how to hire a great developer

Your digital advantage tim@praxent.com | @TimMarkHamilton

Hiring a Great Developer

Your digital advantage

Tim Hamilton Founder & CEO Praxent

• Web • Mobile • Desktop • IoT

Background: Originally from South AfricaStudied Economics & MIS at UT AustinInterviewed ~500 since 2009Hired 50

Software products & platforms for aggressive growth.

Your digital advantage tim@praxent.com | @TimMarkHamilon

Why talk about hiring?

• 50% - 75% of hiring decisions are mistakes according to Brad Smart and Peter Drucker

• Only 14% of leaders are good at making hiring decisions

• The wrong hire can cost upwards of 15X their annual salary

Your digital advantage tim@praxent.com | @TimMarkHamilon

“According to 4,000 studies [and over 15,000 data points] we’ve examined, traditional interviewing is not predictive of job performance.” – Geoff Smart & Randy Street

Traditional Interviewing Doesn’t Work

Your digital advantage tim@praxent.com | @TimMarkHamilon

SCORECARD (1-2+ hours)123

54

PHONE SCREENING INTERVIEW (30 min)

BIOGRAPHICAL INTERVIEW (1-2 hours)

FOCUSED INTERVIEW (1-2 hours)

REFERENCE CHECK INTERVIEW (10 min per)

Five Steps to Hiring A-Players

Your digital advantage tim@praxent.com | @TimMarkHamilton

Scorecard Phone Screen Bio Interview Focused Interview Reference Check

Scorecard • Mission Statement• 3-8 Outcomes (in order)• Competencies• Required Skills• Strengths & Risks

Hire the specialist, not the generalist.

Your digital advantage tim@praxent.com | @TimMarkHamilton

Scorecard Phone Screen Bio Interview Focused Interview Reference Check

“Learning beats knowing in the new world of work.” – Liz Wiseman

Scorecard • Cultural fit > skill fit• Learning > knowing

Your digital advantage tim@praxent.com | @TimMarkHamilton

Scorecard Phone Screen Bio Interview Focused Interview Reference Check

Clients First

Always Deliver

Never Settle

Do It Together

Own the Outcome

Scorecard Built around your culture: core values and brand promise

Your digital advantage tim@praxent.com | @TimMarkHamilton

Scorecard Phone Screen Bio Interview Focused Interview Reference Check

Intellectual • Intelligence• Analysis Skills• Judgment /

Decision Making• Conceptual Ability• Creativity• Strategic Skills• Pragmatism• Risk Taking• Leading Edge• Education• Experience

Personal • Integrity• Resourcefulness• Organization /

Planning• Excellence• Independence• Stress

Management• Self-Awareness• Adaptability• First Impression• Self Confidence

Interpersonal • Likability• Persuasion• Assertiveness• Communications –

Oral• Communication –

Written• Political Savvy• Team Player• Interpersonal

Awareness

Behavioral CompetenciesMotivational • Energy• Passion• Ambition• Compatibility of

Needs• Balance in Life• Tenacity

Management • Selecting A Players• Training /

Development• Goal Setting• Empowerment• Accountability• Redeploying B/C

Players• Team Building• Diversity• Running Meetings

Your digital advantage tim@praxent.com | @TimMarkHamilton

Scorecard Phone Screen Bio Interview Focused Interview Reference Check

Envision: What would a resounding success look

like after 12 months?

Sample scorecard

Your digital advantage tim@praxent.com | @TimMarkHamilon

Scorecard Phone Screen Bio Interview Focused Interview Reference Check

Phone screening interview • Filter out non-fit

candidates• 20 min for your

questions, 10 min for theirs

• 15-30-minutes total• Trust your gut

Your digital advantage tim@praxent.com | @TimMarkHamilon

Scorecard Phone Screen Bio Interview Focused Interview Reference Check

What are your career goals?

• Candidate goes first so you don’t influence their response

• Look for authenticity, not a regurgitation of content from your site

• Do their passions and energy align with your company

• Are you looking for a manager or individual contributor? What are they looking for?

Your digital advantage tim@praxent.com | @TimMarkHamilon

Scorecard Phone Screen Bio Interview Focused Interview Reference Check

What are you really good at?

• Look for at least 5 to start but • Push for 8-12 so you can build a

complete picture of their aptitude • Technical strengths or personal

strengths?• Get examples to put strengths into

context• Look for strengths that match your

scorecard

Your digital advantage tim@praxent.com | @TimMarkHamilon

Scorecard Phone Screen Bio Interview Focused Interview Reference Check

What are you not good at or not interested in? • Push for real weaknesses• Say “that sounds like a strength to

me” if you get cookie-cutter responses

• Look for 5-8 weaknesses • How much self-awareness do you

need in the ideal candidate?

Your digital advantage tim@praxent.com | @TimMarkHamilon

Scorecard Phone Screen Bio Interview Focused Interview Reference Check

Who were your last five bosses and how they rate your performance?

• Threat of Reference Check (TORC) ask “when” not “if”

• Ask for the spelling; this unlocks the truth• Ask for details. “Why a 7?”• 8’s, 9’s, 10’s positive, • 7’s neutral• 6 and below are bad• What about the current boss?

Your digital advantage tim@praxent.com | @TimMarkHamilon

Scorecard Phone Screen Bio Interview Focused Interview Reference Check

What are your salary expectations?

• Are we in the same ballpark?• Remember: this step is all about

saving time by selecting the candidates you’ll move to the next step

Your digital advantage tim@praxent.com | @TimMarkHamilon

Scorecard Phone Screen Bio Interview Focused Interview Reference Check

Do you have any questions for me?

• Look out for me-centered questions first.

• What would the ideal candidate ask about the company? About the role?

• The questions they ask are as telling as their answers.

Your digital advantage tim@praxent.com | @TimMarkHamilon

Scorecard Phone Screen Bio Interview Focused Interview Reference Check

Kicking off the phone screen

• 20 min for me, 10 min for you• Permission to be candid?• Don’t overshare before you ask the

first question

Your digital advantage tim@praxent.com | @TimMarkHamilon

Scorecard Phone Screen Bio Interview Focused Interview Reference Check

Getting curious with dig deeper questions

• What, How and Tell me more• What did you do?• How did you feel?• What happened next?

Your digital advantage tim@praxent.com | @TimMarkHamilon

Scorecard Phone Screen Bio Interview Focused Interview Reference Check

Biographical interview • 1-2 hours long• Face to face or video• Uncover patterns of the

candidate’s career history• 15 years worth• Look for facts and stories

not hypotheses • Old habits die hard• Curiosity > judgment

Your digital advantage tim@praxent.com | @TimMarkHamilon

Scorecard Phone Screen Bio Interview Focused Interview Reference Check

What accomplishments are you most proud of?

• Outcomes > activities or learnings• Do they line up with what they were

hired to do?• Alignment with your scorecard?

Your digital advantage tim@praxent.com | @TimMarkHamilon

Scorecard Phone Screen Bio Interview Focused Interview Reference Check

Real Example: What accomplishments are you most proud of?

Your digital advantage tim@praxent.com | @TimMarkHamilon

Scorecard Phone Screen Bio Interview Focused Interview Reference Check

What were some low points?

• Could their frustrations from the past recur in the future?

• Do they externalize blame?• Do they talk negatively about

others?

Your digital advantage tim@praxent.com | @TimMarkHamilon

Scorecard Phone Screen Bio Interview Focused Interview Reference Check

Who were the people you worked with? What was it like working together?

• Do they talk negatively about others?• What kind of leadership do they

thrive under?• What kind of leadership do they

struggle under?• Do they give credit or take credit?

Your digital advantage tim@praxent.com | @TimMarkHamilon

Scorecard Phone Screen Bio Interview Focused Interview Reference Check

What will you boss tell me were your strengths & areas for improvement?

• Do the strengths map to your outcomes and competencies?

• Are the weaknesses create significant risks?

Your digital advantage tim@praxent.com | @TimMarkHamilon

Scorecard Phone Screen Bio Interview Focused Interview Reference Check

Why did you leave that job?

Caution: if they are thinking of leaving their current job because of money (or other hygiene factor) and they are an “A-player” they will likely stay when their current manager gives them a counter-offer.

Your digital advantage tim@praxent.com | @TimMarkHamilon

Scorecard Phone Screen Bio Interview Focused Interview Reference Check

Focused interview • Competency-

based questions• Focused on the

scorecard• Still focused on

the past

http://bit.ly/2a2eopd

Your digital advantage tim@praxent.com | @TimMarkHamilon

Scorecard Phone Screen Bio Interview Focused Interview Reference Check

Scorecard: Strengths & Risks

Your digital advantage tim@praxent.com | @TimMarkHamilon

Scorecard Phone Screen Bio Interview Focused Interview Reference Check

Reference checking interview • 10-minutes per

reference• Listen for what they

are not saying

Your digital advantage tim@praxent.com | @TimMarkHamilon

Demo

Your digital advantage tim@praxent.com | @TimMarkHamilon

Q&A• How to work with recruiters to source candidates?• How to stay engaged with A-players in a hectic market like Austin?• Thoughts on benefits and retention?

Your digital advantage tim@praxent.com | @TimMarkHamilon

Thank you!Slides available at: http://bit.ly/2azSlHo