Nearly half of voluntary turnover happens within a year of new hires’ start dates. This can happen for several reasons, but a segment of the turnover can be traced back to how companies are going about their interview process. You can’t expect to learn all there is to know about a potential employee before you hire, but certainly some processes are more effective than others.
This is why companies with openings for social impact jobs, including New Story, decide to take a unique hiring approach to the interview process. If you’re interested in joining our team, here’s what our hiring process looks like.
We interview extensively.
We aren’t a one, two, or even three interviews “kind of company.” We like to get a genuine feel for our interviewees just as much as we want them to get a genuine feel for our team members. In truth, it’s not uncommon for a candidate to meet with nearly everyone at New Story when they interview. It’s an easy way for us to find someone who not only has the necessary skill sets but who, most importantly, has the right attitude to fit in with our culture.
We ask curious questions.
Don’t expect to hear the typical interview questions like “What are your greatest strengths” or “How did you learn about this opening.” We look for new ways to learn about you, ones that don’t fit the typical interview mold. In our last series of interviews, we asked candidates to give us a rapid-fire succession of some of their best and worst qualities. Our goal is not just to learn what you have to say about yourself, but also how you think. Finding an interview style that matches the way we function at New Story is one of the best ways for our company, and any company, to test for cultural fit when promoting social impact jobs.
We look for the “hell, yes.”
When we’re hiring, we’re not just looking for someone who can do the job. We’re looking for teammates who will level up our work and invest time and energy in our mission.We want to feel so incredibly confident about someone that we can’t wait to extend an offer to them.
When interviewing for jobs, one of the worst mistakes you can make is thinking a position and company “seems like the right fit.” Because if you’re not excited about an opportunity, the chances are that you won’t be happy in the long run. This also goes for companies interviewing candidates. If you deem someone as a “good enough fit,” the little thing that made you hesitant about that person often manifests into more significant issues over time.
Above all, we screen for our values.
Some of our best hires have been people who don’t necessarily have all the experience on paper, but who embody our core beliefs and values. First and foremost, we look for a candidate who understands our Team of Founders mindset — someone who is willing to take radical ownership over our team and mission. It doesn’t matter if you’re a new hire or you’ve been with us since the beginning, we value team members who take pride in their work and treat New Story as if they founded it.
Our culture is one of our most valuable assets. We conduct internal surveys to find out what cultural issues we need to address as well as take part in “Rapid Fire Value Shoutouts,” which are moments when team members can give shoutouts to other team members for epitomizing any of our six core values.
If our culture and values resonate with you, we’d love to connect and start a conversation. Visit our careers page to browse the current roles we’re looking to fill, and get ready for the most unique hiring experience you’ve ever been a part of.
