Sometimes an article or blog post resonates with you deeply.
The Netflix HR slides did for me.
One of my first roles was as a Program Manager at a start-up that built enterprise network and systems management software. I was employee #11 in the Sydney office, and I somehow ended up doing most of the hiring over those formative years. In hind-sight, it was ridiculous to have a 22 year old kid doing the interviewing for all the dev and test roles, but we didn’t know better, and hey – that’s why start-ups sometimes succeed when you don’t expect them to. They don’t listen when you tell them it shouldn’t be done.
Looking back – I was purely hiring on “cultural fit”. Essentially; Was the person someone that you would be excited to work with. That was the test.
We certainly made mistakes and we probably had a few too many “brilliant jerks”, but they were still some of the best years of my career.
Because when you surround your staff with awesome people - it's a great place to work.
