Should I Hire You? I’ll Ask the Receptionist
February 20, 2010 by admin
Filed under Career News and Advice
This interview with Jana Eggers, chief executive of Spreadshirt, a maker of personalized clothing, was conducted and condensed by Adam Bryant.
Tony Cenicola/The New York Times
Jana Eggers is C.E.O. of Spreadshirt, a maker of personalized clothing, with offices in both Boston and Leipzig, Germany. In hiring, she says, she checks references herself and asks receptionists how a candidate treated them before the interview.
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Q. What are your favorite T-shirt sayings?
A. One of the funniest — honestly, I don’t wear it quite as much anymore, because it generates too much conversation — is one that just says, “I know something you don’t know.” You can’t wear that shirt without starting a conversation.
In business, with your team, it’s a good reminder for people to listen to other people, because it’s not just me who knows something, it’s you, and it’s that person there, and it’s that person there.
It’s remembering to listen. Because the other side of that saying is, you know something I don’t know.
Q. Any others?
A. On the business side, this is a big one: “Failure is impossible.” It’s funny. Over my career, I’ve done a lot in innovation. That’s been …
Read the original article at NYTimes