“A skill is a tool, but…”: Startup founder points out common red flags among job seekers seen during interviews | Today’s news
A recent post on LinkedIn sparked a wide-ranging discussion about recruiting. Jaya Shakthi Kannan, an entrepreneur shared his recruitment experience. He recently interviewed more than 50 candidates. During this process, he noticed some common red flags.
According to him, the biggest red flag was at fault. Many candidates blamed their previous company. Some also blamed their previous manager.
Others changed jobs purely for a pay rise. He admitted that salary matters. But he feels that shouldn’t be the only reason. According to him, people should not jump to companies just for money.
When hiring, they look beyond skills and experience. He wants to see real passion for the role. He also seeks passion for a greater purpose.
Another trait he appreciates is thinking beyond the job description. The ability to solve problems is very important to him. So is the willingness to take ownership. He gave a simple example to explain.
The startup’s founder wrote: “For example, I don’t just want a video editor who can edit videos. I want someone who can look at a problem and say, ‘What kind of content is going to solve this problem?’
“Similarly, I don’t just want a marketer who knows marketing. I want someone who understands business, identifies a problem and uses marketing to solve it. A skill is a tool. Solving problems is a mindset,” he added.
LinkedIn responds
The comments section on LinkedIn reflected broad agreement with this idea. One reader called it the most important line of the post.
“Skills are easily tested; this mindset is what interviews usually don’t pick up,” the user wrote.
Another commenter shared a similar experience from their own company: “…skills matter, but ownership and problem solving matters more.”
“Skills can get an opportunity, but mindset often dictates what we do with it,” came another LinkedIn user.
However, it was not easy for everyone. One person asked how he managed to attract so many candidates. They mentioned that finding good profiles is difficult these days. Even getting people to show up for interviews is hard.
Who is Jaya Shakthi Kannan?
Jaya Shakthi Kannan is the founder of CDIX Innovations, an “industrial automation company focused on creating cost-effective and profitable solutions for industries”. Founded in 2019, the company is based in Chennai, Tamil Nadu.
Kannan is also the founder of Makers Tribe. According to the official description, it is “Chennai’s first full-fledged makerspace focusing on IoT, community of communities and the 3rd Maker Space in India and 2nd in South India”.
