What to look for in a new team member ?

Recruiting someone new to join your team is a daunting challenge. The CV or resume is no longer useful since services now spruce up your CV to make it look the best in the eyes of the recruiters. Some organizations try to "ensure" success by having multiple interviews. Possible questions and suggested answers have been so widely shared that there is no real uniqueness here anymore. Quite often, interviewers go with their gut when it comes to deciding on an applicant. Maybe there is a better way ?

Google is a master of data, and they did it again. They researched what characteristics really determine success on the job when recruiting someone new. An initial analysis showed that grades or school reputation, or past experiences are not predictors of job success. When they then looked at this challenge in much more detail, they found out that the differentiating factors are :

1. cognitive abilities ... brain skills (as opposed to physical) in performing tasks and solving problems

2. intellectual humility ... having an open mind: knowing what you know but also knowing what you don't know

3. ability to learn ... absorbing new knowledge, unlearning and applying into action

According to Google, these factors make the difference and determine job success. So maybe it is time to rethink how we evaluate new team members and try to focus on these critical factors rather than unending series of interviews.