Ask the recruiter: Board of innovation

Hi GraduAiders,

We received a lot of questions about what to take into account when applying for a first job and how to prepare for a job interview. That's why we ask a recruiter which characteristics are important for him/her before actually hiring a young graduate. This week we interviewed one of the most viewed companies on GraduAid: Board of innovation. We contacted the Cofounder Philippe De Ridder!

GraduAid: Hi Philippe. We have four small questions for you in order to help young graduates who are interested to apply at Board of Innovation. It would be awesome if you had 5 minutes for us?

Philippe: "Of course, shoot!"

GraduAid: Ok, here we go. What do you look for in a resumé at first glance?

Philippe:  "Well, to be honest the resumé is not our first focus. When you apply at board of innovation we always ask you some additional questions: f.e. if you already had some experience with concepts as growth hacking, business model generation, design thinking etc. This is quite important because we want to hire people who are already known with at least some of the concepts and tasks.  A second important question is: how will Board of Innovation benefit from having you in the team? Here we want to hear how YOU can make a difference. It’s always good to refer to entrepreneurial projects and specific skills that you’ve obtained."

"Next to that we also take a brief glance at the resumé. Here the most important part are the extracurricular experiences. We want to hire people who did more than only studying."

GraduAid: What is the most common mistake candidates make during their application?

Philippe:  "Most of the time this happens during the practical part, where young graduates need to think about innovative ideas for an existing enterprise.  The two most common mistakes are the following: the generated ideas are not feasible or there is a lack of skill to give an interesting presentation."

Bekijk ook onze lijst van startersjobs!

GraduAid: What personality characteristics do most recruiters look for when making hiring decisions?

Philippe:  "At board of Innovation it’s simple: we are looking for entrepreneurial people who feel at ease in an informal culture. We have a ping pong table and all the rather “cliché” perks, but the culture fit is based on more than this: we hire people with a matching lifestyle."

GraduAid: Sounds good. One last question! Should a young graduate include a picture on his/her resume or not?

Philippe:  "Yes, why not? At Board of innovation you can apply via your LinkedIn profile. Then most of the time a picture is included. We live in a digital age where you can easily find information about almost anyone. So…. show the world who you are!"

GraduAid: Thanks a lot, Philippe and we hope that in the future Young graduates will be able to apply with their GraduAid profile ;)! We wish all Graduaiders good luck, but be well prepared since Philippe told us Board of Innovation receives 150 cv’s every month.