California Farms CEO Dave Ritterbusch’s dream employee exhibits one particular trait, he says: a “builder” attitude.
Ritterbusch, 58, has been at the helm of Califia Farms, which sells dairy-free beverage products such as milk, creamer, coffee and tea, since October 2020. He says his company is looking for professionals who “like to really step in and build on what’s already been passed down.” “We want to take it to the next level.”
Imagine building a house, he adds. Add something like, “Once we have the framework, we’re going to put up the drywall. And we want people to know it’s your drywall, so the next person can put up the roof.”
Ritterbusch said builders embody traits such as risk-taking, a sense of ownership and a self-motivated attitude. These employees believe that “something can always be improved,” he says, and “If I don’t do it, it won’t get done. I don’t wait for it to get done.”
“I feel these are the qualities that make people the most successful in the organizations I’ve worked for,” added Ritterbusch, who also held CEO and vice president positions at Quest Nutrition, PopChips and Red Bull North America.
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During a job interview, when discussing problems you’ve previously solved, Ritterbusch advises showing how you’ve worked with teammates and improved your skills. “Builders don’t just explain what they did,” he says. “They bring others along with them to explain what they created, what they improved, and how they solved problems that others weren’t tackling.”
“Even in an individual contributor role, if you don’t socially recognize that what you’re doing is part of a process, but rather part of a larger team, that’s a big red flag,” he added.
You can also be constructive by asking the interviewer questions about “where[the company]is going or what challenges it’s trying to solve,” he says. “Architects are naturally curious.”
Other career experts offer similar advice. Jolene Anderson, chief people and community officer at BetterUp and former head of human resources at Visa, says job seekers can be better positioned by researching ideas that companies already have in place and tools they use regularly, and using that information to sell workflow improvements.
That preparation “indicates how you approach your work,” Anderson told CNBC Make It in April. “It shows how proactive you are.”
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