The No. 1 trait this CEO looks for in a candidate: It can be ‘concerning’ if they don’t have it

When Priyanka Jain, co-founder and CEO of vaginal microbiome trial and attraction institution Evvy, is hiring, she knows what she wants to spot successful a candidate.

She's looking for idiosyncratic "who goes supra and beyond conscionable what your occupation rubric tells you to do," she says. That could mean including an "Interests" conception connected your resume that lists volunteering oregon extracurricular projects, oregon conscionable illustrating your passionateness for your tract with accomplishments connected the job.

She besides knows what she doesn't privation to spot successful a candidate: Someone who's lone funny successful doing strategy. When execution is "outside of their portion of genius," she says, "that's ever a small concerning."

Every institution needs radical who strategize astir however to amended operations, arsenic good arsenic radical who execute. But astatine a startup, wherever unit and resources are limited, "you don't person the luxury of having strategy radical and execution people," says Jain.

Every idiosyncratic needs to beryllium capable to "figure retired what the occupation is," she says, plus, "you besides request to beryllium capable to get into the weeds, fig retired the solution, constitute it yourself, get it into the world."

At the extremity of the day, erstwhile it comes to strategy and execution astatine a startup, "everybody has to beryllium capable to bash both."

To suss retired if candidates tin some ideate and rotation up their sleeves, Jain asks astir a occupation they had successful a past institution and however they solved it.

"The level of item that anybody's capable to get into arsenic it relates to the process and not conscionable the deliverable tells you a batch astir however progressive they really were," she says. If they tin explicate precisely the steps it took to lick the problem, they astir apt took those steps themselves — and could bash it again to lick problems astatine their adjacent company.

The different constituent Jain is looking for successful a candidate's reply is their attitude. "If they get excited astir some sides," she says, "that's ever a truly bully sign." They'll transportation that level of enthusiasm for getting things done going forward.

Are you acceptable to bargain a house? Take Smarter by CNBC Make It's caller online course How to Buy Your First Home. Expert instructors volition assistance you measurement the outgo of renting vs. buying, financially prepare, and confidently navigate each measurement of the process—from owe basics to closing the deal. Sign up today and usage coupon codification EARLYBIRD for an introductory discount of 30% disconnected $97 (+taxes and fees) done July 15, 2025.

Plus, sign up for CNBC Make It's newsletter to get tips and tricks for occurrence astatine work, with wealth and successful life, and request to articulation our exclusive assemblage connected LinkedIn to link with experts and peers.