8 Ideas for Better Hiring
As the leader of your company (or team), there is almost nothing more important you'll do than determining who you invite to join your team.
The selection process is ripe with opportunities to get it wrong. I've definitely made mistakes, not just in the final selection itself but also in the process (or lack thereof), and I've got the scar tissue to prove it.
But fortunately, I've also experienced many approaches that allowed us to hire more than our fair share of fantastic team members over the years.
Here are 8 ideas that might just help you increase the likelihood of making the right choice more often:
Build a diverse pool. A diverse candidate pool won't happen by accident. Extend your candidate resourcing beyond your own friends or network. What groups are under-represented in your company or team? Who do you know that has a strong network among these groups? Go to them proactively first as you build your candidate pool.
Write a mission statement. Instead of a job description with a long list of responsibilities and qualifications, start with a concise, plain English mission statement that describes the core purpose behind the role. (e.g. if hiring a CTO, the mission might read: "To lead the teams building and maintaining our products in our target market that allow us to grow our users by 4x over the next 3 years, and to build a scalable technology organization with a focus on leadership development.")
Create a results scorecard. Think one year out from now. What would a stellar performance review look like for this role at the one-year anniversary? Write it out then use it as your scorecard during the interview process. Ask yourself: "Can this candidate deliver these results?"
Hire slow, fire fast. In focusing on the first half of this short statement, don't be in a rush. Spend a significant amount of time with your finalists. Remember, the more disciplined you are on the "hire" part of this statement the less often you'll find yourself needing to execute on the "fire" portion.
Maintain veto rights. As the CEO of an early(ish) stage and/or small(ish) company, I highly recommend interviewing all finalists and retaining veto rights. More on this topic HERE.
Sell. Recognize this is a two-sided "sales process." Obviously, the candidate is attempting to convince you why they deserve an offer, but you and your team should ensure part of your hiring process allows the candidate to truly learn about your culture, mission, and values, as well as spend reasonable amounts of time with their potential future teammates. And of course, you should sell reality, not a fairytale.
Don't skip reference checks. In fact, go beyond the two or three names they provide you and do some "backchannel" checks.
Leave a positive impression. How you treat those that have gone through the interview process will directly affect your candidate pipeline in the future. Define the process, set expectations with candidates, and keep them updated along the way. Don't waste their time (or yours). Provide candid feedback. Make the process valuable to candidates even if you don't offer them a job. Done right, you'll have evangelists out talking up your company.
Related resources worth checking out:
Who: the A method for hiring by Geoff Smart and Randy Street
Work Rules! (Insights from Inside Google That Will Transform How You Live and Lead) by Laszlo Bock