E36 What To Look For In Hiring (ft. Shruti Chaudhary of Avomind)
December 2025
Episode Notes
In this candid mini-series, 3Peak Group’s Managing Director, Mino Vlachos, and Avomind’s recruiting leader, Shruti Chaudhary, pull back the curtain on how companies really find, evaluate, and hire senior leaders.
From the first screening call to high-stakes executive assessments, Mino and Shruti reveal what matters most when identifying senior talent —a nd what reliably derails even the most impressive candidates. With perspectives from both the consulting and recruiting sides, this conversation is packed with practical insight for CEOs, founders, and growth-stage companies who can’t afford a mis-hire.
If you’ve ever wondered what recruiters pay attention to, what executive assessments actually measure, or why “gut feel” still plays a role, this episode will give you a grounded, inside look.
Episode Highlights
• What great interviewers really look for– Micro-behaviors that signal humility, emotional maturity, and self-awareness– How candidates reveal red flags without realizing it– Why senior leaders must be able to clearly articulate what they want
• The importance of real dialogue in interviews– Why candidates who ask no questions are a major warning sign– How thoughtful questions demonstrate alignment, curiosity, and commitment– Stories of surprising deal-breakers (including the candidate who walked away over a company car)
• Culture fit, values alignment, and why they matter more than resumes– What recruiters can (and can’t) evaluate– How misalignment shows up early—and why ignoring it is costly
• Executive assessment demystified– How Mino conducts 3–4 hour deep-dive interviews to understand leadership patterns– Why triangulating data—story, testing, references—is essential for predicting behavior– The power of high-quality reference checks (and why ghosting is a giant red flag)
• Cognitive ability, simulations, and the science of prediction– What the research actually says about intelligence and leadership– Why resource-allocation simulations are emerging as top predictors of executive success– How overly high intelligence can hurt leadership efficacy if not paired with communication skills
• Best practices for evaluating senior talent– The non-negotiable importance of a clear job description and defined criteria– How to watch your own evaluative bias as an interviewer– Why the future of leadership hiring will increasingly rely on assessing systemic thinking