Last week I was asked about the skills I looked for when recruiting a recent graduate.
I came up with the following:
1. Write clearly
I think the most useful skill is being able to write and communicate clearly. University does a bad job of teaching this skill.
If you want to get ahead, learn to write like McKinsey. The recommendations they make in memos and presentations are adopted because they are clear.
If you want to copy them, pick up Barbara Minto’s ‘Pyramid Principle’. She taught McKinsey how to write.
2. Know how to learn
You are going to spend a lot of time being asked to write and speak about issues you know nothing about.
If you put your hands up and say “I can’t do this, because I did not do my degree in this”, you are going to be let go quickly.
You need to learn how to learn things rapidly.
The Overnight Student gives a good technique to learn things new quickly.
Combining it with the Feynman technique is useful.
3. A thirst to keep learning
The easiest way to keep learning is to read. You are going to need to read around an hour a day (more during vacations) around your area(s).
After spending a year out on medical leave, unable to read, it was obvious that a lot of things had changed in 12 months. I had to pick up my reading pace.
audible and scribd offer good audible books. You can turn your morning commute into valuable learning time.
Bill Gates reads a lot. He carries a Tote bag around with his current reading.
4. An ability to listen
I read that most people only take on board 50% of what they hear. That’s like blanking out half the time when listening to someone. The chances you don’t take on board what they are really saying is huge.
Recently I observed a conservation where someone got the opposite end of what was said. It took several minutes to understand why this misunderstanding occurred. They were not listening deeply.
It is more important to listen deeply when someone is speaking or listening in their second language. The chances for misunderstanding spike.
Mortimer Adler’s classic ‘How to Speak, How to Listen’ gives priceless advice.
5. Get things done
You need to produce good work quickly. This is not the world of erudite discussion. You have to produce good memos on time.
At the start, check what it is needed in terms of length, degree of detail, audience, and due date.
Good writing is not easy. The style you picked up at University is going to have be unlearned.
At the start, ask people for feedback well before you need to deliver.
Sleeping on a piece of work and coming back to it first thing in the morning helps highlight your errors of logic and fuzzy thinking.
I have found doing the least pleasant thing that needs to be done first each day useful. Leaving difficult things lying around does not make them disappear.
David Allen’s ‘Getting Things Done’ will help you manage things.
Yes, I find it hard to find the right person to hire. The people I have employed have been excellent. They have allowed me more time to think and find solutions for really difficult problems.