Since Apple’s a firm that prides itself on being a first-class employer and hiring/retaining professionals that fit its unique culture for the long-haul, an initial interview with Ahrendts is not a run-of-the-mill, rubber-stamp HR encounter for passing a candidate on to the next level. That's according to a recent post on LinkedIn from Ahrendts.
Here’s a summation of what she terms her “guiding principles":
- Me vs. We: Are candidates more individual contributors or team players? She’ll often ask them questions about their personal lives and interests in order to glean what really motivates them and get a sense of their leadership qualities.
- IQ vs. EQ: How much of their instincts originate in how they think or in how they feel? With this question, Ahrends tries to determine how an individual might handle challenges or optimize situations.
- Left Brain vs. Right Brain: She probes into what type of worldview potential employees have. Are they linear, creative or holistic thinkers? What school subjects did they feel passionate about?
- Yester, Today, Tomorrow: What kind of historical reference points are candidates bringing to the table? How do they think about the future? Do they embrace the idea of change or are they averse to it?
And perhaps most unorthodox of all to her team-building approach is the “next steps” addendum to this initial meeting. If Ahrendts feels the candidate may well be right for the job, she’ll tell them so; if not, she’ll indicate that they may not be the best fit for this particular opportunity while striving to leave them with respect for themselves – and the organization.