Preston (aka PrestonPlayz) talks with Eric Wei on the Karat podcast about hiring:
I don’t know— I like to ask the questions— like, the hard questions — because the way that you look at it’s like, if you really care about your culture, and you care about the people here, and you’re connected with them, and you’re gonna bring somebody in that could be a liability for the company, and then also a liability to those around you, you know how negativity spreads so much faster than positivity?
So I don’t want somebody who’s gonna come in and like, bring the negative energy around, and infect these 10 people who were super-uplifting to those around them, and now they’re acting this way just because of, like, the one bad seed.
So, of course, like, it feels very much so, like, a— not a first date but, like, a real first date. Like, okay, ‘What’s your faith?’ ‘What’s your politics?’ ‘What’s your morals?’ ‘What’s your family—’ like, let’s get into it.
Obviously, we don’t go into those questions in the interviews. We keep it all legal, as it should be. But we like to ask the really hard questions, and I think that that’s something that people don’t like to do as much.
And so it could be five minutes of just getting to know the person, but then it’s like, cool, ‘Let’s get to brass tacks! Let’s go through the hard stuff,’ you know?
‘Tell me what you’re terrible at.’ Right?
Eric:
I love that.
Preston:
A lot of times, people are like, ‘Oh, I’m not terrible at anything,’ and I’m like, ‘Okay, well they didn’t say they’re terrible at anything — they’re not self-aware.’ So, that’s a big red flag.
Because I can tell you what I’m terrible at. So, like, why— why can’t you tell me you’re terrible at that? Like, it’s actually a red flag for you to say that you’re not terrible at anything.
It’s not a trick question. I’m just looking for honesty.
Great additional red flag callout by Eric (later in the conversation) on the “I just care too much” response some interviewees will try. Hilarious.
Hiring team is tricky for creators, but so worth it. Remember, also, that your hiring sequence makes a huge difference, and can prevent sad and uncomfortable staff cuts and replacements later down the line.
— Tang
Preston’s owned platform is Fire Merch.
Eric Wei’s owned platform is Karat.
