Why ‘Care’ Trumps Credentials in Hiring, According to Ani Filipova

In a recent LinkedIn post, Ani Filipova challenges conventional hiring wisdom, arguing that ‘care’ is a more critical factor for team success than mere skills or credentials. Filipova contends that while technical abilities are important, a genuine commitment to the work and the team’s goals is what truly sustains a collaborative effort, especially during difficult times.

“Skills can be taught. Experience can be gained. But care? You either have it, or you don’t.”

The High Cost of Hiring for Skill Alone

Filipova shares a personal anecdote to illustrate her point, recounting an experience where she hired a highly skilled “10x developer” based on their impressive portfolio and reviews. Despite the individual’s technical prowess, their lack of investment in the project’s core purpose led to its failure. This experience, she explains, led her to a profound realization:

“I hired a ’10x developer’ on contract. Perfect portfolio. Stellar reviews. Zero care about the actual problem we were solving. The project died in week three.”

In contrast, Filipova highlights hiring someone with less experience but a demonstrably higher level of care. This individual’s engagement, evidenced by questions like “Why does this matter to your business?”, resulted in delivery that exceeded expectations precisely because they were invested in the outcome.

Identifying ‘Care’ in Collaboration

To help others identify this crucial trait in potential collaborators, Filipova outlines several key indicators:

Signs of a Caring Collaborator:

• Focus on Impact: They inquire about the success of the project rather than just the technical specifications. As Filipova puts it, “‘What happens if this succeeds?’ beats ‘What are the requirements?'”
• Proactive Problem-Solving: They anticipate potential issues and communicate them early, protecting the project from unforeseen challenges.
• Ownership Mentality: They ask, “Have you considered…?”, demonstrating a mindset that goes beyond vendor compliance to protect the client’s interests.
• Constructive Feedback: They are willing to push back respectfully with explanations like, “This won’t work because…”, prioritizing honesty for the project’s benefit.
• Big Picture Thinking: Their contributions and decisions are consistently linked to overarching business goals.
• Resilience in Difficult Times: When faced with scope creep, budget constraints, or timeline issues, they actively contribute to solutions rather than just reporting problems.

The Evolving Definition of ‘Team’

Filipova extends this concept beyond traditional employees, emphasizing that in today’s distributed work environment, the ‘team’ includes everyone from virtual assistants and copywriters to developers and coaches. She argues that the principle of hiring for care remains consistent, regardless of the employment structure.

“In today’s world, your ‘team’ isn’t just employees. It’s everyone you collaborate with… You are not their boss. But you are still hiring for care.”

Ultimately, Filipova concludes that while skills are essential, they are insufficient without a foundational level of care. She posits that prioritizing this trait is key to avoiding costly disappointments and building genuinely successful collaborations, whether managing a large team or a handful of contractors.

“Whether you lead 500 people or work with 5 contractors – Your success depends on finding people who give a damn about the work itself,” she asserts.