MyPunchblog

Hiring great people is hard — really hard. Over the years, I’ve learned some techniques that help me identify the best people out of a pool of candidates. I’ve wrote about one of my techniques before: the 24 hour test. In a nutshell, the 24 hour test is designed for me to get a strong idea of who you are as a person and how you think. I ask potential candidates to send me an email that includes something creative: a photo, a writing, random thoughts — whatever they think shows who they are and how they think. (I recommend that you read the original post before continuing).

The more I’ve interviewed people, the more 24 hour test results I’ve seen. Some of them are whimsical (a chair made of stuffed bears), some are serious (thoughts on life and happiness), and some are character revealing (a love-affair with Legos). In my opinion, the best results are the ones that really give me a window into the personality of the candidate.

I’ve been interviewing candidates recently for a marketing role. It’s an important position in the company, and someone that I’ll be working with closely. One particular candidate recently nailed the 24 hour test — and her email was one of the best I’ve ever gotten.

This candidate decided to use MyPunchbowl as part of her 24 hour test results. It’s the first candidate who has ever chosen to do this (I wondered who would be the first). She used MyPunchbowl to throw an imaginary dinner party; inviting me and 10 other people to join us. Not only did I get the MyPunchbowl invitation, but she included the list of guests in the email, with an explanation of why each person was invited. Here’s her list:

• Bono (musician, humanitarian)
  For his ability to harness creative energy, and unwillingness to define success in financial terms.
• Eve Ensler (feminist)
  For redefining the framework of the very basic ideas of feminine identity and voice with humor and strength.
• Kurt Vonnegut (writer, veteran)
  A clarion call in the midst of chaos, for his ability to find humanity in each and every story.
• Francisco Goya (Spanish Painter)
  For creating beauty in darkness, and having the courage to subvert the system.
• Christian Amanpour (CNN war correspondent)
  At once fearless and brilliant.  Taking big risks for the greater reward.
• Alice Waters (owner, Chez Panisse, pioneer the local food movement)
  For simplifying without compromising product quality or sophistication.
• Pablo Neruda (Chilean poet, communist politician)
  A renaissance man of the highest art.  Poetry readings to 100,000 Chileans can’t be wrong.
• Karl Rove (architect, Bush administration)
  Because more than anything, I just want to know, what the fuck?  
• Postsecret’s Frank
  For enabling an honest look at the world, achieving personal success without compromising his vision.
• Jon Stewart
  No one is quicker to the draw, beating everyone else at their own game.

Wow– what a dinner party that would be. She nailed it. I know way more about her than before receiving this email. And most importantly, I now know how she thinks. While this does not make her a shoe-in for the position, it sure does give her a leg up on others.

If I’ve asked you to complete the 24 hour test, use this as your inspiration. Whether you send me a photo, a writing, or something that amuses you, make sure that it tells us who you are and how you think.

Well done Christine. Very well done.

This entry was posted on April 4, 2008 at 10:27 am and is filed under Hiring. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.