# Most People Still Don't...  ## Metadata - Author: [[@Julian on Twitter]] - Full Title: Most People Still Don't... - Category: #tweets - URL: https://twitter.com/Julian/status/1557033979823263744 ## Highlights - Most people still don't know how to hire. I've messed up enough times to feel strongly about one thing now: The best employees I've worked with are all very, very curious. 1/ Now I know how to find curious people and hire them: ([View Tweet](https://twitter.com/Julian/status/1557033979823263744)) - First, why is curiosity so important? It doesn't apply to every job, but it applies to many: Curious people take advantage of their role to "selfishly" further their own mastery of skills. This is a GOOD THING. In the pursuit of self-growth, everyone hugely wins: ([View Tweet](https://twitter.com/Julian/status/1557033982440591361)) - • Curious employees are less likely to quit when the company slumps: no matter what, they're still learning a lot. • Without curiosity, employees may lack a growth curve to propel them to be better. Curious employees leapfrog non-curious ones pretty quickly. ([View Tweet](https://twitter.com/Julian/status/1557033984952975361)) - Curious employees are also the folks who test new tools, explore the competition, and read the latest industry blog posts. Because they want to. ([View Tweet](https://twitter.com/Julian/status/1557033987695988737)) - Curiosity is also infectious. It compels other employees to care more about their own self-growth. I believe curiosity is even more important than having passion for your company's mission, because passion for a company fails you when you’re bored out of your mind. Consider: ([View Tweet](https://twitter.com/Julian/status/1557033990229438465)) - We’ve all felt that excitement of being part of an important mission only to realize that the day-to-day is so dry we'd rather watch others pursue the mission for us from afar. ([View Tweet](https://twitter.com/Julian/status/1557033992821415936)) - When you lean into curiosity as an employer, it actually gives you a set of tools for hiring people you thought you could never get. How? I customize roles to maximize top candidates' curiosities on the job. They love it. I ask questions to uncover what they want to learn: ([View Tweet](https://twitter.com/Julian/status/1557033995409313792)) - • Are they looking for a more senior position to build their resumé and responsibilities? Perhaps I’ll mix in senior duties they can test. • Are they looking to break into startups for the first time? Perhaps I’ll hire someone with mostly corporate experience. Also: ([View Tweet](https://twitter.com/Julian/status/1557033998047531009)) - • Are they looking to master some aspect of startups, e.g. product or growth? Perhaps I’ll let them spend 1/3rd of their time on those pursuits within the company. ([View Tweet](https://twitter.com/Julian/status/1557034000618688513)) - By meeting a candidate's curiosities where they are and not forcing them into a box, you become a much more compelling opportunity for them. Even if their mastery of new skills is in pursuit of them later leaving your company to start their own (non-competitor), that's fine! ([View Tweet](https://twitter.com/Julian/status/1557034003177189376)) - That's the beauty of hiring for curiosity: it's the best possible thing for employees too. Everyone wins. Getting 2-4 years of a curious person's most enthusiastic effort is a huge win. They don't owe you their lifelong journey. This is a great way to do right by employees. ([View Tweet](https://twitter.com/Julian/status/1557034005760843776)) - Now, to assess whether a candidate is actually curious, I might ask them: • In your current job, what have you done to further your skills? I'm looking for proactive work. Then I'll also ask: ([View Tweet](https://twitter.com/Julian/status/1557034008290004992)) - • What are the interesting tools you've been playing with to make your job easier? Note that curious people are constantly tinkering and learning. ([View Tweet](https://twitter.com/Julian/status/1557034010831831041)) - That said, indexing on curiosity doesn’t work for every role. You want the most experienced—not the most curious—pilot to fly you, for example. But, in my experience, this philosophy works spectacularly well for early software startups and creative roles in particular. Why? ([View Tweet](https://twitter.com/Julian/status/1557034013386104832)) - Because startups and creativity are driven by innovation, experimentation, and resourcefulness, and that requires a team of curious people who are sponges. Curiosity compels mastery. I don't think most people realize yet how empowering it is to hire employees who are curious. ([View Tweet](https://twitter.com/Julian/status/1557034015982358528)) - Tangential, but related: Many relationship troubles emerge from assuming bad intent. One of the best things we can teach our children is to lead with curiosity before critique. Meaning, hone the reflex to ask people questions before making assumptions. Curiosity wins. ([View Tweet](https://twitter.com/Julian/status/1557034018863910912))