There’s a lot of buzz these days on hiring. The optimist I am says this is because the economy is getting better. I do a lot of mentoring and I get asked a lot what I look for in hiring talent. Quite simply, when I hire anyone...employee, consultant, housekeeper, it gets down to two deciding factors:
Relevance versus Competence. Today, people are 'tick-box competent' in everything. We have the internet, Google, and Kindles to thank for this. While all this pop culture can be entertaining at the annual Christmas party, what matters to me most is relevance. Relevance is more about connectivity than it is data and information.
How do your technical and interpersonal skills apply to my need? How relevant are you with people (yes humans, not iDevices.) How do you "keep" relevant?
Hustler versus Harvard. In The Pursuit of Happiness, Will Smith plays a hustling Wall Street wanna-be broker who succeeds the old-fashioned way: hard work. I believe college is overrated because it needs serious reform. It used to matter and then the digital age changed our lives forever. Home grown entrepreneurs have redefined the American Dream into the Global Dream.
When have you done something without a map, textbook or Powerpoint deck? Have you ever created something rare and valuable? What was its impact on people and how did you learn from this experience?
You want on my payroll? Throw aside Google, your iDevice, and pedigree. Be a relevant hustler.