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Who: The A Method for Hiring

by Geoff Smart & Randy Street · 2008

In a nutshell

Geoff Smart and Randy Street's systematic approach to hiring top talent. Essential for founders who need to build great teams but haven't hired much before.

#Leadership#Hiring & Teams
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Overview

Geoff Smart and Randy Street provide a systematic, repeatable hiring method used by top CEOs and VCs. Stop hiring by gut feel, start using a proven process.

The A Method

1. Scorecard

Define success before you interview:

  • Mission: What needs to get done?
  • Outcomes: Measurable results (3-8)
  • Competencies: How they'll succeed

2. Source

Generate flow of A players:

  • Referrals from A players (10x better)
  • Recruiters (external sourcing)
  • Researchers (proactive outreach)
  • Alumni (former employees)

3. Select

Four interviews:

Screening Interview (30 min phone):

  • What are you good at?
  • What are you not good at?
  • Career goals?
  • Who were your last bosses and what will they say?

Who Interview (3-4 hours): Chronological career story:

  • What were you hired to do?
  • What accomplishments?
  • Low points?
  • Who were the people around you?
  • Why did you leave?

Repeat for each role.

Focused Interview (45-60 min): Dig deep on scorecard outcomes and competencies.

Reference Interview: Call their references (especially past bosses).

4. Sell

Close the candidate:

  • Fit with mission
  • Fit with team
  • Career growth
  • Compensation

Key Insights

  • Hiring failure costs 15x salary
  • A players hire A players, B players hire C players
  • Vague job descriptions guarantee mis-hires
  • Most interviews are useless (unstructured)
  • References matter (when done right)

The 5 F's of Selling

  • Fit (with role)
  • Family (work-life balance)
  • Freedom (autonomy)
  • Fortune (compensation)
  • Fun (enjoy the work)

Red Flags

  • Can't explain what they were hired to do
  • Vague answers
  • Blames others
  • Can't name boss's name
  • Inconsistencies in story

For Founders

  • Define scorecard before posting job
  • Use Who interview for all key hires
  • Call references (always)
  • Sell the role, don't beg
  • Fire fast if wrong hire

Published by Ballantine Books 2008. Used by top CEOs and VCs.

Reference

Who: The A Method for Hiring — publisher / official page. Summary adapted from the Awesome Startup Books collection.

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