Jeff Hoffman: the personal goal before the job description
A job interview he attended led Jeff Hoffman to change how he interviewed other people. In his Family Office Club talk, he described asking what a candidate wanted to accomplish in life before presenting the company's plans.
The company had presented its own ambition
Hoffman recalled hearing a business plan, mission statement and job description during an interview. He interpreted the presentation as an explanation of what the owner wanted to achieve. Afterward, he reconsidered how he had been presenting his own company to candidates.
A different opening question
He said he began asking what somebody needed to do so they could later regard their time as well spent. His talk then described learning colleagues' goals and putting images of those goals in the office. He connected the opening question with learning colleagues' goals.
In Jeff Hoffman's words
"It's the first question I ask everybody." (Jeff Hoffman, Jeff Hoffman's recorded Family Office Club event talk)
How to use this
- Ask what a candidate wants their work to help make possible.
- Keep any personal goal the candidate shares private unless they authorize its use.
Questions and answers
What changed in Hoffman's interview process?
He began with a question about the candidate's life goal before discussing his company.
What did he display in the office?
Images representing what colleagues wanted their work to help them accomplish.