Resumes

In the Berkshire Hathaway Annual Letters, resumes are tagged against Warren Buffett’s skepticism of credentials as a hiring signal. In an aside, he writes that “Charlie and I are not big fans of resumes. Instead, we focus on brains, passion and integrity” — illustrated with Cathy Baron Tamraz, a Berkshire manager who grew Business Wire’s earnings and “began her career as a cab driver.”

The same thread runs through Buffett’s discussion of succession in investment management: he warns that “there is far more to successful long-term investing than brains and performance that has recently been good,” prizing temperament, independent thinking, emotional stability, and integrity over track record — qualities a resume does not capture.

Where this appears

• Berkshire Hathaway Annual Letters — Buffett and Munger’s preference for brains, passion, and integrity over resumes in hiring and succession