Diary of a CEO founder says he hired someone with ‘zero’ work experience because she ‘thanked the security guard by name’ before the interview

Job-seekers may believe that an Ivy League degree or Fortune 500 work experience will land them a gig—but who they thank while walking into an interview could be more important than their professional pedigree. 

Steven Bartlett, the founder and host of The Diary of a CEO podcast, took a chance on an applicant with a virtually blank CV for that very reason.

“I hired someone who’s CV was two lines. Their experience was zero,” Bartlett explained in a LinkedIn post earlier this year. “Much of the reason why I gave her the job was because: She thanked the security guard by name on the way into the building.” 

She continued to prove herself during the hiring process in seemingly small ways too—and those acts of humility got her the job, not her credentials.

“When she didn’t know something, in the interview she said ‘I don’t know that yet, but here’s how I’d figure it out,’” Bartlett explained. “After the interview she went and self-taught herself the answer she didn’t know, and emailed it to me within hours.”

The founder took a chance on the experience-less candidate, and it didn’t take long to pay off; Bartlett said that six months later, she has proved herself as one of the best hires he’s ever made.........

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