The Growth-Minded Candidate: Why Kintsugi Co Only Hires the Real Ones Based on Dr. Carol Dweck’s Mindset and written for those who actually want to win.
Title: The Growth-Minded Candidate: Why Kintsugi Co Only Hires the Real Ones
Based on Dr. Carol Dweck’s Mindset and written for those who actually want to win.
Let’s cut the fluff.
We’ve done enough interviews to tell the difference between someone who’s here to win and someone who’s here to perform. And here’s the truth: the people who come in with polished, templated, "interview answers" — thinking they're saying what we want to hear — are almost always the ones we regret hiring.
Because we're not looking for actors. We're looking for self-aware killers with a growth mindset.
What We See Too Often
“I’m just a perfectionist.”
“My biggest weakness is that I care too much.”
“I always go above and beyond.”
“I’ve wanted to be in sales since I was 10.”
“I work too hard sometimes.”
If you cringed, good. So do we. These are the scripted answers — the ones that candidates believe will impress us. Spoiler: they don’t.
The truth is, every time someone gives an “interview answer,” it tells us two things:
They’re too worried about approval to give an honest one.
They don’t understand the real game — growth over image.
What We Actually Want to See
1. Unapologetically Themselves
The best hires we've ever made walked into the room fully themselves. No front. No fluff. No need for approval. That’s power.
It shows they aren’t filtering their personality through a lens of “what might get me the job.” Instead, they’re showing up real. That tells us they’ll show up real in training, in leadership, and with clients.
We don’t want chameleons. We want conviction.
2. Radical Self-Awareness and Humility
One of our favorite answers ever to the question “What are your weaknesses?” was:
“Honestly, I overtalk when I’m nervous. I’ve been working on it by practicing silence after every question in interviews. It’s uncomfortable, but I’m getting better at it.”
That’s someone who knows themselves. They don’t hide from their flaws — they own them. And because of that, they’ll improve faster than 90% of people trying to pretend they’re flawless.
Carol Dweck’s research in Mindset says it best: fixed mindset people avoid challenges because they fear judgment. Growth-minded people lean into challenges because they crave progress.
That’s who we hire.
3. True Growth Mindset — Not the Buzzword, the Practice
Growth mindset isn’t just “being open to learning.” It’s:
Being willing to look bad to get better
Asking questions that expose what you don’t know
Taking feedback with zero defensiveness
Wanting to be the dumbest person in the room so you can level up faster
Understanding that your current skill has nothing to do with your potential
If you walk into our company and act like you have all the answers, you’re already behind.
Want the Job? Be This Person.
If you're interviewing at Kintsugi Co — or anywhere that actually builds people — stop trying to be perfect. Be honest. Be raw. Be curious. Let us see your real character, not your rehearsed resume.
We don't need the best version of you. We need the real version of you who's hungry to become better. That’s the person who wins promotions here. That’s the person who becomes a leader. That’s the person who builds a legacy — not just a paycheck.
Final Word to Candidates
Your story doesn’t have to be shiny. Your answers don’t have to be polished. But your mindset? That better be bulletproof.
Come with realness, humility, and a ruthless hunger to grow.
That’s what impresses us. Every single time.
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Kintsugi Co
We don’t hire perfection.
We build greatness.