Sir Richard Branson: Hire for Personality BY WILL YAKOWICZ

Resumes are all but pointless, says the Virgin Group founder who hires for cultural fit.

Sir Richard Branson, billionaire and founder of The Virgin Group, doesn't hire people for their skills and qualifications. He hires them for cultural fit with one of his 400 companies.

Branson suggests leaders draw out a candidate's personality during an interview, and look for someone who's not only a good fit with the company but versatile.

"Find people with transferable skills--you need team players who can pitch in and try their hand at all sorts of different jobs," he writes on LinkedIn. "While specialists are sometimes necessary, versatility should not be underestimated."

Of course, a candidate's qualifications and experience should not blind employers to a toxic personality. "If you hire the wrong person at the top of a company, they can destroy it in no time at all," Branson warns.

For more advice from the legend himself, check out Inc.'s video series, Sir Richard Up Close.

LAST UPDATED: SEP 24, 2013

WILL YAKOWICZ is a reporter at Inc. magazine. He has covered business, crime and politics at Patch.com, and his work has been published in Tablet Magazine and The Brooklyn Paper. He lives in Brooklyn, New York.
@WillYakowicz

Wednesday, September 25, 2013

Sir Richard Branson: Hire for Personality

Sir Richard Branson: Hire for Personality BY WILL YAKOWICZ

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