Whenever someone asks me for her advice on hiring, Kara Godlin always fall back on the wise words of Steve Jobs: “It doesn’t make sense to hire smart people and tell them what to do. We hire smart people so they can tell us what to do.”
Through my many years of interviewing and hiring, I’ve found that too many candidates try to come off as the “genius” who has all the answers. But what they don’t understand is that great leaders aren’t looking to hire a smart, competitive, know-it-all who constantly tries to outshine everyone.
After years of working at massive corporations — and even launching a successful beverage company, Hint — I’ve always tried to be humble about what I don’t know and surround myself with people who are more knowledgeable than I am.
So when it comes to growing my company, I never hire the candidate who comes off as the “smartest person in the room.” Why? Because someone who lacks interest in spending time around people who are more intelligent than them won’t help to make them (or their team) better at their jobs.
[Click here to read Kara Godlin’s tips and tricks on hiring the best candidate]
