Hiring is one of the highest-leverage things you do as a manager and one of the easiest to do badly. Here are a smattering of thoughts I keep coming back to.

Never lower the bar to make a hire

  • A hiring panel making the decision together helps. Make the final decider someone other than the hiring manager if possible to avoid inherent bias. That person can think of themselves as the bar raiser.
  • A poor hire drags the whole team down.
  • Firing quickly may feel like an option but it’s usually way harder than waiting to hire. It’s also a very negative experience for everyone involved.

Hire for growth over current skills

  • Coachability and growth are more important than current skills. People will need to learn about your company and its problems to be successful, so a growth mindset is key.
  • Tech is constantly changing so expertise atrophies. What someone knows today matters less than how fast they can pick up what’s next.
  • Finding a growth path leaves employees feeling more seen and rewarded, which makes them more invested.

Hire for values alignment

  • This is particularly true for startups.
  • A candidate will stick around at a values-driven company if they like the values. If the values aren’t a draw, the chaos, churn and responsibility of a startup may drive that employee out.

Use the data and work against your biases

  • Track outcomes and notes for all interviews.
  • Train your interviewers on bias.
  • Use the data to calibrate interviewers, find drop-off points in the funnel and make adjustments to your questions.

Selling starts at the beginning

  • The candidate is evaluating you at every step.
  • Be professional and respect their time.
  • Candidates will sign based on a feeling more than you’d expect.
  • Understanding what the candidate cares about early makes pitching them later easier.

Make the experience positive no matter the outcome

  • A positive rejection can become a return and an offer next year.
  • The industry is small and people do talk. A positive experience can result in referrals.