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20 Underrated Hiring Traits That Actually Predict Performance And 50+ Questions That Reveal Them
Hiring feels like speed dating with higher stakes. The market’s hot, competition’s ruthless, and every “we’re hiring” post sounds like the same LinkedIn karaoke. Everyone claims they want “high-performers,” “mission-driven people,” and “team players.” Translation: we’re not really sure what we’re looking for, but we hope they’re good.
If you want to build a team that actually performs, you’ve got to look past the clichés. The best candidates usually don’t interview like robots, and the best hires often don’t tick the traditional boxes. They think differently, they adapt faster, and they make everyone else better — quietly.
This isn’t another generic hiring checklist. It’s a breakdown of 20 underrated qualities that separate “solid” hires from the ones who actually change how your company works — plus 50+ questions to uncover each one.
1. Adaptability. Everything breaks eventually — systems, markets, plans. You want people who don’t freak out when it happens. They learn fast, pivot fast, and don’t cling to what used to work.
Ask:
What’s something new you’ve tried recently?
What have you started from scratch?
What trends are you seeing in your field?
Tell me about a time your team had to change direction — how did you handle it?
If they light up talking about change, good. If they sound annoyed, move on.
2. Remote leadership. Managing remotely isn’t about Zoom check-ins — it’s about emotional calibration. The best remote leaders anticipate burnout, FOMO, and friction before it shows up.
Ask:
How do you build trust and keep people talking in a remote setup?
What do you do when someone on your team goes quiet?
How do you get buy-in without a whiteboard or hallway chat?
If they default to “more meetings,” they’re not ready. If they talk about emotional pulse checks, you’ve found someone who gets it.
3. Real empathy. You can’t fake caring about people. The best managers know their team’s emotional states, not just their KPIs.
Ask:
Tell me about a time something didn’t go your way. How did you feel? If they can’t describe emotions — theirs or others’ — they won’t lead with empathy.
Empathy isn’t a soft skill. It’s a leadership multiplier.
4. Honest failure. Everyone’s got one polished “failure” story. You’re looking for someone who can tell you three.
Ask:
Tell me about a time you failed — and two other times you screwed up.
What’s your biggest professional regret? If they only give you humble brags, they lack self-awareness. You don’t need perfect people — you need people who know they’re not.
5. Active inclusion. DEI isn’t a company memo; it’s an operating skill. You want people who practice inclusion, not just talk about it.
Ask:
How do you personally learn to be more inclusive?
When has that learning changed how you work?
How do you make sure your team isn’t just building for themselves?
If they can’t give specific examples, it’s lip service.
6. Humility. Humility’s not insecurity — it’s knowing success isn’t a solo act.
Ask:
Would you rather your team win and you score five points, or you score twenty and lose?
Who do you owe your success to?
Who have you learned the most from?
Count their “I” vs. “we.” If it’s all “I,” you already have your answer.
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7. Process hackers. The best operators hate inefficiency more than failure. They don’t worship process — they rebuild it.
Ask:
Describe a broken system at your last job. What did you do about it?
What process would you not repeat, and why?
What would you change if you ran this team for a week?
Good hires optimize for impact, not control.
8. Default challengers. You don’t want consensus machines. You want people who see the dumb rules and rewrite them.
Ask:
How would you improve our interview process?
Tell me about a rule that made no sense — what’d you do about it?
You’re looking for people who challenge things intelligently, not rebels who burn it all down.
9. Change drivers. Introducing structure into chaos is an art form. Great hires can do it without losing the startup pulse.
Ask:
Tell me about a process you introduced that bombed — and what you learned.
How did your last team’s workflow evolve under your watch?
They should talk about iteration, not perfection.
10. Outcome-obsessed. Shipping is cheap. Results aren’t. You want people who care about measurable impact, not motion.
Ask:
What result are you most proud of — and how did it compare to your target?
What did that outcome actually do for the business?
If they can’t quantify impact, they weren’t driving it.
11. Bureaucracy killers. When systems get heavy, the best people cut through. They fix problems before they complain about them.
Ask:
Describe a time you disagreed with leadership — what happened?
Tell me about a time things were out of your control. How’d you handle it?
When were you most miserable at work, and how did you respond?
You’re filtering for people energized by ambiguity, not paralyzed by it.
12. Long-term thinkers. Hype fades fast. You want people who think in decades, not news cycles.
Ask:
Why this company, and why now?
What will this industry look like in 10 years?
What have you done to prepare for that future?
Good candidates are already studying the space you’re in — not just chasing the headline.
13. Curiosity. Curiosity is the purest predictor of upside. It’s what keeps great hires learning when no one’s watching.
Ask:
What side projects are you working on?
When was the last time you went down a rabbit hole just to learn?
Tell me about a day at work that made you genuinely happy.
If they can’t show recent intellectual obsession, they’ll stagnate fast.
14. Self-awareness. Smart people know what they’re great at — and what they never want to do again.
Ask:
What are you good at but never want to do anymore?
What part of your last role did you like least, and why?
This filters out people chasing titles instead of fulfillment.
15. Thoughtfulness. High performers make intentional choices. They can explain why they did something, not just what they did.
Ask:
If you had two more months on a project, what would you improve?
Pick a product you love — what would you change about it?
Good answers show depth and ownership. Bad ones sound like product reviews.
16. Initiative. You can’t teach hunger. The best people start things without being told.
Ask:
Tell me about a time you took initiative when you didn’t have to.
Great — give me another example.
You’re looking for a pattern, not a one-off story.
17. Speed. Execution speed exposes clarity. People who move fast understand priorities; people who stall overthink.
Ask:
How would you hit [ambitious target] in one week? In one day?
What’s your process for cutting from 10 steps to 3?
Speed isn’t recklessness — it’s focus under pressure.
18. Superpower spotting. A-players see strengths in others. They build leverage, not dependency.
Ask:
What’s the best thing you’ve learned from a peer?
What’s your superpower — and how will you use it here?
People who know their strengths and others’ usually build elite teams.
19. 10x mindset. Forget incremental thinkers. You want people who reimagine systems, not optimize them.
Ask:
What could we do differently for a 10x improvement?
Why might we fail to raise our next round?
What’s something our biggest competitor does better — and why?
If they can’t think on that level, they won’t grow with your company.
20. Pattern recognition. The best candidates understand the meta-game — they can describe excellence itself.
Ask:
What’s the difference between someone great and someone outstanding in this role?
What are the top three traits for this job, and how do you rank yourself on them?
If you were me, what would you look for in this hire?
People who can see greatness in others usually deliver it themselves.
Hiring is a gamble, but you can stack the deck. Forget resumes full of buzzwords and focus on the real signals: adaptability, curiosity, thoughtfulness, and humility. The ones who score high on these 20 traits won’t just fit your culture — they’ll raise it.
