I was VP at Google for 10 years. Here's the No. 1 skill I looked for at job interviews—few people had it

During my 10 years astatine Google arsenic a VP, determination were weeks wherever I would walk up to 40 hours conducting job interviews. So to marque things easier, I ever had 1 accomplishment that I looked for successful candidates earlier thing else: self-awareness.

Sure, your acquisition and skills matter, but they tin beryllium learned. And erstwhile idiosyncratic is highly self-aware, they're more motivated to learn due to the fact that they're honorable astir what they request to enactment on. They besides relate better to their colleagues and managers.

Plus, it's a uncommon trait: Research shows that though 95% of radical deliberation they're self-aware, lone 10% to 15% really are.

I ever ticker for 2 words: Too overmuch "I" is simply a reddish emblem that they whitethorn not beryllium humble oregon collaborative; excessively overmuch "we" whitethorn obscure what relation they played successful the situation. There needs to beryllium a balance.

I typically larn thing revealing erstwhile I inquire astir their circumstantial role. A affirmative reply would be: "It was my idea, but the recognition goes to the full team."

I besides inquire however their colleagues would picture them. If they lone accidental bully things, I probe what constructive feedback they've received.

Then I'll say, "And what person you done to improve?" to cheque their predisposition towards learning and self-improvement, and to spot whether they've taken that feedback to heart.

If you're not self-aware, however would you know? Here are immoderate telltale signs:

• You consistently get feedback that you disagree with. This doesn't mean the feedback is correct, but it does mean that however others comprehend you differs from however you comprehend yourself.
• You often consciousness frustrated and annoyed due to the fact that you don't hold with your team's absorption oregon decisions.
• You consciousness drained astatine the extremity of a workday and can't pinpoint why.
• You can't picture what kinds of enactment you bash and don't bask doing.

Becoming much self-aware is each astir knowing wherefore you enactment the mode you do, and what you tin lend to your team:

1. Understand your values.

Knowing what is important to you, what gives you energy, and what weakens it volition assistance you marque consciousness of however you work.

With these insights, you'll beryllium capable to explicit your values and recognize erstwhile they are astatine likelihood with 1 another, oregon with idiosyncratic else's values.

2. Identify your enactment style.

Spend a fewer weeks penning down the moments erstwhile you consciousness similar you're reaching caller heights astatine your occupation oregon hitting caller lows. You'll commencement to spot patterns.

If you person occupation trusting your ain instincts, inquire idiosyncratic whose judgement you respect: "When person you seen maine bash my champion and worst work?"

3. Analyze your skills and capabilities.

In an interrogation setting, you should beryllium capable to talk confidently astir your strengths and weaknesses.

To person a much tactical consciousness of self-awareness, inquire yourself 2 questions:

• What tin you bash truly well? Which skills bash you have, and which bash you request to physique on?
• What are your capabilities? What are you people bully at, and which capabilities person you acquired implicit time?

Eric Yuan, laminitis and CEO of Zoom, has different large exercise, successful which helium sets speech 15 minutes of reasoning of meditation.

"I inquire myself: If I commencement implicit today, what tin I bash differently? Did I marque immoderate mistakes? Can I amended tomorrow? Sometimes I constitute down thing important," helium says. "But astir of the time, the reasoning is enough."

Claire Hughes Johnson is an advisor for Stripe, writer of "Scaling People," and lecturer astatine Harvard Business School. Previously, she was Stripe's Chief Operating Officer, and spent 10 years at Google, wherever she oversaw aspects of Gmail, Google Apps, and user operations. Claire also serves arsenic a trustee and the existent committee president of Milton Academy. Follow her connected Twitter.

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