four things great hireThe New York Times has a business section Sunday feature called “Corner Office,” where the CEO of a small- or mid-sized company is interviewed. I enjoy reading it for its candid insights and wide-ranging points of view. A recent column featured Seth Besmertnik of Conductor, a provider of search engine optimization technology, talking about what he looked for in new hires (titles are his, thoughts are mine).

– Incredible sense of self awareness:  Ability to stand outside yourself, see (and experience) yourself as others do. Understand your strengths and weaknesses, know how to “cope and grow.”

– Committed to your own improvement:  You are the CEO of your life; your growth is YOUR responsibility. The world is changing rapidly, grow with it or become quickly obsolete.

– Passionate:  Do you put your heart and soul into what you do, what you are? Do you care enough to drive forward through, over, and around any and all obstacles to get where you want to go?

– Good communicators:  Can you get your critical points across? Effectively? Summarize well? Get to the bottom line quickly? Do you listen well?

Closing quotes:

“Your work is to discover your world and then with all your heart give yourself to it.”  — Buddha (Hindu Prince Gautama Siddharta);  563–483 B.C.

“It is the working man who is the happy man. It is the idle man who is the miserable man.”  — Benjamin Franklin; 1706-1790

“Everyone has an invisible sign hanging from their neck saying, ‘Make me feel important.’ Never forget this message when working with people.”  — Mary Kay Ash; 1918–2001, founder of Mary Kay Cosmetics