Building Teams – Recruiting Insights from Warren Buffett

Do you know Warren Buffett’s secret to recruiting talent?  Buffett only looks for 3 things:

1. Intelligence
2. Energy (i.e. Hard Work, Passion, etc.)
3. Integrity 

Notice something interesting and what’s missing from this list? We do not see “industry experience” on that list.  I see how many companies look for many things that are actually not that important for the success in the role.

Obviously there are roles where you need very specific requirements – if you hire for a VP of Sales & Marketing then you want to make sure they have a set number of years of experience. If your industry requires specific industry knowledge (perhaps pharmaceutical or medical) and it wouldn’t be as simple to learn in a few months on the job then you will need to add that requirement to your recruiting list. But generally, if you are looking for sales reps or marketing team members then the list above is enough to find great people and you don’t need to look for much more.

   

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