Finding the Right People

Since I began at Open Sky a few weeks ago I have been tasked with building out a great team. Over the course of my career I have interviewed hundreds of people (mostly developers) and hired dozens. At OpenSky I was able to find and hire 6 fantastic employees in my first 6 weeks and wanted to share some of the tips and techniques I have learned over the years and found successful.

Make connections

Most of my best hires came through referrals. Get out and network with people in the community and the space your needs are. There are so many tools available today to do this including LinkedIn and Twitter. These tools are not to replace personal connections, but to assist in making and keeping them. There really isn’t any excuse for not having a solid and reliable network.

Interview well

The whole purpose of an interview is to determine if the candidate is a good fit for your company and a good fit for the given role. Also it’s important to ensure that your company is a good fit for them. Something they will be passionate about and will help their career. I usually know within the first 10 minutes if the candidate is the right fit.. If not I’ll let them know why and end the interview right there. There are many good different approaches to interviewing. Figure out what works for you.

Don’t compromise

If the candidate isn’t the right person, don’t hire them. The right person is out there. Ever time I have compromised I have regretted it. Only bad results have come from it. Nobody is better than the wrong body.

Hire well and fire better

Success comes from having the right person in the right job. The interview process is supposed to determine this, but even the best interviewers aren’t perfect. If the candidate isn’t the right fit move on quickly. The right candidate is out there, go out and find them. The damage the wrong employee has an organization is huge. Help them find the right opportunity where they can be the most successful.