Hire People Who Aren’t Like You!

#HowIHire
I recently attended a recruitment event as a guest and person to help “fill” the room…I had the opportunity to interact with several people from the company that have been trying to fill key head counts. It is a an activity that is being brought back from the original “tech bubble“; “happy-hours” for candidates, recruiters and employees which offer a chance to hang – ultimately for “team-fit” evaluations in a organic environment over drinks.

I read this article a while back and it really came to mind during this occasion: Hire People Who Aren’t Like You (and Other Tricks We’ve Learned While Transforming GM)

These were the assets the article recognized as important to identify:

Be an agile, smart leader
Be confident, yet humble
Show your thinking and contributions, not just your resume
A relentless desire to win
Be true to yourself Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook, Understand your biases, and hire people who are not like you. Diversity of thought shapes our culture.

With this in mind, since I had some time on my hands I thought I would explore this “happy- hour” opportunity**…

I AM EVERYTHING that is bulleted and bolded. The humble part sometimes a stretch but I am learning exposing that underbelly is a way to build more confidence and respect. I was very honest in my interactions, that not even I can get the brass-ring every time, in a recent experience I was told I didn’t know “tech” and thought that was ironic but shared the experience as a chance to learn from the group what it is to be tech.

Side-Bar: What is tech, that is the question? I was doing “tech” back in 1999 building my own websites; I had one of the first social websites before FB and I was working with higher education to get their course-work online but back than it wasn’t the “tech” bubble it was just work, not a segmentation of an entire world…are you tech or not? it seems like the “golden chalice” is being in, and wanting to be in to get all the perks (stocks, free food, unlimited time off, etc.). I ran into a high-school friend recently who has been living in Mexico with his new wife and child; she actually sent him back to the US to pursue this new Gold to send back home (his background is tours and Operations).

If outside of engineering, if one only hires tech to do tech, wouldn’t the end results diminish over time since everyone would only be contributing one type of mind-set? it was nice to hear that this company in the beginning actually had Chef’s and other personalities that had been team contributors.

Learning that, I thought that was cool, and worth a mingle to meet some of these alternative tech employees…thinking it could be fun to learn about the product and how they do what they do, but I could not pull it out of anyone; even when I poked and prodded for their elevator pitch and they said they didn’t have one. I said – “you don’t know who I am, I could have a multi million dollar company and need your service” the general consensus I am a top producer…I am doing fine without a pitch. It really was cookie cutter conversations with these individuals and it might be why the company is having a hard time filling spots; it wasn’t a very engaging “happy-hour”. Made me think, I may not know the new “tech” but I know you got to ABC – Always Be Closing…

Side-Bar: **Wherever you are is opportunities: I got to go to a Suite during a baseball game, and though entertaining I saw an opportunity; collecting all the companies names who had Suites and made a new target list for work the next day. Again, wherever you are there is opportunities, even if not for yourself, everyone you meet could help someone else in your life or at least spur some fresh ideas….