The Secret To Running A Successful Hiring Process; Math
How to Translate a JD and Opinion into Math
TLDR: Hiring well = turning your job description into a math problem.
Running a hiring process is complicated. This is especially hard when running a search in a space like ClimateTech, where the candidate needs a specific network, skillset, culture fit, and motivation.
Here’s how you can simplify this: math.
While I listed out 4 areas, you can boil these down into 2 buckets.
(1) Skillset Fit and (2) Culture Fit
Skillset Fit includes Skills (of course) and Network.
Culture Fit includes Culture Fit (duh again) and Motivation.
This is what you do for each👇
Skillset Fit
List the core 2-5 skill sets you need in the role.
(Self-explanatory)Translate those into ‘Has done’ statements.
”5 years experience with mechanical engineering design in the HVAC space.”
Becomes —>
“Has been responsible for the design process of at least 5 hardware designs of HVAC equipment.”
The reason this matters: if you don’t make it quantifiable, there is room for debate if the candidate is actually qualified despite having 5 years experience in the space.List out all required and preferred software skills.
Once you list them out, identify which ones you can teach easily or that most folks can pick up quickly.
You’d be surprised how many people reject candidates because they don’t know a software that is nearly identical to a competitor when they could learn it in a day.Determine the Network they need.
This usually applies to sales and procurement roles. If this is required to have success, ensure you note it early on. (If you’re not sure, ask someone building in the same space)
For a sales role, this might manifest like “Has sold to all major lithium battery OEMs in the US.”
Do you want help hiring tough-to-find talent at a criminally discounted rate? Reach out today. (Note: we only offer this service to ClimateTech startups in the US)
Culture Fit
Write down 3-7 keywords to describe your culture.
Any candidate applying should demonstrate several of these throughout the interview process.
NOTE: Do not expect them to match all of them. If they meet 3 out of 7, that is a recipe for success.Determine the required motivation.
To remove the ambiguity here, become crystal clear on what you are aiming to achieve (as a startup).
When you find out a candidate’s motivation, make sure there is a parallel with your startup’s goal.
Pro tip: If you have to squint really hard to make it line up, you are probably not aligned.
Write down the TLDR of your vision as a point so you can consider their answer in the assessment process.
Roll it all up
Now that you have listed out everything you want and have determined what is Required vs Flexible/Ideal, break out an excel sheet.
Input them in the first column.
The second column should say Required or Flexible.
The third column, etc., is where you indicate Y or N for each candidate.
It would look something like this.
Alright—Hope that helps!
Let’s Save the World Together!
Silas
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