This postI’m in the middle of hiring some new student employees (the usual post-semester turnover), and you know, it’s interesting being on this side of the interview table. This is the third time I’ve done hiring — the first was back in August and the second was in January — and so while I’m not an expert by any means, I do have enough of a smidgen of experience to count for something. And what I’ve found is that hiring is a lot like dating. :P
1. The list matters, but synergy matters more. What I mean is that it’s not just about the person’s qualifications — it’s about the sum of all the parts, both on paper and in person. In reading resumes I try to look beyond the bullet points and see the person as a whole, since I’m not hiring a bullet point. Similarly, with dating it’s not about how good the person looks on paper, because let’s face it, lots of people do. Sometimes the right person isn’t the one who’s got every single bullet point on your list. (Good quote from Henry B. Eyring here: “Don’t set your standards so high you walk past the person the Lord would make perfect for you.”)
2. They’ve got to fit in. No man is an island, and employees generally don’t work in a bubble. (Okay, this doesn’t apply to all jobs. Sorry.) Not only do they need to be as qualified as possible, but they also need to fit in with you as an employer, with the other employees, and with the work environment. Someone who’s qualified but doesn’t fit in isn’t as hirable as someone who’s not quite as qualified but does fit in. And in dating it’s not just about the list, it’s about how well you work together, how well you fit as a couple. In a word, chemistry.
3. GPA doesn’t matter. That’s all. I mean, if someone had an abysmally low GPA, then maybe I’d think twice about it, but for the most part I don’t care what the person’s GPA was. Same in dating. Maybe this is because of my own outlook on school, though. :P
4. Overeager is a turnoff. There’s a fine line between being passionate and being desperate, and you do not want to cross it. I’m not entirely sure why this is, and it doesn’t really make sense to me, but it’s real. The dating application is obvious.
5. Cover letters help a lot. While this is definitely true with hiring — I think my decision on whether to interview someone is based more on their cover letter than on their resume — I have no idea how it applies to dating. :P (At least I’ve never gotten a cover letter from a girl wanting to date me. Oh, wait, I take that back. I got one a few weeks ago. And I got one last night from a guy who wanted me to date his sister.)
6. It’s hard turning people away. Inevitably there are going to be people you don’t end up hiring, and it hurts a little to reject them. But that’s just the nature of the game. You do the best you can to soften the blow, and then you move on. Same with dating — you can’t marry everyone, after all.
One last observation: being single myself, I try hard to keep my own personal interests out of the equation. It is really tempting to hire just attractive single females, but I make a conscious effort to focus on the other qualities that do matter as far as getting the job done and such. Before I found myself having to hire people, I never even thought about this being an issue, but it’s a real one.
