A self-made millionaire and CEO shares 5 ‘quick tests’ he always uses during job interviews to decide when to hire

Robert Reffkin

I never did that well on tests in school. But there are a number of simple tests that I’ve found helpful throughout my journey as the founder and CEO of a billion-dollar real estate technology company.

Having these quick tests in your back pocket helps you make smarter business decisions. Why? Because the more we think about something, the more our minds will try to play tricks on us. We second-guess, we let doubt and fear creep in, we hesitate, we overthink. The purpose of the five tests below is to get past all of that and get back to the truth that you’ve known deep down all along.

This is especially true regarding two of the most important decisions that managers at my company, Compass, make: When to hire someone, and when to pass on them.

1. The ‘good person’ test

Is this a good person?

If you have to take a long pause and struggle to answer this question, then they shouldn’t be on your team. Lots of people think goodness doesn’t matter at work — and some even think it’s a liability in business. Not me.

I always want to know: Do they live by the Golden Rule? Is their heart in the right place? Are they kind? Do they genuinely care about others? Do they want to give back? If everyone we work with is a good person, we’ll all be better off.

3. The ‘another offer’ test

If this person came to me tomorrow and told me they had a great offer from another company, would I fight to keep/win them over?

This test helps you admit that someone isn’t excellent, and it originated from Netflix CEO Reed Hastings. He believes that excellent people are much better than “pretty good” people.

As the motivational speaker Jim Rohn once said, “You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.” So if you want to be better — like I know all of us do — one of the best ways is to do that is to make sure you’re surrounding yourself with exceptional people.

Read all 5 quick tests and the complete CNBC article

 

 

The 10 Best Remote Career Fields For New College Grads

Mark C. Perna

As companies ramp up their hiring, college grads are entering a job market replete with opportunities—especially in remote work. Here’s who is hiring and what you need to do to land that first job.

Let me extend an early congratulations to the graduating class of 2021. You’ve all persevered through an incredibly trying time in order to cross this threshold. So what’s next? The good news is that, while hiring isn’t quite back to pre-pandemic levels, the overall job market is building steam. According to a report from the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE), employers are projecting that they’ll be hiring 7.2% more new college graduates from the Class of 2021 than they hired from the Class of 2020.

“While hiring isn’t yet back to pre-pandemic levels,” said Sara Sutton, founder and CEO of FlexJobs, “the overall job market is gaining momentum, and that includes a stronger remote job market as well.”

What’s interesting is that when FlexJobs surveyed soon-to-graduate workers about their job preferences, some 32% of participants reported that they would give up some vacation time for the opportunity to work remotely as much as they wanted to, while 24% said they would take less pay for the chance to work outside the office. As the world of work evolves, being willing to work remotely can help a new grad land their first job.  

“Remote work can remove the geographic limitations to a job search, so focusing on work-from-home jobs can also significantly increase access to potential job opportunities,” says Sutton.

That means members of the 2021 graduating class (unlike those from a year earlier) have a great shot at starting their professional career sooner rather than later. 

10 hot remote job categories

FlexJobs has identified the top 10 career categories that currently have the greatest number of remote entry-level positions. Among these categories, HR & Recruiting, sales and call center entry-level remote listings have grown at least 25% since January 2021.

6.    Bilingual 

7.    Sales 

8.    Data Entry 

9.    Computer & IT 

10. HR & Recruiting

4 tips for landing that new job

When it comes to getting hired, the FlexJobs Career Coaching Team suggests the following four tips:

 1. Make time to focus

The best way to get hired is to get focused and organized. For example, make daily to-do lists that might include tasks like: Revising a cover letter, sending out three applications and spending a half-hour on LinkedIn exploring connections. 

2. Update your resume

If you’ve been making the time to update your skills, update your resume to reflect that. Don’t forget to include any internships, volunteer activities and school-based activities you engaged in as well. And, if you want to work remotely, add any experience you’ve had with remote classes, remote group projects or remote internships and jobs.

See all 10 job categories + all 4 tips for landing the job AND the complete Forbes article

 

 

 

 

6 Tips to blow them away within the first few minutes of your tele-interview

Sarah Dillon

Interviews can be a daunting event that can cause even the most confident person to begin wiping their sweaty palms on their pants. To ease some of the pre-interview anxiety it’s best to know the qualifiers hiring managers look for in potential candidates.

For a step-by-step guide on how to make the best impression for your next interview held over Zoom, I’m happy to share an interview I held recently with the CMO of Hibob, Rhiannon Staples.

Rhiannon Staples has a demonstrated background in marketing and she has a few tips on how to best market yourself via the realm of telecommunication tools.

1. Interviews now that they are remote have different qualifiers for how to make a good first impression. What do you notice first when that Zoom screen pops up?

“People have just a few seconds to make a first impression, and on Zoom, it’s not just about you but also about your background. The first thing an interviewer will notice will be the person on the other end’s surroundings, as well as their appearance. To prepare, an easy suggestion is to log on early to ensure your camera and microphone are working in order to avoid tech glitches and be ready on time. You can also ask yourself the following: can the interviewer see you clearly? Is the background clear of any mess?”

“Job candidates should make sure they have good lighting, in addition to a clean-looking backdrop. Dressing nicely and in a polished manner should also be kept top of mind for job seekers. If possible, previewing yourself before joining the Zoom call is suggested.”

4. What kind of things should you have in the background of your Zoom call to come off more professional?

“The less distraction in your background, the better. Having a blank wall behind you is best, however, consider a simple, clean virtual background to avoid distractions. You can also consider a preprogrammed Zoom background or use the blurring feature. People realize that everyone is at home and – in many cases – will have less control over their surroundings.”

5. Should you start the interview with casual questions or should you get right down to the interview? Is it better to let the interviewer start first to feel the tone of what kind of interviewing style they prefer so you can fall in line with that cadence?

“It is best to have the interviewer start first since they are ultimately guiding the conversation and asking the questions. This also sets the tone surrounding what kind of casual questions will be okay to ask throughout the interview, and what kind of overall experience the interviewer will cultivate. When the interviewer asks what questions you have at the end, feel free to ask any questions that will help you better understand if the job, the culture and the company are a good fit for you. The questions you ask can leave an impression when a hiring manager is considering multiple candidates for the open role.”

See all 6 tips and the complete The Ladders article