How to Hire Productivity Machines

In the fast-moving world of IT and tech, you can’t afford to hire unproductive people. Everyone needs to be on their A-game every day, because one person can have a significant impact on a project’s timeline and budget. Here are tips to help you spot productivity machines in the hiring process.

Spotting Time Management

Excellent time management skills are the cornerstone of productivity, so evaluating this trait is crucial in any tech interview. Ask questions like:

• How do you plan your day?
• What do you do when your plan gets derailed by an unforeseen problem?
• When you have multiple projects at once, how do you prioritize them?

You can also evaluate time management during the technical and problem-solving portions of the hiring process by timing at least one problem so see how candidates map out the time that they have for maximum productivity.

Identifying Initiative

Productive people take initiative. You can ask candidates to describe times when they stepped up and took the reins, but you can also gather cues from the hiring process itself. Did the candidate follow up after sending their application? Did they ask follow-up questions in the interview? Did they ask about timelines and the appropriate means for contacting you? These are all signs of someone who takes initiative.

Uncovering a Willingness to Accept Feedback

The ability to accept and act on constructive feedback are signs of a productive individual. High producers take feedback and use it to continually improve their output.  It can be difficult to spot this trait in an interview, so make sure to include questions about feedback as part of your reference check.

Sniffing Out Problem-Solving Skills

Tech leaders often complain that their teams lack problem-solving skills, but they don’t spend time vetting candidates for problem-solving abilities. Every candidate should be asked to solve at least one problem so their process can be observed. The end result shouldn’t matter as much as the approach the candidate takes to solving a complex problem under pressure.

Recognizing Organization

It’s hard to gauge organization by asking questions in an interview. Anyone can say they are organized – and in fact, many disorganized people really believe they are organized.  When approaching this subject, ask specific questions like:

• What tools do you use to stay organized?
• What steps do you take to organize and plan a project?
• How do you handle a situation when your planning was insufficient?

It’s also a good idea to verify a candidate’s organizational skills with their references.

Are You Ready to Hire Productivity Machines?

If you are looking for tech talent for your Chicago-area company and want to improve the quality of your hires, it’s time to talk to the expert tech recruiters at CultureFit. Contact us today to learn how we partner with our clients to deliver productive, skilled talent that is exceptionally matched for their organization.