The Top 5 Traits to Look for When Hiring

Look beyond domain expertise and seek out candidates with these 5 traits

Introduction

I have had the honor to interview 100s of candidates during my time in tech (including 30+ candidates at Oracle Cloud as a bartender). These have been for various roles ranging from developers to product managers. While each company and candidate varies in their requirements, below are the five key attributes I look for in potential hires that lead to quality outcomes and impact: cultural fit, work ethic, team player, problem solver, and curiosity to learn. 

1️⃣ Cultural Fit

Joining a new team and company is like a marriage. You have to work with these humans day in and day out to get shit done. Companies have anywhere from one to a dozen plus top-down values, but as a candidate, it’s critical to assess the specific ones the team you’re looking to join embraces and match your experience with those. “Cultural fit” is about values, team dynamics, attitude, and personality.

Considerations

• Can you live with them on a daily basis and vice versa?

• Is there a strong alignment between the individual’s and the organization’s values and operating principles?

• For example, if your culture values “bias for action“, do they have a track record of taking initiative? 

2️⃣ Work ethic

The key here is a passion for the problem space, experience, and freedom to solve problems on one's terms. These individuals are eager to dive deep into the problem space and dedicate time to solving problems and delighting customers. This isn’t something that can be turned on and off easily and the problem becomes an obsession. A strong sense of urgency and passion for the mission means no task is too small or too big to take on. “Work ethic” means having a passion for the problem space and the agency to solve those problems without barriers.

Considerations

• Have they spent time working on a problem outside of regular hours?

• Have they taken the initiative to fix an issue or solve a problem without being asked to?

• Have they spent time learning about the company and products on their own?

3️⃣ Team player

Effective teams realize that no single individual’s needs or ego is larger than the mission. Team players are active listeners and open to learning from others and adopting new ideas that aren’t their own. They will break down information silos, share information freely, and do not suffer from “Not invented here” syndrome. They are effective communicators at multiple levels in the organization, demonstrate empathy towards fellow employees, and are interested in developing those relationships.

Considerations

• Are they self-aware of their strengths and weaknesses?

• Can they check their ego and lend a helping hand without the need for credit and because it’s the right thing to do?

• Can they communicate effectively with diverse groups of humans? 

• Do they improve things around them for their “future selves”?

4️⃣ Problem solver

Problem solvers see disorder, chaos, obstacles, and ambiguity as an opportunity to make something better. They are not stuck on one way of getting the job done and avoid using a “golden hammer”. Problem solvers are open to new data, techniques, and ways to get to the heart of the problem. They can utilize both structured and ad-hoc problem-solving techniques when appropriate.

Considerations

• Can they form, test a hypothesis, and draw clear lines from the inputs to outcomes?

• Can they move forward in intimidating, low-data, and high-risk situations?

• Can they apply both structured and unstructured problem-solving techniques where appropriate?

• Do they leave things better than how they found them?

5️⃣ Curiosity to learn

Change is a constant in technology and those that survive not only adapt to it, but welcome change, are eager to learn, and always digging deeper. They are unsatisfied with surface answers and need to understand “why” something is what it is.

Considerations

• Do they demonstrate a deep understanding of users’ needs?

• Are they able to dive deep into data and go into the unknown to solve problems for users?

• What’s the last thing they learned on their own?

• Do they study and learn in their spare time?

Conclusion

These traits are universal characteristics that companies can use to assess interviewees and interviewees can use to assess companies and gauge overall fit. These traits are not fixed in stone and can be developed over time. Subject matter expertise (SME) and domain knowledge are important to getting the job done however, the focus is on traits that transcend domains.

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