As I wrote last time, for entrepreneurs, the next hire might represent and inordinately large percentage of his staff (perhaps up to 50%). Each hire is crucial. Last question was “Is she in love with learning?” Here is the third of five questions I ask, as a technical entrepreneur, when I am considering whether or not to hire someone.

[3] Is he ever in doubt?

My father always had a clever way a describing someone that is hard to be around, much less hard to work with. He used to say: “That guy may be wrong, but he is never in doubt.” If I detect this in a candidate, it elicits an immediate “Next!” (in my thoughts) and I will not spend another moment thinking of hiring him. Humility really is a virtue in business, don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. I am not talking about constant self-deprecation, or passivity, or quietness. Only the person with a good self image and who is secure about himself is able to admit he might be wrong and not be too worried about the rest of us discovering it. A favorite question I like to ask in an interview is “Tell me about the last mistake you made as an employee.” The answer itself, and the body language employed while delivering it, tells me everything I need to know about his humility and self confidence.

Next Question

Questions 1 , 2 , 3, 4 , 5