I was recently asked how I would go about evaluating for plus-level talent when interviewing for entry-level positions where the candidates (e.g. fresh grads) would likely not have an extensive professional resume.

Hiring and talent evaluation is an inexact science, and while there are always exceptions, I do believe there are principles that can significantly increase the odds of getting it right. In no particular order, here are 12 such waypoints that have served me well when conducting behavioral interviews for these type of roles over the years. Note that these principles can and often do work synergistically.

1. Application rationale – It’s unlikely that a fresh grad will know what they want out of their careers (and those who say they do will likely change their mind many times just like the rest of us). That said, the candidate should still be able to provide a clear, articulate rationale as that’s nothing more than being prepared. I want employees who “give a shit” and take pride in the work they produce. Diligence in preparation is a good indicator for that.
2. Company knowledge – How much does the candidate know about your company? This builds on the previous point and is another gauge for diligence and preparation. It’s not a measure of IQ, but simply whether he/she cares enough and/or has the awareness to do some basic research ahead of the interview.
3. Industry knowledge – The candidate should be able to discuss what’s happening within your industry at large (not just your company). It’s probably unfair to expect him/her to be ingesting daily trades at this point, but he/she should have at least done the requisite research. It’s another measure of diligence as well as a sign that the candidate is actually interested in the line of work he/she is applying for (to the extent possible at this stage of career).
4. Leadership experience – This can be in any capacity (e.g. sports, clubs, side hustles, etc). The benefits of leadership are self-explanatory, but a more hidden benefit is that this demonstrates that the applicant has the desire to take on these responsibilities. Obviously an explicit desire to lead isn’t a deterministic prerequisite for success (there are many examples that prove otherwise), but it’s rarely a bad thing. It’s also an indicator that he/she can work with others at least decently.
5. Team or me – One of the first questions I ask an applicant is for him/her to describe a situation when they operated as part of a successful team and the factors that made the team successful. What I’m looking for is whether the candidate’s response places the team first, or if it centers around him/herself. The former is a good indicator of being team-player, the latter a bit less so.
6. Answer the question – This one might sound laughable, but you’d be surprised at how many candidates have trouble simply answering a question in a direct, concise manner. The inability to do so could indicate subpar listening, lack of attention or the desire to use your question as an excuse to tell some “canned” story, which I’d perceive as mental inflexibility and/or a lack of self-awareness (more on these two later).
7. Humble and hungry – Does the candidate come across as humble (yet confident) and hungry to learn? Or does he/she act like someone who thinks they are the smartest one in the room? No matter great the candidate performed in school, he/she is embarking on a whole new journey when entering the workforce. A failure to recognise that reality is a red flag in my opinion.
8. Spontaneous creativity – Mix in “offbeat” questions with more “standard” ones to get a sense of the candidate’s ability to quickly react to (what I aim to be) unexpected queries. A few examples of the former: “Tell me 2 things you like and 1 thing you don’t”, “What can you teach me?”, “What’s your favorite animal and why?”, “Who do you think of when you hear the word ‘punchable'”? These questions also serve as a window into areas of the candidate’s personality that standard questions may not reach.
9. Self-awareness – Many of the previous points connect into this one. Self-awareness is in the S-tier of attributes to look for as it literally makes everything better. Think of it as a +25% mod on all other attributes. A candidate possessing high self-awareness will better understand his/her strengths and weaknesses, be better at reading the room, a more effective communicator and much more. It’s difficult to measure self-awareness with a single question, but you can usually tell if you look for it over the course of an interview. Ex: if the candidate rambles and goes on long tangents without rationale, then he/she is probably not very self-aware.
10. Get a hobby – Ideally the candidate has some interests outside of work. It’s a bit of an oxymoron, but my experience is that those with serious hobbies outside of work tend to also have a strong work ethic in the office. My working theory is that this shows he/she is able to stick with an endeavour long enough to become good at it, which is a quality that transfers to work. I’m sure someone can provide a more academic rationale, but the correlation is strong.
11. Hire for who they will become – Can you envision this individual growing into a leadership position one day? Remember, you’re not hiring this person to be an entry-level employee forever, but rather someone who can grow to take on more responsibility over time. Obviously you can’t project whether the candidate will remain with the company long-term, but this remains a useful prism for evaluation.
12. Gut feeling – This one’s harder to pin down as it’s effectively a qualitative amalgam of the previous points, but by the end of the interview (or maybe even early on), you should be able to get a sense of whether the candidate “feels right”. A useful heuristic can be to ask yourself: “would I enjoy sitting next to and working with this person every day?”