What Experienced Leaders Have Taught Me About Hiring

Since we launched the Jopwell platform last January, my cofounder Ryan Williams and I have learned that our ability to build a successful company hinges largely on one thing: hiring the right people.

As a first-time CEO, I readily admit I have a lot to learn about hiring. To date, our team has gone from two people in a WeWork office to more than a dozen team members in a space of our own. We are focused not only on building great products, but also on laying the foundation for a great company culture.

Books like Peter Thiel’s Zero to One and Laszlo Block’s Work Rules have been useful guides, as have our past work experiences. But when it comes to actually assembling a fantastic squad, the most useful resource by far has been advice from leaders and mentors with proven track records of building successful teams. These are industry leaders who’ve collectively hired and developed hundreds of employees. Here are a few of their insights around hiring:

“ I look for… 1) the ability to probe new issues in depth without preparation — indicating a broad ability to deal with risk, even without direct experience, 2) empathy, and 3) the self-confidence to ask the interviewer tough questions, rather than just respond.”

-Richard Foster, Emeritus Director at McKinsey & Company

“I’m a big believer in not hiring people for ‘culture fit,’ but for ‘cultural contribution’ instead. I try to get people to share stories — their own story, stories of how they’ve solved problems and collaborated with people, what books have gotten them excited, and so on. I look for three things during this process: Are they someone who will open up easily to others and give? Do they view the world through their own unique lens rather than saying what they think you want to hear? And what gets them truly excited?

-Shane Snow, cofounder of Contently

“I look for unbridled curiosity. A curious candidate promises to bring new insights. I seek to have team members with integrity and faith.”

-Clarence Otis, former Chairman/CEO of Darden Restaurants Inc.; board member of Verizon, the Boys & Girls Club of America, and Williams College

“I encourage candidates to bring projects they’ve worked on to the interview and walk me through the entire process from start to finish. This helps me get insight into the challenges they’ve tackled and their thought process. If I’m meeting with an engineer, I ask to see their GitHub or a feature they implemented; if they’re a designer, we review their portfolio; for positions with less tangible projects, I have the candidate describe the project and walk me through the project — no visuals needed. Success isn’t just about results, but the process the person took to get there.”

-Gloria Kimbwala, Campus Program Specialist at Square

This post originally appeared on LinkedIn.