Take a page from Harvard B-school

Harvard Business School CIO Stephen Laster is always looking for talented professionals, but when it comes to hiring, he places the greatest emphasis on whether an individual can fit in with his 100-plus person IT team rather than on their technical skills.

In an interview with cio.com, Laster said that building a cohesive IT staff is paramount. Over the years, he has found that to meet the needs of demanding stakeholders, everyone in the IT department has to get along with one another, and must be able to cultivate strong relationships with the end users. So when it comes to hiring, he spends time with candidates outside the office to get a personal feel, and allows his IT staff to play active roles in job interviews with candidates.
 
To read the full interview:
- see this cio.com article