Everything I Wish I Knew About Hiring

Conventional hiring processes are designed to recruit the most skilled people to fill a specific role at the right price. The experience can feel dehumanizing — it’s laden with unwritten rules, negotiation, posturing, and indirect communication (if you’re lucky) through recruiters.

The process, at its core, is a transaction of resources. It’s not fi... See more

OK, I didn’t tell you the most important part—how do you know whether to hire someone? In principle, it’s simple. You’re looking for people who are Smart, and Get things done.

Here’s a quick outline of some of the things I’ve encountered: 1. Hiring T-shaped people versus specialists2. Try to get doers3. More candidate flow solves a lot of problems4. Interview for the actual work you’ll be doing, not skillset trivia5. Raw intelligence is just one factor – don’t overestimate it.

Here is how I hire, listed in priority order.Bandwidth. I'm a snob for intelligence. I like to surround myself with people who are much smarter and faster than me. People who can juggle ten things at once, and handle curve balls. This is a requirement in an entrepreneurial activity, as by definition you are doing something new, so you have to learn... See more