i've hired exceptional people for my startup from Uber, Stanford, and Y Combinator
but not everyone is a fit for a startup
here are 11 uncommon signals to help you identify top talent:
they proactively ask for feedback:
the best hires will put you to work and make sure you're helping them grow
at @launchhouse we give goals for:
- first week
- first month
- first quarter
interview q: "how do you like to receive feedback?"
they prioritize high value work:
at startups you can't put out every fire right away
the best team members know when to ignore their job title to get things done
interview q: "explain a decision you've made where you had to make tradeoffs"
they don't care about their job title:
title inflation is a common mistake at startups
your first designer is not the "head of design"
only hire people who understand that everyone's career grows if the startup succeeds
interview q: n/a, just don't offer inflated titles
they listen well:
the best team members know you can't solve a problem if you don't understand it
look for people who:
- focus on what someone is saying
- acknowledge it
- summarize it
- ask a q
interview q: n/a, just see how they engage during the interview
you can learn from them:
as startups grow, you move from hiring generalists to specialists
and your team should know more than you about the things you hire them to do
interview q: "what are we probably not doing right now that we should be?"
they ask great questions:
asking the right questions helps diagnose problems faster
look for people who ask questions that force you to think or are challenging to answer
interview q: "what makes the least sense about our business?"
they respond quickly:
speed is the primary advantage startups have over big companies
solving information asymmetry fast is essential to survival
interview q: "how do you manage your inbox?"
they have genuine passion for the problem you're solving:
startups want to hire people who are going to be around for the longterm
if people aren't bought in, it'll show
interview q: "what about our mission excites you?"
they bring you solutions, not problems:
you'll always need to make critical decisions
but early team members should solve increasingly large problems on their own
important — work with them to define who owns what
interview q: "what's something you'd need my help on?"
they take notes:
startups move fast and losing track of thoughts and decisions is easy
when you write things down, you can travel through time
interview q: "what do you do to stay on top of everything?"
they communicate and collaborate well:
startups are cross-functional sports teams
you need people who don't go rogue and can communicate clearly
interview q: n/a, just see if they write and speak concisely
bonus — they hustle:
startups are hard and sometimes that means long hours
look for people who have a "nothing too big or too small" mindset and bring creative solutions to the table
interview q: "what's the scrappiest thing you've done to solve a problem?"
if you're a founder or engineer building something big then apply to @launchhouse
we're a community of vc-backed builders with:
- cohort-based courses
- coliving retreats
- peer groups led by coaches
- fundraising support
- and more
apply 👇
launchhouse.com/
interested in learning more about what founders need to know to grow their startup?
then follow @callmehouck
i post 1-2 threads each week on how to succeed as a founder
tldr, hire people who:
1. ask for feedback
2. prioritize high value work
3. don't care about their title
4. listen well
5. teach you things
6. ask great questions
7. respond quickly
8. have passion
9. solve problems
10. take notes
11. communicate well
12. hustle