The CEO of an $18 billion consulting firm looks for 2 main qualities in new hires at any level
- Julie Sweet, the CEO of North America for Accenture, said she looks for two qualities in new hires: curiosity and leadership.
- It’s important for job candidates to demonstrate many different interests, she told The New York Times.
- As for leadership, it’s important for hires to offer “straight talk” with clients, she said.
Julie Sweet considers herself “a student of how to hire.”
Since 2015, Sweet has been CEO of North America for Accenture, a consulting firm worth $18 billion. Before joining the company, she worked as a partner for Cravath, Swaine and Moore, considered by Vault to be the most prestigious law firm in America.
Sweet told The New York Times’ David Gelles that when it comes to new hires, there are two main characteristics she looks for in candidates. “The first is curiosity,” she told The Times. “The new normal is continuous learning, and we look for people who demonstrate lots of different interests and really demonstrate curiosity.”
The second quality, she said, is leadership.
“I don’t care what level you are, there is the need to offer straight talk when you’re working with clients. You have to have the courage to deliver tough messages.”
She continued: “We’re living in a world where clients constantly are saying to me, ‘The most important thing you can do is to tell me what I need to hear, not what I want to hear.'”
Source: Business Insider
