A CEO explains why he doesn't choose job candidates based on their resumes
"I don't really look at someone's résumé and say, 'That's the person,'" he told Business Insider.
Midgley, who was formerly executive vice president of Planet Fitness and senior director of corporate sales at 24 Hour Fitness, says his own journey influenced his hiring strategy. "I started in this industry cleaning machines, so I'm one of those guys that learned everything from the bottom to the top."
Instead of a spotless résumé, Midgley looks for a specific combination of experience and knowledge.
"If you're going to hire someone, you're not really looking for them to have an MBA," he said. "You're looking for them to have experience in the industry, and you're looking that they've been able to exhibit the ability to manage across multiple locations, in multiple different geographies, different market conditions, different economic cycles."
Personality also matters. You want someone who will blend in with your culture, he said. "Someone who's not high maintenance or pointing his finger or the 'me me me' type of person, because that becomes hard to manage."
Ultimately, Midgley looks for someone the company can invest in long term. "Once you're in the company, you want someone ideally who will be a little humble at first, learn the business," he said. "It's not about proving your worth from day one and justifying your job. For me, it's good to see someone who really understands what they're doing, and who is digging in and making all aspects of the business work."