A retail company is only as good as the team that it’s made up of. That means hiring and retaining smart, dedicated and talented people is of the utmost importance. In a series running on LinkedIn Pulse, How I Hire, noted leaders from various industries are discussing their hiring strategies. Angela Ahrendts, senior vice president, retail and online stores for Apple, contributed an article for the series based on her 34-year career. Specifically, Ahrendts focused on four areas that are most important to her when evaluating prospective hires.

Me vs. We
Ahrendts seeks to gain insight into how job candidates see themselves in the world.

  • How big is their ego, and what role does it play in their everyday life?
  • Do they focus their energy on being an individual contributor, or on connecting and enabling a wider group?
  • Do they care more about their own success or the greater good of the whole?

Ahrendts asks simple questions about candidates’ families, friends, peers, personal interests, sports, spirituality and community to get a better understanding of their true motivation and leadership attributes. This is easy because people love to talk about themselves, Ahrendts wrote.

IQ vs. EQ
With an interviewee comfortable and their guard down, Ahrendts probes to understand how they naturally navigate in the world.

  • Do they typically think or feel first?
  • Do they instinctively use their head or their heart?

She asks a few business questions about how they handle challenging situations and optimize opportunities. In addition, Ahrendts usually asks what their team and peers would say about them to gain deeper perspective on how balanced they are intellectually and emotionally.

If a candidate has reached my office, it’s safe to assume they’re incredibly smart in their field, Ahrendts noted. “I want to make sure they’re culturally compatible. Are they empathetic, compassionate, caring and giving of their mind and heart?”

Ahrendts likes to reflect on one of her favorite quotes, which comes from Maya Angelou: “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” She wants to sense if a job candidate truly cares about the impact they make on people.

Left Brain vs. Right Brain
Digging deeper, Ahrendts likes to discover what lens a candidate looks at the world through.

  • Do they lean into analysis or their instincts? Do they get into details or carry on a more conceptual conversation?
  • Do they make linear decisions, are they a creative thinker or do they use their whole mind?

Then Ahrendts reverts back to asking more personal questions. She believes she can better assess someone’s left brain-right brain balance by understanding what they studied and what they do in their spare time.

  • What do they read, watch, listen to?
  • Do they light up when talking about the arts, their kids?

“A company’s success is predicated on you putting the right people in the right place at the right time,” Ahrendts wrote. “You know what you need, and you need to find out who they truly are so both can thrive over the long term.”

Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow
Lastly, Ahrendts wants to learn what guides a candidate.

  • How much do they look to the past for trends, and how aware are they of the underlying influences impacting their business today?
  • Do they have an opinion on the future and how their organization and strategies will need to evolve to keep pace? Are they adverse to or do they thrive on change?

Before an interviewee leaves her office, Ahrendts feels it’s important to let them know how she feels.

“If I loved them, I tell them so and say I look forward to continuing the conversation,” she wrote. “If they’re not right for the position, I think it’s best to be honest while we’re together so they don’t get their hopes up. I always treat them as I want to be treated, and make sure they leave feeling positive even though they’re not right for the current position. It’s important we both sleep at night and that they leave with respect for themselves and the company.”

What are your thoughts on Ahrendts’ hiring strategy? Do you (and your company) share a common philosophy? Or maybe you take a different approach than Ahrendts? Let us know by posting a comment below.