Mark Cuban — the wealthy entrepreneur and “Shark Tank” judge — knows a thing or two about hiring. If you want to work for the billionaire entrepreneur, you need to have the below two key skills.
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Cultural Fit and Competency
In February 2025, he released a MasterClass course, where he said these two skills are what matters most in a prospective candidate, according to CNBC.
Cuban said employees need to be competent enough to do their job, as well as a cultural fit for the organization. If they don’t excel at both, he said this is a problem.
This simple, yet solid advice could be profound for many hiring managers. It’s not necessarily uncommon to focus more on hiring people you like, instead of the right fit for the job, but clearly, this may not be the best move.
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Olivia Johnson, career coach at The Muse, said she agrees with Cuban’s emphasis on culture and competency when choosing candidates.
“Gone are the days where job seekers are being hired on the spot,” she said. “This has now been replaced with the multi-round interview process where culture and competency make an appearance.”
She said this process highlights the importance of assessing both culture and competence to choose the best person for the job.
Assess Through Interview Rounds
“Typically, the current interview process consists of anywhere from two to three rounds and beyond for some,” she said.
The first interview is commonly used to assess the candidate’s competencies and skills, she said. The second interview can also be used to continue evaluating competencies as well as determining cultural fit.
“Interview three, is all about culture,” she said. “At this stage, most trust that the bar for the key competencies has been met and now it’s time to find out if you can be a part of the overall culture of the organization, whatever that may be.”
She said employers look for candidates who embody the company’s brand and mission, who can effectively work alongside their colleagues.
“From the job seekers’ perspective, if you don’t see the significance of why the two C’s — culture and competence — are important, there will be an ongoing struggle in being successful in today’s job market,” she said. “The sooner you embrace that companies have — and should have — the right to protect their brand, their employees and their culture by opening their doors to you, the smoother the process can be.”
She said this will make you more prepared to stand out as the ideal candidate for the job.
These Skills Are Hard To Find and Train
Hayden Cohen, CEO and co-founder of Hire With Near, also underlined the importance of culture and competency in the job market.
“The reason these two traits are so important is that they’re hard to find, hard to train and help to break ties between qualified candidates,” he said. “Anyone who gets to the interview stage is going to have the basic skills they need for the job.”
Of course, savvy employers know this is only the first step in finding the right new hire.
“The ones who stand out are the ones who feel like they’ll be great culture fits and show a willingness to learn new skills,” he said.
Clearly, the most knowledgeable managers — such as Cuban — understand the importance of taking the time to hire right, instead of simply choosing the first candidate who looks good on paper.
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Sources
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CNBC, “Mark Cuban looks for 2 qualities in employees: ‘If they fail on either one, you’re going to be in trouble.‘”
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Olivia Johnson, The Muse.
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Hayden Cohen, Hire With Near.
This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: 2 Skills Mark Cuban Looks for in Employees — and Why That Matters in the Job Market
