Tuesday, November 5, 2024

Ex-Google exec always starts an interview by asking about candidates’ ‘life before their resume’: Here’s why

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Jennifer Dulski knows what she’s looking for when she’s hiring.

The CEO and founder of Rising Team, which sells team development programs, has worked as a leader in companies like Google and Facebook. When she’s bringing on a new member of the team, she looks for adaptability and the ability to bounce back from obstacles, as well as creativity and ambition.

To make sure a candidate possesses these qualities, however, she doesn’t just ask them about success in their career. “I always start by asking people to tell me about their life before their resume,” she says.

Here’s why.

‘I can see those patterns in people’s early life’

For Dulski, proof that candidates have the kind of characteristics she’s looking for comes from who they are as people as opposed to who they are as workers.

“People who are ambitious and creative and adaptable and overcome obstacles,” she says, “I can see those patterns in people’s early life.” She’ll look for stories about starting a business and selling lemonade or T-shirts as a kid, for example. If she’s interviewing an engineer, she might look for stories about taking objects apart and putting them back together to see how they work.

Applying that natural drive and effort, “it’s clear when they do that in their lives, they’re likely to do that at work,” she says.

‘Tell me about your life before your resume’

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