Delray Beach, FL- He needed a new editorial director. I asked him how the search was progressing. He said that someone was “currently reviewing resumes” for him.
That worried me.
Because when it comes to hiring members of your creative team, you are not looking for a specific set of skills. You are looking for superstars and potential superstars. And for them, conventional recruiting methods don’t work.
Academic credentials mean nothing.
Resumes don’t mean squat.
Relevant work experience is generally overrated and problematic. (Superstars are usually treated like superstars and therefore rarely appear in the job market.)
And re the initial review process… you have to be careful. You don’t want a sensible person doing that. They will cull out the “unqualified” and the “oddballs.” But superstars and potential superstars are usually both… so you have to make sure the reviewer understands what you are looking for.
What are you looking for?
You’re looking for temperament and talent. Someone who is very smart. And naturally contrarian. Also, someone that can play well with others.
You’re not looking for good. You’re looking for great.
Suffocating in a Cloud of Digital Detritus! I received a letter from a family member recently. A typewritten letter – actually typewritten, not laser printed – on an 8 x 10 sheet of paper. I tried to remember…
Sunday, January 20, 2019 Rancho Santana, Nicaragua.- At 43, Bonner Paddock has already accomplished what, at 68, I have failed to accomplish three times: He has retired. I was intrigued by his story, So I…
I’ll be in Myrtle Beach for a week in October, a yearly get-together with some life-long friends, playing golf, watching football, talking shit, and reminiscing. We’ll rehash old stories about the halcyon days…
I preferred to spend my time outdoors, playing. In my teens, I kept very busy building things, playing sports, and starting clubs and businesses. But not reading. I don’t believe I had read more than a…
For Your Post-Holiday Watching Pleasure... CONTEMPORARY COMEDIES National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (1989) Directed by Jeremiah S. Chechik Starring Chevy Chase, Beverly D’Angelo, Randy Quaid, Diane Ladd…
Delray Beach, FL- He needed a new editorial director. I asked him how the search was progressing. He said that someone was “currently reviewing resumes” for him.
That worried me.
Because when it comes to hiring members of your creative team, you are not looking for a specific set of skills. You are looking for superstars and potential superstars. And for them, conventional recruiting methods don’t work.
Academic credentials mean nothing.
Resumes don’t mean squat.
Relevant work experience is generally overrated and problematic. (Superstars are usually treated like superstars and therefore rarely appear in the job market.)
And re the initial review process… you have to be careful. You don’t want a sensible person doing that. They will cull out the “unqualified” and the “oddballs.” But superstars and potential superstars are usually both… so you have to make sure the reviewer understands what you are looking for.
What are you looking for?
You’re looking for temperament and talent. Someone who is very smart. And naturally contrarian. Also, someone that can play well with others.
You’re not looking for good. You’re looking for great.