Why hiring is the most important thing to do
Before joining my current position leading the data & analytics team, I have the privilege of building and leading two other teams in the same discipline. During my time leading the other teams, I have made quite some mistakes and learned many valuable lessons.
My biggest mistake was not paying enough attention to hiring. In this post, I will share with you my lesson and what I’ve done about it.
Unstructured interview
Hiring is the most important thing that you can do as a manager. Who you hire will shape your team’s culture, make you happy (or sad), and affect the company’s direction (eventually).
In my previous positions, both I and HR did not pay enough attention to hiring as we should have. Our previous interviewing process was very primitive. A typical interview process includes a technical assignment, and anywhere between 1 and 3 interviews. We did not have any rubrics for the take-home assignment and the interviews. Hiring decisions were made solely by the hiring manager and often biased by his perception of the candidate. In short, our interviewing process was unstructured.
