5 Tips for Hiring A Star Team

re: 5 Tips for Hiring A Star Team

Ahmad A.L — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 14:10:25 GMT

#include <stdio.h>

void main

{

int amazing[] ={544024393,1634560065,1495280740,1679848815,

1948741231,1851881248,1830838638,544437097,

1769105768,1830840174,539042149,1767992645,

1701650540,2003791392,1835557152,1718183009,

1835483256,778856801,560820067,555819297,1867259977,

1293968758,1869767529,1952870259,555819264};

printf("%s",(char*)amazing);

getchar();

}

Hmmm I did the same thing around 6 months back to gain an Interview at Microsoft. After hell lot of effor I did get an interview .(Hell lot of effort bcos I'm a dropout with no formal degree). I dint make it thru though but ya that interview made me get my current job as a Virus Analyst/ Software Engineer at a prominen Anti Virus company. Will strike back at Microsoft soon :-)

re: 5 Tips for Hiring A Star Team

Eric Vanderburg — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 15:04:56 GMT

Thanks. Those are some good tips. I really like how you focus on the reliable achievers who consistently bring value and then add that "wizard" to the mix.

re: 5 Tips for Hiring A Star Team

stevecla01 — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 15:20:12 GMT

good luck with it Ahmad and thanks for decoding the code for me :)

re: 5 Tips for Hiring A Star Team

stevecla01 — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 15:21:45 GMT

thanks Eric - what would you add to the list?

re: 5 Tips for Hiring A Star Team

Eric Vanderburg — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 16:03:33 GMT

I would add to hire those who share the company's values above finding the perfect technical fit. If a person is found who matches the company's values but is a bit lacking in skills that is ok. Skills can be trained but values are rooted deeply into an individual. The person with your values will be more aligned with company initiatives and will take more ownership of projects and make better decisions.

re: 5 Tips for Hiring A Star Team

stevecla01 — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 17:53:14 GMT

Extremely wise advice Eric - thanks!

re: 5 Tips for Hiring A Star Team

Walt Murray — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 02:09:04 GMT

Really good post...experience or no, you pretty much nail it.

There's a little more to the equation, of course. For example, I think sometimes it's worth hiring folks with raw talent that can be trained versus folks who might be already set in their ways like a wizard is. And if you're using a recruiting site such as Dayak like we do to filter resumes for you all of this stuff will have to come out in interviews from recruiter filters. Such is the way of the staffing industry.

But I like this post because it shows that you are so tuned in to your niche and to the needs of a company such as "geek squad" that you know exactly who you're looking for, and describing to people how that equation breaks down (ie getting Wizards vs. hard workers vs. whatever) is often a pain in the neck.

You know, your last numerical, about reading, also works the opposite way, and I know exactly what you mean. A few years ago I worked in an office of about 45, really great company. We all came from different backgrounds, but in a casual office-wide poll, our interests were remarkably consistent. Pretty much everyone read the New Yorker. Most listened to "This American Life". A good number of us owned the latest Loudon Wainwright album. A lot of us cited "Raising Arizona" as either our favorite movie or near the top of the list. How we all found each other is beyond me.

re: 5 Tips for Hiring A Star Team

stevecla01 — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 12:26:07 GMT

thanks Walt - glad to know you found it useful :)

I found myself looking around the train (tube) this morning ont the way in to London this morning and 99% of people who were reading had the local free paper or another broadsheet paper. I was reading BusinessWeek and getting a few odd looks. Made me think I'd hire people on the train who were reading something different to everyone else. Not that there is anything wrong with the paper but made me think...

re: 5 Tips for Hiring A Star Team

Bruce Lynn — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 19:34:17 GMT

Totally love the final comment to 'Hire Passionate Readers' which in my mind is also highly correlated with 'Wizards' and 'Curious People'. We say at Microsoft that we hire for two essential qualities - Intelllectual Horsepower (Wizards, Curious People, Readers) and Passion (Delivery, Change the World). Whenever I'm not quite so convinced about the horsepower of a job candidate, one of my favourite questions is 'what is the most recent book you read?' A bad answer is the person who tries to 'impress' me by having read 'Windows Server 2008 Reference Manual' (unless I am convinced that they really did and really enjoyed it). The best answers are those esoteric 'guilty pleasures' of reading (eg. 'I hate to admit it but I love romance novels and read one every week'). It doesnt' matter so much what you read, as long as you read. In my experience, it is a very strong indicator of a highly active mind.

re: 5 Tips for Hiring A Star Team

stevecla01 — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 20:18:41 GMT

thanks Bruce - another great tip to add to the list.