Exclusively "A" Players
Steve Jobs supposedly said, "A players hire A players; B players hire C players." Silicon Valley takes this to heart, a guiding light for tight hiring process and keeping a high bar when...
Hiring
Iterative Recruiting
When you make a transition from an individual contributor to a people manager, people might have told you how it's an entirely new skillset to develop, that the job expectations are related but fundamentally different, and that it can be a trial by fire. There will be a period of learning and acclimation,...
Hiring for Potential vs. Experience
I'm a people optimist. When it comes to building and managing a team, this optimism manifests itself in trusting people on the team to do ultimately do the right thing. It may take them a while to meander their way over there, but my job is to provide encouragement, support, and coaching along...
The Difficulty of Hiring Non-Senior Developers
I've worked, so far, for: * A mid-sized financial software firm, * Two small startups * One multinational and global technology firm, and * One big startup The work aside, I always made myself willing and available for interviews and hiring discussions; beyond shipping code, the next most valuable thing I could do was to grow the...
Company Fit Matters
One difference I've noticed between those new to the software industry and those who've been around the block a few times is how selective they are about their jobs. Consequently, a piece of advice I've taken up to giving new and recent grads is to look beyond the cool...
Building from the Fountain of Youth
A few months ago, I opined on that hiring not just A-players is a legitimate strategy; the gist was that, for most jobs and business models, "A players" simply were not required for all positions. (and oftentimes, any position) Within the tech community, the cost of time and money in attracting and subsequently...