How I Hire: Moxie Over Degree

Who we hire defines us. At the Consumer Technology Association, we want innovators who can be part of a team, who will take on any job, no matter how big or small, and will treat each other and every customer with empathy and service. 

I look for people who have held tough jobs. Have they worked in chaotic environments? Have they accomplished something big that they are proud of and passionately discuss? As an example, I like candidates who have worked in restaurants, especially those who depended on tips for income. Having been both a busboy and a waiter, I understand that it is tough work; you must be quick-thinking and efficient, and you need to be able to establish a relationship with a customer in a few seconds. 

I want candidates who care about their appearance and understand the importance of a clean, typo-free resume. I try hard not to form strong first impressions and make every interview more of a conversation. But if I do have a concern – such as commitment to a past job, relevant experience or gaps on a resume – I ask about it. 

I also am impressed when candidates do their homework, have researched us and know what we do. Of course, the opposite is true. If they aren’t familiar with us and I am interviewing them, then our process has broken down. 

I avoid people who name drop, especially in Washington, D.C., where most groups hire on the basis of connections. We hire on moxie and substance. Degrees from big-name schools don’t impress me, nor do prep-school backgrounds. I like people who have worked to get where they are. 

I put a lot of thought into coming up with the right questions to determine whether a person has good judgment. I was once doing the final interview with a candidate who said he had been fired from a CEO position, but didn’t seem to know why. Over the course of our conversation, the candidate revealed that he had fired a very senior employee earlier without consulting his board, and it had upset people. But the candidate maintained he had the authority to make the firing decision. Authority may be black and white on paper, but consultation with your boss for major decisions is usually a sign of good judgment. This candidate did not get the job, although I shared with him my view that he had lost the confidence of his board by acting without consultation. 

Even with the most careful interview processes, we all sometimes make mistakes in hiring. For another position we ended up hiring a candidate who seemed exceptional, despite the person’s lack of traditional experience. Four of our senior people interviewed the candidate, and we all agreed that this person seemed stellar. Yet the new hire’s demeanor switched on day one. Business attire was replaced by schlumpy clothing and scuffed shoes. This person seemed paralyzed by the level of work required and antagonized colleagues with awkward and off-putting social interactions. This person denigrated the organization and didn’t follow up on commitments. This hire lasted for only a few months, and then we decided to fill the position the way we should have in the beginning: by promoting from within. 

The truth is that any hire is a big risk. Training is an investment, and new people cost more than they can produce for the first several months. They can also be disruptive to existing staff if they don’t fit our culture, don’t carry their weight or have a negative attitude. Trying to correct mistakes in hiring is draining and not good for those being hired or those doing the hiring. So, everyone we hire must undergo several interviews as well as reference checks. 

Interns can be a terrific pool of candidates for open positions. While we can’t hire every great intern, hiring a qualified intern for a full-time role when a position is available is almost risk-free, as you have both tried each other out. I also like re-hiring people who have left us. They go elsewhere and get an education at another organization, then come back with more experience and more appreciation for our unique environment.  

Hiring the right candidate is a big challenge, but it is almost everything in a service organization like ours. Every customer must decide to pay us and want to use our services. Our employees are the face we present to our customers, and we take pride in hiring the best, most qualified candidates. Without good employees, we would fade into irrelevance.