CEO Hires Woman With Zero Experience & A 2-Line Resume Because She Did 2 Unexpected Things During Her Interview
Amnaj Khetsamtip | ShutterstockCEO Steven Bartlett explained how a woman with zero experience and a two-line resume impressed him enough to get hired, proving why sometimes the best person for the job is the one most might normally overlook.
Most people assume that having a stacked resume and years of experience means they're a shoo-in for any job. While that's generally true, there are many other attributes that can make someone a desirable candidate for a role.
Bartlett explained two unexpected things the woman did during her interview to get hired.
In a LinkedIn post, Bartlett, an entrepreneur and host of the "Diary of a CEO" podcast, explained that he hired a woman with zero experience because she thanked the security guard and was honest about her limitations.
fizkes | Shutterstock
"I hired someone whose CV was two lines. Their experience was zero... this taught me a critical hiring lesson...," Bartlett began in his post. Bartlett went on to explain that the woman had thanked the security guard by name as she was entering the building for her interview. Then, during the actual interview, if she didn't know how to answer a question, rather than bluffing her way through it, she was honest. She would say to Bartlett, "I don't know that yet, but here's how I'd figure it out."
Not only was she being honest, but she was also showing how determined she was to learn. Rather than pretending to be perfect, Bartlett was impressed by her incredible self-awareness and willingness to put in the work and grow.
The CEO was also impressed that she sent a thank-you note after the interview.
"After the interview she went and self-taught herself the answer she didn't know, and emailed it to me within hours," Bartlett recalled. "She sent a thank you note. To everyone after the interview."
Many people don't think that sending a thank-you note after a job interview leaves an impression on the hiring manager or CEO, but it actually does. It may feel like a formality, but the gesture can actually help build a connection that, even if you aren't hired for the job you've applied to, doesn't mean you won't be the first person they consider for another opening.
"This simple act of appreciation has the potential to go a long way when decisions around recruitment are being made," explained Lauren Van Duyn, recruitment manager, in an interview with the Society for Human Resource Management.
Bartlett pointed out that the woman's thank-you note to everyone involved in her interview process checked off a major green flag within their company culture test, which is that someone is willing to work hard, be ambitious, and have high EQ. She got an extremely high score.
Emotional intelligence, or EQ for short, carries a lot of weight in the working world. Ron Siegel, assistant professor of psychology at Harvard Medical School, explained, "I suspect that business leaders have realized that it’s relatively easy to get technical expertise in almost anything, but to get people who can understand and get along with one another, that is a challenge. In many projects, there is a growing awareness that this skill is going to be the one that carries the day."
That's exactly what happened with Bartlett. The woman he interviewed lacked the technical skills, but she had the emotional intelligence he knew would ultimately be more valuable to the company. The skills to function in the role were something she could learn.
The woman the CEO hired turned out to be his best employee.
Drazen Zigic | Shutterstock
"Six months later? She's one of the best hires I had ever made. This is the lesson... HIRE THE HARD THING. By this I mean hire the thing that's hardest to teach. 15 years of hiring has taught me that culture fit and character is MUCH harder to hire than experience, skills or education," he continued.
While it's possible to teach people the ins and outs of a computer system they are unfamiliar with, Bartlett pointed out that you can't really teach someone how to interact with and motivate their co-workers. What's even more interesting, as Siegel pointed out, is that as technology advances, soft skills and emotional intelligence are going to become even more valuable.
He said, "As people increasingly are interacting with chatbots rather than real human beings to get their work done, I suspect that authentic, connected human interactions are going to become more important."
If you are a great communicator and excel at interacting with others, don't devalue that skill because it isn't often found in a job description. Lean into it. It just might be the trait that lands you a dream job.
Nia Tipton is a staff writer with a bachelor’s degree in creative writing and journalism who covers news and lifestyle topics that focus on psychology, relationships, and the human experience.
