Always on the leading edge, urban-entertainment and fashion impresario P. Diddy decided to forego the usual “call for resumes” to find his new assistant. He posted his request on YouTube and invited applicants to submit a video interview explaining “why you should be my personal assistant.” Details of the job were fuzzy except to mention long hours and high stress (getting yelled at).
A story on NPR today revealed that the search, launched in mid-July, is going slowly – even though he received 10,000 responses in just a few days!
But after an initial posting, Diddy has returned to warn hopefuls they need “some sort of skill set” to get hired. “You’ve got to know how to read, you’ve got to know how to write,” he says. “I hope you know you’ve got to have a college degree.”
I checked out a few videos and I was actually quite impressed! In addition to citing their credentials, the applicants I saw talked about how they could help Diddy organize and manage his busy life. With virtually no information to go on, they did a good job imagining precisely how they could help him and explaining how they would do it (making restaurant reservations… sending text-messages… organizing his schedule). One young man stressed that he’s not looking to get into the music industry but simply wants to work with people of imagination. That squares with Diddy’s comment, “I like working with the best.”
My advice to Diddy would be to get more specific about what he’s looking for. Like any employer, Diddy won’t be able to find and hire his ideal candidate until he defines the competencies, attributes, and performance standards this person must meet.
But I have to applaud his innovative use of YouTube… and the candidates’ imagination and enthusiasm.