An interview candidate walks into my office. She’s well-dressed, has a resume full of experience, and great references. I even get a thank-you note in the mail afterwards. So why am I feeling like she could be giving the exact same interview for my competition? Nothing about her interview made me believe that she was excited to work for me specifically.

Obviously, I’m looking for a great, well-qualified candidate, but just as important is their desire to work for my company specifically. It’s obvious when someone who comes in for an interview has read some of my articles, Googled me, knows my background, and can ask educated questions about it (without seeming overly stalkerish/creepy). It makes me feel special, like they really took the time to do their homework. You’d be surprised how few people do this. An enthused and passionate hire will jump right in and start making a difference in the company from Day One.

Another thing I keep in mind when hiring is whether this person would be a good boss someday. Could I see myself ever happily working for them? This means I want anyone I bring onto my team to be someone I can learn from, someone who inspires me, someone I can see taking the company to the next level. Someone I can trust. Someone who I believe will go far in their career down the road, even if they are an intern or associate now. If they offer a great suggestion in the interview, or an idea I actually want to implement, I’m much more likely to want them on the team.

Of course, given my background, social media definitely influences my hiring process as well. Obviously, if there are red flags on any of their online accounts, that encourages me to hit the brakes on their application. But even more than scanning their profile page for party photos, I like to look and see what kinds of articles and news they share with their network. Is the candidate a thought leader in his chosen field? Do they belong to any professional organizations or interest groups on LinkedIn or Facebook? Do they re-tweet and follow interesting people on Twitter, as well as come up with their own observations and insights?

Hiring the perfect candidate isn’t a mathematical formula. There’s so much more to the process than looking at a candidate’s prior experience. Their passion, leadership and interests really matter, especially because in many cases that can have a big influence on the company culture. A beautifully formatted resume? Not going to impress me. But a demonstrated interest in what I do? You bet.

Posted on 9/24/2013

Written by Randi Zuckerberg

Randi Zuckerberg served as the Marketing Director for Facebook for six years, where she struck groundbreaking deals with ABC (the first online-offline presidential debates) and CNN (to cover Barack Obama’s inauguration). She was ranked among one of the “50 Digital Power Players” by the Hollywood Reporter. She is the CEO and Founder of Zuckerberg Media, a next-generation media company, and Editor-in-Chief of Dot Complicated, a modern lifestyle website helping us navigate and “untangle” our wired, wonderful lives. This fall, she will release her first books with HarperCollins, an adult non-fiction book also titled Dot Complicated and a children’s picture book.

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