Tyler Cowen and Daniel Gross
Talent
ISBN: 978-1-250-27581-3
How do you find the right people to hire? It’s been an interesting time for those looking to hire people since the peak of the pandemic. I’ve been lucky that I haven’t been in the market to hire anyone just yet for Cider Finder, but I’m hoping that will change in the coming months as things begin to ramp up. I have had to manage a number of people in previous positions over the years, but I’m usually not involved in the hiring process. However, in the jobs I’ve held over the years, I’ve seen what happens when the wrong people are hired and what it can do to a company or an institution.
One of the best pieces of advice that I’d heard before reading this book was to hire slowly and fire fast in order to foster the kind of culture you want in your company. Hiring slowly wasn’t emphasized in this book, but hiring carefully was – there is some overlap between those statements, but they aren’t completely the same. I really liked the concept of hiring carefully, because there are times when you do have to hire quickly, as a company quickly expands into a new market. However, you shouldn’t throw your company’s culture out the window even as you expand quickly.
I really appreciated the differences the authors mentioned between in-person interviewing and interviewing candidates online. Even though there is a big push to get employees back into the office, remote positions are not going away. Some companies have positioned themselves as remote only, and I’m keeping an eye on those companies to see whether or not that decision works out for them. Personally, I think hybrid work arrangements are the best – it’s nice to have a couple of days in the office each week, especially if you can line up all of your meetings on those days. Either way, remote work is here to stay, and remote employees can be a huge benefit if utilized the right way.
Most of the book focused on hiring for intelligence and personality instead of just relying on resumes and automated tools to find people – remember, it’s more important to find the right cultural fit rather than someone who just checks all the boxes. When you have an applicant without all of the requisite experience (like someone just starting out in a field,) hiring for intelligence is crucial. Is this an opportunity for someone to learn on the job? Is the applicant someone who can pick up knowledge quickly and apply that knowledge when necessary? That person might fit your organization better than someone who has years of experience in one area but might not be as good an intellectual fit.
Multiple chapters were devoted to finding people with personalities that fit your organization. This was the “cultural fit” part of the book. The authors really focused on the Five Factors (neuroticism, extraversion, openness, agreeableness, and conscientiousness), as many large companies focus on this when examining an applicant’s personality. However, they did expand on this with other traits to look for in a candidate, including stamina, self-improvement, precision, and precocity. They also discussed how women tend to be overlooked due to alleged personality issues. Determining what types of personalities fit with your company’s culture is critical when looking for new employees – focus on what personality you need for the position when making those hiring decisions.
Overall, 8/10, would recommend to people who are in charge of hiring and growing their startup or business. Hiring is an incredibly difficult process, and a lot of resources are on the line with each hire – time and money being the most important. It’s up to you as a company founder early on, or as a hiring manager in a more mature organization, to hire the right people for the right positions. The right people are out there – just make sure you’re looking in the right places.