.

Companies want people who come into the organization saying "I love what you're doing. I want to be a part of that."

Hiring Based on Passion

Companies need to find out what potential hires are passionate about before making any hiring decisions.

The connection between people's own motivation and what a company is trying to do is crucial for making great hires.

Finding Your Passion

In this section, the speaker talks about how to find your passion and align it with your career goals. He emphasizes the importance of being authentic during interviews and finding a job that aligns with your vocational talents.

Aligning Career Goals with Passion

The speaker advises against trying to sell someone onto a career path that isn't aligned with their passion.

Authenticity is key during interviews, and candidates should be explicit about what they want to do.

If you're not sure what you want to do, it's okay to say so and work through it with the interviewer.

Living Your Passion

The speaker encourages listeners to find something they're passionate about and pursue it like every day is their last day.

Startups have broad needs, so early-stage employees need to be flexible and adaptable.

Hiring for Startups

In this section, the speaker discusses the importance of finding the right fit when hiring for a startup. The situational nature of hiring is emphasized, and the need to consider what a particular role requires is highlighted.

Importance of Emotional Quotient (EQ)

EQ is important in startups because connecting with people is crucial.

Speed teaming is a core component of successful startups, where teams are formed and reformed quickly around specific issues that are constantly changing.

Jumping in to solve problems and working cross-functionally with different departments is empowering and exciting.

Failure should not be punished but rather seen as an opportunity to learn quickly and do it right.

Situational Nature of Hiring

Hiring for startups is situational and specific to each company's needs.

Consider what your company sells, how you sell it, and what expectations you have for the role when hiring.

Think about whether you need someone who will go above and beyond in their efforts or someone who has specific knowledge or skills.

Try to find the right fit by thinking about what you're seeing in a person and whether it fits the need you have in that particular part of the organization.

Acquia U: Creating Drupal Talent

In this section, the speaker talks about the lack of talent in the Drupal community and introduces Acquia U, a cross-functional team that aims to create Drupal talent out of almost nothing.

Introducing Acquia U

Acquia U is a cross-functional team consisting of HR, product, customer solutions, and engineering.

The team's goal is to put together core curriculum that can be used to teach people who aren't in Drupal now to become Drupalists.

The team aims to teach people who are LAMP stack developers and convert them into someone who can work for Acquia.

Importance of EQ in Startups

EQ is incredibly important in startups because of the need to very flexibly move quickly.

Customer intimacy is another perfect example of why you've got to have EQ in your startup hires.

Every one of the things that you're doing to build your company is going to be pretty much dependent on you having EQ in your team so it's not optional.

Importance of Feedback and Customer Connection

Feedback from inside or outside the company is critical between version 1 and version 3.

It's actually critical that you can get a connection with the customer that you're trying to engage with and somehow build a relationship with them when you don't have a solution for them.

You're going to have to figure out how to keep that relationship through this sort of up and down and sideways movement.

Criticality of Stakeholders

Every one of your stakeholders is a critical piece of a startup, including shareholders, first investors, seed investors, and VCs.

If you really treat your suppliers bad you have no relationship with them and suddenly production takes off and you can't fulfill.

Emotional Intelligence in Startups

In this section, the speaker talks about the importance of emotional intelligence (EQ) in startups.

Introduction to EQ

EQ is the ability to recognize emotions in yourself and others and use that information to manage yourself and your relationships effectively.

EQ is not fixed; it can be developed over time through practice.

Importance of EQ in Startups

EQ is important because startups are inherently stressful environments where people need to work together closely.

People with high EQ are better able to handle stress, communicate effectively, build relationships, and resolve conflicts.

High EQ also helps leaders inspire their teams and create a positive company culture.

Developing EQ

Developing EQ requires self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy, and social skills.

Self-awareness involves recognizing your own emotions and how they affect your behavior.

Self-regulation involves managing your emotions so that they don't interfere with your goals or relationships.

Motivation involves being driven by internal goals rather than external rewards or pressures.

Empathy involves understanding other people's emotions and perspectives.

Social skills involve communicating effectively, building relationships, and resolving conflicts.

Conclusion

EQ is a critical skill for success in startups because it helps people handle stress, communicate effectively, build relationships, and resolve conflicts.

Developing EQ requires self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy, and social skills.

Hiring for EQ

In this section, the speakers discuss the importance of Emotional Intelligence (EQ) in hiring and building a successful organization. They emphasize that while IQ and expertise are important, having high EQ is critical to success.

Importance of EQ in Hiring

Companies should hire people with high EQ if they want to have a team-oriented group of people determined to have great customer service.

Pronouns used during interviews can be an indicator of how well someone will fit into a team and contribute to the EQ quotient of an organization.

Every person hired in a startup is an extension of the founder's vision and goals. If someone doesn't align with or contribute to the EQ quotient, they detract value from the organization.

Weighting of EQ Compared to Other Factors

The speakers agree that while IQ and expertise are important, they would only hire people with high EQ. For them, it's not about weighting but rather determining whether someone has high enough EQ to be part of their team.

Having high EQ is cultural; it's not about waiting or balancing different factors. If you don't have it, you won't get into the club.

Recommended Reading

Patrick Lencioni's book "The Advantage" discusses the difference between a smart organization (one with great IQ/experience) and a healthy one (one with both IQ/experience and high EQ). The speakers recommend reading at least the first chapter.

Lencioni also wrote "The Five Dysfunctions of a Team," which is more recent.

Overall, having high Emotional Intelligence (EQ) is critical for success in building a team-oriented organization focused on great customer service. While IQ and expertise are important, they should not be prioritized over EQ when hiring. Pronouns used during interviews can be an indicator of how well someone will fit into a team and contribute to the EQ quotient of an organization. Every person hired in a startup is an extension of the founder's vision and goals, so it's essential that they align with and contribute to the EQ quotient. The speakers recommend reading Patrick Lencioni's book "The Advantage" for more information on the importance of high EQ in organizations.

Importance of Ethics and Values in Building a Company

In this section, the speaker emphasizes the importance of aligning ethics, values, and principles with the way a company is run. The speaker suggests that if a company's core team shares similar beliefs about how business should be conducted, it is on the right track to success.

Aligning Ethics and Values

It is important to ensure that ethics, values, and principles align with how a company is run.

If a company's core team shares similar beliefs about how business should be conducted, it is on the right track to success.

Importance of Core Team in Early Stages of Startups

In this section, the speaker discusses the critical role played by the core team in early-stage startups. The speaker recommends reading Noam Wasserman's book "The Founder's Dilemmas" for more information on this topic.

Role of Core Team in Early-Stage Startups

The core team plays a critical role in early-stage startups.

Noam Wasserman's book "The Founder's Dilemmas" provides valuable insights into this topic.

Twitter CEO's Perspective on Hiring Based on Personality Fit

In this section, the speaker talks about Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey's perspective on hiring based on personality fit. The speaker suggests that finding people who share similar personalities and values can be more important than just finding people who are good at their jobs.

Hiring Based on Personality Fit

Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey believes that finding people who share similar personalities and values can be more important than just finding people who are good at their jobs.

Personality fit can play an essential role in building a successful company.

Importance of Talent Acquisition in Building Big Companies

In this section, the speaker emphasizes the importance of talent acquisition in building big companies. The speaker suggests that it is not just about what you do but how you acquire talent that enables you to build big companies.

Talent Acquisition for Building Big Companies

It is essential to focus on talent acquisition when building big companies.

How you acquire talent can be more important than what you do.

Asking Relevant Questions During Job Interviews

In this section, the speaker talks about asking relevant questions during job interviews. The speaker recommends asking questions that connect with the job being hired for and can help draw out insights into a candidate's IQ and EQ.

Asking Relevant Questions During Job Interviews

Ask questions that connect with the job being hired for.

Asking candidates about their most relevant experience, knowledge, and skills can help draw out insights into their IQ and EQ.

Drawing Out Insights Through Examples

In this section, the speaker talks about drawing out insights through examples. The speaker suggests that getting candidates to share their favorite example of a problem they've solved and how they solved it can provide valuable insights into their problem-solving approach.

Drawing Out Insights Through Examples

Getting candidates to share their favorite example of a problem they've solved and how they solved it can provide valuable insights into their problem-solving approach.

This question can also help determine what candidates consider as problems and what they prioritize in solving them.

Importance of Personality Fit in Team Interactions

In this section, the speaker emphasizes the importance of personality fit in team interactions. The speaker suggests that asking candidates what they are most proud of in their work interactions can bring out insights into their teamwork approach.

Personality Fit in Team Interactions

Personality fit plays an essential role in team interactions.

Asking candidates what they are most proud of in their work interactions can bring out insights into their teamwork approach.

Hiring A-Players

In this section, the speaker talks about hiring A-players and what qualities to look for in potential hires.

Qualities of a Successful Team Member

Products always ship on time with high quality.

Cultural fit is important. Look for someone who values the market's opinion over their own.

Focus on customer acceptance and adoption rather than having the best solution.

Quality control is important. Always ask if the candidate is net additive to the team.

Trust Your Gut

If you have an instinct that something isn't right, trust it.

It's better to figure out if someone isn't a fit upfront.

Hiring A+ Players

The speaker wants to hire A+ players.

Frameworks are not exact answers but experiences that can inform your decision-making process.

Attitude, Ability, and Aptitude

In this section, the speaker discusses the importance of attitude in a startup. He emphasizes that it is essential to hire for will and train for skill.

Hiring for Will

Attitude is crucial in a startup because you should always hire for will and train for skill.

A great attitude can make a significant impact on a startup.

An example of hiring for will: Fleet Manager at Zipcar Boston hired an employee with a positive attitude who understood the technical skills required to merge two fleets together.

Suitability for the Job

Ability refers to suitability for the job.

The employee hired by Zipcar was young, tech-savvy, and understood both sides of the merger. She was suitable for the job.

Aptitude

Aptitude refers to natural ability or talent.

No further discussion on aptitude in this section.

Gut Feeling and Brilliant Vision Scientists

In this section, the speaker talks about how sometimes gut feeling plays an important role in decision-making. He also shares an anecdote about acquiring a company with brilliant vision scientists.

Gut Feeling

Sometimes gut feeling plays an important role in decision-making.

No further discussion on gut feeling in this section.

Acquiring Brilliant Vision Scientists

The speaker acquired a company with some of the most brilliant vision scientists in the world after finding them through research published on a white paper.

No further discussion on acquiring brilliant vision scientists in this section.

The Three A's of Hiring

In this section, the speaker discusses the three key attributes to look for when hiring for a startup.

Attitude

Attitude is an immensely valuable attribute that can be the difference between something working okay and something working wildly well.

Attitude is hard to measure but it can be observed in actions such as problem-solving, going above and beyond, and being a team player.

Hiring for attitude means prioritizing someone who has a "jump in and do it" attitude over someone with more qualifications or skills.

Aptitude

Aptitude refers to the ability to learn something quickly, which is important in a startup where you may be moving into unknown territory.

Startups need people with aptitude who can quickly switch gears, learn new subjects, and find new ways of working.

Ability

Ability refers to suitability - finding someone who has the right experience, knowledge, and skills for the job.

However, without attitude and aptitude, ability alone won't make someone successful in a startup environment.

Examples of Attitude

In this section, the speaker provides examples of what he looks for when assessing attitude during hiring.

Problem-solving is an important aspect of attitude. Candidates should have an attitude that focuses on making a difference rather than just marginally moving forward.

Candidates should not be afraid of failure but instead embrace it as part of the learning process.

Candidates should have a "can-do" attitude and be willing to learn new things.

Candidates should be team players who go above and beyond to help their colleagues.

The Importance of Aptitude

In this section, the speaker explains why aptitude is important in a startup environment.

Startups often move into unknown territory where there are no rules or basis for what they're doing.

To succeed in such an environment, startups need people with aptitude who can quickly learn new subjects and find new ways of working.

Aptitude is critical for innovation because it allows people to think outside the box and come up with breakthrough ideas.

The Importance of Ability

In this section, the speaker discusses why ability is important but not sufficient on its own.

Ability refers to finding someone with the right experience, knowledge, and skills for the job.

However, without attitude and aptitude, ability alone won't make someone successful in a startup environment.

Attitude and aptitude are necessary because startups often face unexpected challenges that require creative problem-solving.

Persistence and Problem Solving

In this section, the speaker talks about the importance of persistence in startups and how to solve problems effectively.

Importance of Persistence

Startups need persistence to overcome failures and setbacks.

Passion, conviction, belief, and persistence are necessary to move forward after a failure.

Effective Problem Solving

Effective problem solving involves going beyond fixing bugs to identifying root causes.

Great companies go one step further by examining why they didn't build the right team in the first place.

Hiring the wrong kind of people is often a root cause of problems in startups.

Importance of Self-Awareness in Startups

This section discusses the importance of self-awareness in building successful startup teams.

Self-Awareness and Emotional Intelligence

Self-awareness is crucial for emotional intelligence, which is essential for effective teamwork.

Emotionally intelligent people treat others how they want to be treated by flexing to where people are at.

Building Successful Teams with Self-Awareness

Building successful teams requires understanding team members' strengths and weaknesses through self-awareness.

Hiring individuals who complement your weaknesses can help build a strong team.

Building a Safe and Authentic Culture

In this section, the speaker discusses the importance of building a safe culture where employees feel comfortable admitting their weaknesses. He emphasizes the need for authenticity and encourages people to accept who they are.

Importance of Building a Safe Culture

Employees should feel comfortable admitting their weaknesses.

A safe culture allows for open dialogue.

It is difficult to work with people who won't admit their weaknesses.

Emphasizing Authenticity

People should accept who they are.

Getting comfortable with oneself leads to success.

Authenticity helps establish where one fits in and can work.

Hiring Athletes

In this section, the speaker talks about hiring athletes when there is no talent pool available that has the required experience, skills, or knowledge. He defines an athlete as someone who has proven themselves successful at everything else they have done.

Definition of an Athlete

An athlete is someone who has proven themselves successful at everything else they have done.

They may not have direct customer support experience but have moved up sales channels or worked successfully in other parts of the organization.

Benefits of Hiring Athletes

Athletes are good at adapting to new jobs.

They show themselves to be successful at whatever they do.

When you can't find that perfect skill set or experience, hire an athlete.

The Golden Triangle

In this section, the speaker discusses what he calls "the golden triangle," which is a combination of aptitude, ability, attitude, experience/knowledge/skills (IQ/CQ), and pluses such as being authentic and able to admit weaknesses. He emphasizes that if you get people with the right combination of these factors, you will hit a home run.

The Golden Triangle

The golden triangle is a combination of aptitude, ability, attitude, experience/knowledge/skills (IQ/CQ), and pluses such as being authentic and able to admit weaknesses.

If you get people with the right combination of these factors, you will hit a home run.

People who fit this profile are successful at their job and reinforce your culture.

Hiring Engineers

In this section, the speaker discusses how to hire engineers and ensure they are a good cultural fit.

Code Tests

The company uses code tests to evaluate potential hires.

They use a website called Guild to analyze open source code.

They give candidates a realistic problem to solve and evaluate their process and strategy.

Cultural Fit

The speaker emphasizes the importance of ensuring a candidate is a good cultural fit.

Observing interactions with the candidate can help determine if they are a good fit.

Real references should be obtained to supplement the hiring process.

References and Hiring

In this section, the speaker talks about the importance of references in hiring and how to get authentic and specific references. The speaker also emphasizes the need for honesty when giving or receiving a reference.

Getting Authentic References

Find references from peers, people who worked for them, and people they worked for.

Pay attention to details when someone says "this person was great" as it may not always mean what it seems.

Develop skills to ask specific questions to get behind what somebody's saying.

Be specific about why you like them or what you think they're good at.

Giving Honest References

Always tell the truth when giving a reference as it helps find the right fit for both parties.

Don't serve anyone well if you don't actually tell the truth.

Real references are authentic, very specific, and get to the heart of what this person really is.

Tips on Conducting References

Always have the hiring manager do the references as they can provide more information.

Ask the reference what skill is missing now that this person is gone.

Introduction to Aquia

In this section, the speaker introduces Aquia and explains how they deliver great digital web experiences to customers. The speaker also shares some examples of their work with Warner Music Group during Hurricane Sandy.

Delivering Great Digital Web Experiences

Aquia delivers great digital web experiences by putting together websites using only three templates but customizing them in any way desired by customers.

They are incredibly agile and can look and feel however an individual wants them to feel.

Examples of Work with Warner Music Group During Hurricane Sandy

Aquia helped Warner Music Group change their entire website in just four days to sell music and launch new songs.

During Hurricane Sandy, the MTA had over 30,000 concurrent users per second trying to access critical information. Aquia helped provide this information to people in need.

Building a Resilient Company

In this section, Michael talks about how to build a resilient company and the values that Aquia looks for when hiring.

Values of Aquia

Aquia believes in committing to awesome, doing the right thing, giving back more, and inspiring a little crazy.

They believe that having fun activities like Lunchbeat without alcohol is important for building a fantastic place to work.

Aquia looks for passion, integrity, intelligence, and initiative (P-Triple-I) in their employees. Passion is the most important value they look for.

Hiring Tips

Startups should focus on building their company's mission, vision, and values before focusing on content expertise.

When interviewing candidates, it's important to match their passion with yours. Candidates need to see your passion for them to be passionate about your startup idea.

Companies should hire people who align with their mission, vision and values rather than just looking at experience or youth.

Startup Hiring Questions

In this section, Michael talks about common questions he gets asked by startups regarding hiring.

Common Questions

Should startups hire known quantities or always go for experience?

How can startups make sure they sell their company but also listen during interviews?

What are some tough things that startups face when hiring?

Russ' Advice

Russ advises that companies should focus on building their company's mission, vision and values before focusing on content expertise.

English Hiring and Building a Strong Team

In this section, the speaker talks about the importance of hiring the right people and building a strong team. He emphasizes the need to find people who are passionate about their work and interested in contributing back to society.

Hiring for Brand Representation

The speaker explains that when they started hiring, they made sure that every person they hired could represent iRobot's brand in their world.

They architected the interview process so that even if people got rejected, they came away with a great experience because it would affect their perception of iRobot's brand.

Everybody is an extension of the brand you're trying to build, and your values and passions have to be expressed through everybody.

Importance of People You Hire

The speaker emphasizes that you can't underestimate the importance of the people you hire from the beginning.

The leader is the single most important person in developing culture.

Emotional intelligence of people on your team and relationships they build are part of generating value.

Interviewing Process

Depending on the role, interviews may be done one-on-one or as a group interview with multiple employees from different departments.

Sometimes there will be a series of interviews where different teams will interview candidates based on their expertise.

The manager sits down with the team at the end to determine if someone is going to be additive or dilutive to their team.

Interview Workshop

In this section, the speaker introduces an interview workshop and provides instructions for participants to pair up and ask each other questions related to finding a co-founder.

Pairing Up and Asking Questions

Participants are given a sheet with questions related to finding a co-founder.

Participants are instructed to pair up and ask each other questions from the sheet.

Participants are given 5-10 minutes to complete the exercise.

The speaker asks for volunteers to share their experiences and what they learned from asking their partner a question.

Sharing Experiences

Five groups volunteer to share their experiences.

The speakers ask each group what question they asked their partner and what they learned from it.

One participant asked about the legacy their partner hoped to leave behind, which revealed information about their personality and values.

Another participant asked about their partner's passion in life, which revealed information about their willingness to contribute to society and be a good managerial resource.

Overall, this section covers an interview workshop where participants pair up and ask each other questions related to finding a co-founder. The speaker then asks for volunteers to share their experiences, highlighting how certain questions can reveal important information about someone's personality, values, or potential as a managerial resource.

Passion, Community, and EQ

In this section, the speakers discuss their passion and community. They also talk about emotional intelligence (EQ) and how it relates to work-life balance.

Passion and Community

The speakers discuss their passion for community.

One speaker interviews another about her passions and learns that she is passionate about problem-solving, meeting new challenges, making people feel good, and doing things that affect other people in a positive way.

The interviewer asks the interviewee what balance means to her in her life.

Emotional Intelligence (EQ)

The interviewer asks the interviewee if she considers herself to be a person with a high emotional quotient (EQ).

The interviewee talks about being perceptive and paying attention to other people as part of having a high EQ.

The interviewer asks the interviewee what balance means to her in her life.

Interviewing Experience

In this section, one of the speakers shares her experience being interviewed after not having been interviewed for five years.

Interviewing Experience

One speaker shares that she hasn't been interviewed for five years.

She talks about how difficult it was for her to answer questions about her passions during the interview but eventually found two moments from her past that helped define them.

She expresses gratitude for the chance to be interviewed and suggests that regular self-awareness through interviews could be beneficial.

Learning from Interviews

In this section, the speaker talks about how interviews can reveal a lot about a person and the importance of asking questions that people are not prepared for.

Importance of Unprepared Questions

People reveal themselves in moments, and if you can ask the question that they're not prepared for rather than the question that they are prepared for, you learn more.

Being interviewed is an experience that one remembers clearly. A good interview tells you something about the company, while a bad interview tells you something about the company too.

Passion Question

The speaker asks Varun what he is passionate about. Varun's answer reveals what motivates him and what drives him.

The passion question has a great opportunity to distill out the essence of the person. It reveals a great deal of self-awareness when someone admits they don't know what they're passionate about yet.

Vadushi's Answer

Vadushi admits she doesn't know what she's passionate about yet but reveals her core values: interacting with people and working with smart, genuine, authentic people.

The passion question has a great opportunity to distill out the essence of the person.

English Interview with Left and Marcella

In this section, the interviewer talks about his interview experience with Left and Marcella. He discusses their values, legacy, management style, and how to make an interviewee comfortable enough to share their personal values.

Values and Legacy

Left is working on a telehealth startup that aims to improve the lives of people in rural areas by connecting them with doctors in Boston.

Left values education, especially for girls who wouldn't have opportunities otherwise.

Marcella asks for context when asked about her values. She believes that managers should support their team without micromanaging them.

The interviewer gets a good picture of Left's goals and personality.

Making Interviewees Comfortable

The interviewer suggests asking interviewees for examples of times they managed a group of people to get more personal answers.

It's important for the interviewer to set the stage for authenticity by making the interviewee comfortable. This can be done by changing the scene or rescheduling if necessary.

Overall, this section provides insights into how to conduct interviews effectively while also highlighting some key values and goals of the interviewees.

Interview Techniques

In this section, the speakers discuss interview techniques and how to get to know the authentic self of the interviewee.

Stripping Away Veneer

People often show up for interviews like it's an audition, but it's important to strip away that veneer and try to get to know the person.

Taking a walk with the interviewee around the location can help observe them and reveal their authentic self in moments.

Attending to these moments can be used as leverage to discover more about who they are.

What Do You Love About Your Life?

The speaker asked a question about what someone loves about their life, which is similar to asking what they are passionate about but also reflects their values.

The interviewee responded by saying he loves the focus he gets from his work in a biochemistry lab, but added "for now," indicating that it may not be a lifetime love necessarily.

They discussed how his research had changed over four years and how it had grown beyond just him, reflecting that he was interested in work beyond his own.

Purpose Behind Questions

It's important to have a purpose behind questions asked during an interview. The speaker commended Elena for asking why she was asking certain questions before doing so.

Going into an interview with expectations of why you're asking certain questions can give glimpses into the authentic self of the interviewee.

Passionate About Work

The speaker started by asking what someone is passionate about and learned that Elena works at a school of public health, where she is passionate about problem-solving and applying her specific skill set to break problems into smaller pieces.

She thinks she can make an impact by finding the problems she can address with her skill set and then making a difference based on the results of her work.

Overall, this section provides insights into interview techniques that can help reveal the authentic self of interviewees. It emphasizes the importance of having a purpose behind questions asked during interviews and getting to know what someone loves about their life or is passionate about.

The Importance of EQ and CQ in Hiring

In this section, the speaker discusses the importance of emotional intelligence (EQ) and cultural intelligence (CQ) in hiring.

EQ and CQ are More Important than IQ

Most answers received were not about IQ, indicating that EQ and CQ are more important in hiring.

Congratulates the audience for finding their own way to bring out EQ and CQ during the workshop.

Asking Open Questions

Asks an open question at the end of interviews to allow candidates to tell more about themselves.

This catch-all question helps ensure that nothing important is missed during the interview process.

Observing Needs, Wants, and Loves

Observing how candidates respond is important in discerning their needs, wants, and loves.

Separating these three things is crucial because they are all different.

Nuances like why a candidate wants a job can be difficult to discern but are important to understand.

Finding a Mutual Fit

The most important thing when hiring is finding a mutual fit between the candidate's needs and what the company can offer.

Patience is key when hiring; it's better to hire the right person than rush into hiring someone who isn't a good fit.