Frameworks for Hiring Talent in Tech

Occasionally, I get asked what I look for when I am hiring for recruiting teams at a tech company. So I thought I would share - in addition to general skills or experience, here are some baseline things I'm always considering...

Partnership

• High self-accountability
• Holds partners accountable too
• Assumes best intentions in all interactions
• Are they actively trying to make things better for others?

Creative + Curious + Learning

• Will they look for alternative paths forward?
• Can they create solutions where others would be blocked?
• Do they show an appetite for learning?
• Are they excited about new tools?

Communication

• Is this person able to be precise with their communication?
• Can they have tough conversations?
• Do they listen and adapt quickly to feedback?

FITFO (can they “Figure It The F Out”)

• How resilient are they when they hit a roadblock? Do they throw up their hands upon first resistance to their goal? Or do they lean in more and create new paths to success?

Fountain or Drain

• FOUNTAIN - Is this someone who is able to pour into others? Others want to be around this person or partner with them while facing challenges. The fountain cheers on others in the midst of their own challenges.
• DRAIN - Is this someone who sucks energy and joy. Everything is a crisis or an impossible challenge. They create an environment that starts to pull in others into thinking there is no path forward, poor me.

The great thing about hiring talent is that everyone has unique strengths. You are always assessing what candidates have done. These themes help me dive deeper into how they operate to get that work done. Hopefully, something in here helps you too.