My Data Science Hiring Mindset And How I Got It

I learned my Data Science team hiring mindset from a cheesy TV show.

The show is about a family-owned pawnshop. They figured out how to monetize anything. Their mindset is, “If someone brings me an item to buy, I must be able to monetize it, or we lost money.”

They built a network of people to appraise and a customer pipeline to monetize what competitors cannot. If the seller gives them the right price, they can make money.

They’ve created growth and a long-running TV show, all from that mindset.

Every candidate I reject after an interview is my loss. I could not figure out a way to hire and monetize their talent. This mindset changes everything, resulting in better hiring outcomes. Why?

I am looking for talent. I am searching for what people are capable of doing, not why they are not qualified enough.

I create training and mentorship programs to turn people close to what I need into high performers.

I want people to apply. I want to hire everyone I interview. When I say, “No,” I look for the failure and opportunity to improve MY process. I refuse to blame candidates.

While other companies are looking for a “perfect fit” and “best,” I am looking for someone capable of doing the job. I look for people who WANT to do the job and will, not people who perfectly do it.

When leaders say they’re hiring the perfect team, I ask, “Then why do you have a job?” Perfect teams don’t need leaders. A leader’s job is to grow the team. If there’s nothing to improve, they are unnecessary.

I hire with a TV show taught mindset because competitors constantly overlook talented people. Keep saying, “No.” I’ll keep improving and finding ways to say, “Yes.”