We only hire the trendiest
I've found that the best predictors of a good hire are indications of the following characteristics during the interview/vetting process:- adaptability -- can this person deal with situations that are spontaneous and unplanned without losing his/her cool.- openness -- is this person instinctively scornful of new concepts/ideas or energized by the chance to be exposed to something potentially interesting.- resourcefulness -- has this person found ways to keep learning after college and has he/she continued to up his/her game.- desire to ship -- does this person have a deep desire to produce work that will be used by others.- desire to grow -- does this person have clear career growth goals.  Ideally these are not tied to titles or bossing others around, which are negatives.- rationality -- can this person admit to being wrong and speak about it authentically... can I imagine this person admitting to being slightly wrong and even very wrong about something and handling it gracefully.- territoriality -- does this person seem territorial or speak about issues of proudly defending turf in previous positions? Doing so is a negative.- poker face -- does this person seem to be playing it close to the vest in the interview or otherwise have very low levels of openness?  This is a big warning sign and an instant do not hire.