Recently my CTO shared this article with me and we had a nice chat about it, and this inspired me to write this post.
Hiring is one of the most emotionally taxing aspects of leadership. Over the years, I’ve interviewed significant amount of people, and I’ve seen my approach evolve significantly.
Recently, I joined a company where I poured a considerable amount of effort into shaping the interview process, evaluating candidates, and ultimately making hiring decisions.
This journey has been nothing short of a rollercoaster, filled with highs, lows, and moments of deep reflection.
Table of contents
Open Table of contents
The rollercoaster begins
Imagine this: you’re in the midst of an interview. It starts wonderfully. You and the candidate are chatting, laughing, and sharing stories about work and life.
There’s a genuine connection forming. You start thinking: This might be the one
But then, the technical exercise begins. Suddenly, the cracks start to show. Despite the pleasant conversation, the candidate struggles with the technical side.
You find yourself supporting them, encouraging them, because you really liked them during that first part. They somehow manage to get through the first exercise, and you start feeling a glimmer of hope.
Then comes the second part, and that’s when things take a nosedive.
The candidate’s performance falters even more.
Yet, I never let my emotions show. I always encourage them, we smile, and we continue, but deep down, the reality is setting in.
The reality of Hiring
Hiring is not like software development. In coding, you can iterate, explore dead-ends, and test your decisions.
But in recruiting, the stakes are much higher. In fact, it’s a binary outcome: yes or no; 1 or 0.
I agree with Matt, you spend weeks or even months building a relationship with a candidate, only to have to make a final decision that will shape both their future and your team’s.
I agree with everything in this essay. The emotional highs and lows, the pressure of making the right call, and the doubts that lingers long after the decision has been made - these are all part of the process.
The principles of Hiring
You can’t pause a conversation with a candidate to consider options of what to say. You need to show up and be on. It’s crucial for both parties to have the best information to figure out if this is the right match. It’s particularly brutal because you never get to find out the answer to “what if we’d chosen that candidate who we were uncertain about?”. You can’t A/B test people, you just have to do your best to get to know them and make the best decision.
It’s so true, I cannot agree more. Your decision is final and life-altering, you cannot go back and change it.
Finding a good balance between technical skills and cultural fits is not only crucial, but it’s way complicated than building a modern distributed system.
If you feel sick, or have a bad day, didn’t sleep well, you better reschedule the interview. You need to be at your best after all you are a face of your company
To Summarize
In the end, hiring is one of the most critical and emotionally charged responsibilities of a leader.
It’s a process filled with uncertainty, but it’s also an opportunity to shape the future of your team and your company.
It’s a rollercoaster ride, but it’s also a journey of growth and learning.