How I Hire Great People

Michael Girdley
@girdley

Rev. 2/1/22
Find These Slides:

girdley.com/hiring
My Story:
I got sick of making
hires that didn’t
thrive.
Objective:
A Repeatable Hiring
System
My Hiring Process
 Design Goals
1) I want A-Players
2) I want to achieve my mission
3) I want to do as little work as possible
 The A-B-C Player Idea
For each role and comp level, there are:
- A players : Top 10%
- B players : Middle 60%
- C players : Bottom 30%
A-players are 2x to 10x more productive than B-players depending on the role.
 Remember, A-Player is for that ROLE

Roles require different traits, talents, abilities.

People have innate traits, talents, abilities.
Sales versus Eng versus Marketing versus Janitors
Hiring “sales” funnel
ADVERTISE

CI/GMA ASSESSMENTS

PHONE SCREEN

INTERVIEW

REF CHECK

OFFERS
Hiring “sales” funnel
ADVERTISE

CI/GMA ASSESSMENTS

PHONE SCREEN

INTERVIEW

REF CHECK

OFFERS
1) T.O.R.C. = Threat of Reference Check.
2) Best predictor of success is past performance.
3) Interviews 2 on 1. Life story -> what makes them tick.
4) Resumes are bulls**t.
4) References are “open book”. Many of them.
5) Write hiring memos prior to offer.
Science-based personality trait assessment.
Based on the idea that we’re all ”wired” in different ways.
QA engineer different from a salesperson.
Match the right traits -> role. “Duck to Water.”
Con: Costs $$$.
Pre-hire screening assessments.
Cognitive (Wunderlich style) and skills-based batteries.
Only started using this year.
Game-changer.
Con: Costs some $.
An Example Process
Example Process
1. Advertise the Role
2. Collect Interest
3. Ask to complete assessments (1 mins)
4. Email Candidate Verifying They Understand Role (1 mins)
5. Phone Screen (30 mins)
6. Applicant Completes Career History Form (if applicable)
7. Review Career History (10 mins)
8. In-Person Interview (2-4 hours)
9. Applicant Supplies References (1-2 days)
10. Call References (1 week)
11. Culture Fit Interviews (1 week)
12. Offer (1 week)
Find An Example Hiring
Process:

girdley.com/hiring
Next Steps
 Hiring Is Lots of Work.

Sorry.

Extra Credit: Optimal

Stopping Problem
(answer: 37)
There’s a short-circuit,
though.
How I Hire Great People
Michael Girdley
@girdley

Rev. 2/1/22