The staggering debut of LinkedIn on the New York Stock Exchange has tech people talking around the world. Prior to the float, the company was worth about $3 billion, but on the first day of trade investors pushed the value of the group to almost $9 billion.
That’s helped make Reid Hoffman, the company’s executive chairman and co-founder, a very rich man, with a pile of about $2.7 billion.
Hoffman has got some very interesting ways of doing business (as this great story shows) but one recruitment technique really stands out – he makes potential executives write their own obituaries.
“One of the questions that I ask executives when I’m interviewing them is you write your obituary,” he told interviewer Charlie Rose a few years ago.
“It’s a question of what do you want to be known for? And you know, he or she who dies with the biggest bank balance isn’t a terribly interesting life.”
It’s an interesting strategy. It forces people to think about their work, their personal life, their hobbies and interests and their achievements in a long-term, holistic way.
The exercise should tell you a lot about that candidate and where they want to go in their life.
Besides, it’s a lot more interesting than asking “where do you see yourself in five years”.
Get it done – today!
