Donna Morris is responsible for managing over 2 million employees, so she knows very well who are the strong candidates.
This chief human resources officer at Walmart stated to Business Insider that regardless of the position a candidate applies for, there are three "positive signals" during the job interview that make her more willing to get to know the candidate in depth. First and foremost, she looks to see whether the candidate truly identifies with the company's mission and values.
Secondly, she hopes to see that candidates have the ability to take on multiple responsibilities simultaneously and to get things running smoothly.
“They exhibit a record of resilience and experience,” said Morris. She defines such people as those who have overcome adversity.
She stated that, in an ideal scenario, this would indicate that they have worked on front-line positions, as Walmart employs many staff members who interact directly with customers. She mentioned that the company looks for candidates who place a emphasis on service.
At the age of 13, Morris began working at a dry cleaning shop, and later she worked at a pharmacy for another 8 years. She says that if a candidate has never experienced what it's like to be a front-line employee with an hourly wage, they may face challenges in leadership positions. Morris stated that these jobs gave her a sense of purpose, and it was difficult for her to make up her mind to resign at that time.
Nowadays, when interviewing candidates, Morris says the question she asks most often is: "If I were to ask people who have worked for you before, how would they evaluate you?" She indicates that this open-ended question can elicit genuine answers and also helps her determine whether the candidate values service-oriented leadership, which is a "very important positive sign."
She said that raising this question also allows her to hear more from the candidates about their first job or a certain period of their work experience. She mentioned that although graduating from an Ivy League school is valuable, what she is more concerned about is what they have learned from their work experiences.
"What kind of perseverance did they rely on to persevere?" Morris asked.
The chief human resources officer, who worked at Adobe for over 17 years before joining Walmart, stated that the third positive sign she values is whether the candidate is passionate about "bringing about change."
"For us, this will be very, very crucial," Morris said.












