First Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Digital Transformation Mykhailo Fedorov told how he hires new specialists and what values he professes.
First Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Digital Transformation Mykhailo Fedorov told how he hires new specialists and what values he professes.
«I like to create together with people who share my values. I usually entrust negotiations with those with whom we do not have a value match to managers — I have strong negotiators for whom this is a familiar job. If I have to have such conversations in person, I try to understand the other party’s motives, explain my own, and build a win-win relationship,» he admitted in an interview with DOU.
The official added that the key red flag for him is when a person does not share the basic values that are important for the Ministry of Digital Affairs and for Mykhailo personally. «Therefore, I always think about how to check this. For example, during an interview I can unexpectedly ask: ‘When are you going to die?’ — and by the answer you can immediately see whether the candidate thinks long-term or not,» Fedorov gave an example.
Fedorov achieves compliance with the value of «pushing for results» with the following questions: «What project did you implement, what idea was the most difficult, what barriers arose? Why do you think that where others would not have achieved the result, you achieved it?» «I pay attention to the quality of the answers and how the person formulates the opinion. After all, the candidate’s professional results are usually already visible from the resume. But the values need to be „unpacked“ through real-life cases and specific questions. Sometimes it is at this moment that it becomes clear that the person is not suitable at all,» explains the first deputy prime minister.
Fedorov admitted that he really likes to give test tasks. «A candidate can pass all the checklists, have relevant experience, be a good specialist, but if he does not meet our values, it’s an immediate ‘no’. Especially if a person is not ready to work as much as necessary to achieve the goals,» he noted.
