Hmm, a change on the podcasting front for Tailored (Well, Audio and Video segments, plus whatever else – all of us at Tailored wear many hats, after all!)
Brendon has hired a new gal named Tina, who has background with Audio and Video work primarily, and has been looking towards web development for a little while now, as something that interests her. (And more power to her!). Tina knows whats going on with the Audio and Video we need to do, obviously, but has a few more things going for her.
We originally wanted to hire a guy named Michael when he applied after Brendon advertised the position. We like Michael! But after he met us and thought about it, he knocked us back. (Michael has been running a freelance business for a while and wants to see that take off, and would also face something like 2 hours each way on the train to get to work. Ouch!)
Tina was the next applicant who caught our eye(s?)
(She didn’t apply until after we’d interviewed Michael). We liked Tina too! She presented herself extremely well in the interview, had some extremely enthusiastic references, and was able to give a ‘natural’ response to some of the more technical questions I asked her in the interview. Natural meaning that Tina didn’t make a song-and-dance out of the answer, but simply replied quickly, and without hesitating, in such a way that left me certain she knew a lot more than she was telling – but was just giving me an accurate answer to my question.
Shortly before we started interviewing, Brendon says to me; “Whats the most important quality we need to look for?”. Now, with the way my brain works and without having thought about this previously, I started stammering about qualifications, the ability to learn, past experiences, and so on down the line.
“No. We need to get along with her!“. Thats what Brendon said. He went on to explain, its a small office. Everyone who works there has a LOT of contact with everyone else – we’re always in each others faces. He told me a few stories about people he’d hired previously who hadn’t worked out – pretty much because Brendon or Mel didn’t get along with the person. (I should say Brendon AND Mel – after all, if Mel doesn’t like Person X, then Brendon isn’t going to like them for much longer either – she is his wife, after all! Never underestimate that power!)
Anyway, we met Tina, and we liked Tina. She was also able to answer my questions, and her resume demonstrated that she’d received outstanding grades through highschool (OP 1) and university (something really good, I forget). School doesn’t mean a lot, I know, but it does show one’s ability to learn the prescibed material. If one can do that, then one can learn more – And she’d excelled. So Tina now works at Tailored because she met Brendon’s most important criteria (We liked her, and she seemed to like us), and she met my criteria (First and foremost, raw intelligence/ability to learn.)
My thoughts on Tina, now that she’s been working with us for three days:
- See above.
My thoughts haven’t changed. I think she could perhaps be a little more independent (Tina doesn’t need to ask me whether or not I like a certain audio effect), but thats probably a bit harsh. Three days, after all! I daresay she’ll come to realise the whole “We’re all so damn busy, so just DO it already!” methodoligy we employ. After all, she was offered the job because we have confidence in her! Thats pretty much the most important sentence of this post. Let me repeat it for emphasis:
Tina was given the job because she inspires our confidence!
That is oh-so-important. If you’re looking for a job, inspire confidence that you can perform the job. If you’re hiring, well, thats what you’re looking for, essentially! You have a certain role, you need to find someone who can fill that role. And you can’t be hovering over the new person’s shoulder to double-check things! You must be able to have a little faith, and go from there!
Anyway, I’ve been catching up with my old buddy Jimmy “Bourban” Beam for the last few hours, and I’m rambling. Thats what this post is all about – Tina kicks ass, and I’m confident she’ll do well at Tailored.
