Elon Musk is a highly successful businessman who is considered to be a visionary in fields of the internet and renewable energy. He has developed his own unique hiring model which defines his perspective on who to hire and why.
What does he look for? He wants future employees who care about the mission as much as he does, but there are also other things to account for in his hiring model.
Understand the Culture of Elon Musk’s Companies
Elon Musk himself has an engaging personality and he is intense while engaging in his work. The culture of the companies that Elon manages reflects his personality and views on work. He requires his employees take risks and do the impossible to achieve absurdly ambitious goals. Tesla has a job portal where a section describing the culture at the car company is posted on each job posting. It is important for candidates to understand what the company culture is before applying for a job there.
Employees as Independent Thinkers
Here is a job listing quote from Elon Musk himself.
“You’ll be expected to challenge and to be challenged, to create, and to innovate. These jobs aren’t for everyone, you must have a genuine passion for producing the best vehicles in the world. Without passion, you’ll find what we’re trying to do too difficult.”
Candidates basically need to show interest in the jobs that you apply for. You need to be committed to the project and come up with unique ideas of your own to solve any occurring problems while on the job.
Elon Musk’s Intense Interviewing Process
Elon’s interviewing processes are just as intense as the man himself, as candidates will be thoroughly questioned and their smarts will be thoroughly tested. This normally involves candidates submitting their resumes and then take a phone interview with recruiters. The best people who qualify will get interviews with their respective teams. Interview questions and tests with Elon Musk companies are very long. In fact, one candidate reportedly had to endure a 6 hour coding test for his screening process.
The pressure abruptly kicks in when candidates are forced to endure marathon interviews with numerous assessors who ask highly specific questions about their past experience to gauge the depth of their knowledge. Candidates will be given situational riddles to solve.
If candidates get through this part, then they will have to get through an interview with Elon Musk himself. Musk will personally interview candidates at SpaceX and he will ask specific questions such as their roles in three special projects they worked on. He will ask these questions to find out how significant a role a candidate actually played in a prior special project. Musk will also look for a positive attitude in the candidates he interviews.
Recruiting Tools
Most importantly, where does Elon Musk turn to for recruiting? Being an internet enthusiast, Musk uses social media as a recruitment tool. Musk will tweet to get the message out that he’s in need of assistance. Social media recruitment saves time and stress while finding legitimate talent for the company’s biggest needs.
Know What You Want in a Candidate
As a business owner, whatever kind of business model you adopt must be consistently aligned with the compelling visions and goals that you set for your company. You should have a great outcome in mind and develop a business atmosphere where trust and belief in an employee actually matters. When improving your business, look for the best talent and not for the best PR opportunity. If you want recruitment agencies to help your company, tell them what they need to know about your company before they head out to recruit candidates. Know what you want, to get what you want.