How to Understand Hiring Decisions

Résumés are dead signal. And most companies are still using them to make multi-hundred-thousand-dollar hiring decisions. Many HR functions are facilitating a dysfunctional process and not a critical business enablement function that gives leverage to the business. (Also highly frustrating to job seekers spending hours on resumes, applications, and interviews.) If your recruiting process starts with a résumé review and ends with a generic job description, you’re optimizing for polish—not performance. Here’s what high-growth, high-trust hiring actually looks like: 1. Hire from work, not words. Résumés are marketing copy. Ask: “What did you build that still works without you?” Have them walk you through it. A deck. A dashboard. A system. The best operators speak in outcomes. Everyone else describes process. 2. Prioritize ownership over optics. “Led,” “managed,” “oversaw”—those are spectator words. Ask: “What decision did you make—and what tradeoffs did you weigh?” Use this framework: What was the situation? What was your call? What happened next? You’ll know if they owned it—or just had a front-row seat. 3. Screen for judgment, not perfection. You’re not hiring someone who’s always right. You’re hiring someone who gets smarter with every rep. Ask: “What’s a decision you’d revisit now with new information?” Judgment compounds faster than skills. Look for signal that they’ve updated their playbook. 4. Run performance-based interviews. Would you greenlight a $300K contract based on a résumé and three Zoom calls? Then stop hiring that way. Create a scoped, role-relevant project. Debrief it live. You’re not testing polish—you’re testing how they think under pressure and with context. 5. Stop mistaking pedigree for potential. A Stanford degree or FAANG stint is just context, not signal. Ask: “What did you do that others around you weren’t doing?” Look for stretch, creativity, and earned scope. 10x people don’t always come from the obvious places. 6. Ditch culture fit. Define behavior. “Culture fit” is often a proxy for “feels familiar.” And that’s how you build sameness, not scale. Ask yourself: “What are the behaviors our best people consistently demonstrate?” Interview for those. Not vibes. Not style. 7. Design the org first. Then hire. Too many job descriptions are written after someone quits. That’s backfilling, not architecting. Ask: “What friction does this role unblock? What velocity does it add?” You can’t hire for leverage if you don’t map where you need it. 8. Hire for trajectory—not title. Title is a lagging indicator. Trajectory is a leading one. Ask: “Where were you two years ago—and what’s changed since?” Look for acceleration. People who scale themselves can scale your company. You don’t build a generational company by playing it safe. You build it by designing a hiring system that finds slope, judgment, and ownership—and rewards it.

Throughout my recruitment career, I've observed a consistent disconnect between what candidates emphasize and what actually influences hiring decisions.   Elaborate job titles might look impressive on LinkedIn, but they rarely drive hiring decisions.   What Hiring Managers Overlook:   Complex titles like "Senior Vice President of Strategic Digital Transformation" or "Principal Customer Experience Innovation Lead" sound important but provide little insight into actual capabilities or achievements.   What Drives Hiring Decisions:   1. Quantified Impact: Specific metrics that demonstrate business value - revenue generated, costs reduced, efficiency improved, problems solved. 2. Transferable Skills: Core competencies that apply across industries and organizations rather than company-specific role descriptions. 3. Problem-Solving Evidence: Concrete examples of challenges identified and solutions implemented with measurable outcomes. 4. Results-Oriented Communication: The ability to articulate achievements in terms of business impact rather than job responsibilities.   The Strategic Shift: Instead of: "I'm a Marketing Director" Position as: "I help B2B companies generate 3x more qualified leads through data-driven campaigns"   Instead of: "I'm an Operations Manager" Position as: "I streamline processes that reduce costs by 25% while improving quality"   Why This Matters:   Hiring managers evaluate candidates based on potential contribution to their specific business challenges. Titles describe past roles; results predict future value.   When you lead with measurable achievements rather than hierarchical labels, you immediately differentiate yourself from candidates who rely on impressive-sounding titles.   What strategies have you found most effective for communicating your professional value beyond job titles?   Sign up to my newsletter for more corporate insights and truths here: https://lnkd.in/ei_uQjju   #deepalivyas #eliterecruiter #recruiter #recruitment #jobsearch #corporate #valueproposition #resultsdriven #careerstrategist

I’ve hired over 1,000 people, sat through 10,000+ interviews, and here’s the biggest lesson: Great leaders don’t just hire well. They build systems that make everyone hire better. Because hiring isn’t about control. It’s about creating a process where your team can spot, nurture, and bet on the right people without second-guessing themselves. So how do you delegate hiring and make it work? Here’s what actually moves the needle: ➝ Define your non-negotiables. What values are sacred? What traits make someone the wrong fit, no matter how skilled they are? If your team can’t answer these, hiring becomes a gamble. ➝ Listen beyond words. The best candidates reveal themselves in the pauses, the hesitations, the way they handle discomfort. You’re not just looking for answers—you’re looking for how they think. ➝ Hire for trajectory, not just today. Don’t just fill a role. Find someone who will push your company forward. The best hires shape the future, not just meet the present need. ➝ Make hiring a shared responsibility. It’s not outsourcing—it’s co-creation. Bring your team into the process, teach them how to assess talent, and then trust them to do it. ➝ Raise the stakes. Hiring isn’t operational, it’s transformational. Share the stories of hires who changed the game. Make your team see why every decision matters. ➝ Keep the feedback loop alive. Delegating doesn’t mean disappearing. Debrief after every interview. Challenge assumptions. Push people to dig deeper until they feel comfortable (and competent) making those calls on their own. That’s how you build a culture where everyone raises the bar, every time. Ironically, the most important hire you’ll ever make is the person who knows how to hire. Once I stopped trying to control every step and started trusting the people around me, we found talent I never would’ve spotted on my own. That’s how you create a company stronger than anything you could build by yourself. #hiring #people #jobs #career

Here are the top secrets about how hiring decisions really get made. Most people know they need to prepare for an interview. But the best candidates learn these frameworks. The insider playbook every candidate (and company) needs: 1. STAR Framework ↳ Not just about your answers, it's how decisions get made ↳ Shows if you can drive results, not just talk about them 2. 3C Evaluation Matrix ↳ Competence: Can you elevate the role? ↳ Chemistry: Will you strengthen the team? ↳ Compatibility: Do you expand our culture? 3. 5-Level Deep Dive ↳ Each conversation reveals different strengths ↳ From core skills to growth potential ↳ Your map to proving lasting value 4. PIE Impact Score ↳ Performance that moves needles ↳ Initiative that sparks change ↳ Execution that builds legacy 5. SPICES Analysis ↳ The complete view great organizations need ↳ Because excellence comes in many forms 6. BIAS Shield ↳ How leading companies ensure fair evaluation ↳ But warning: frameworks can hide prejudice ↳ Focus on impact, not assumptions 🎯 For Candidates: These frameworks are your competitive edge. Use them to showcase your unique value. 🎯 For Companies: Your framework is only as good as your mindset: • Are you filtering out difference or mediocrity? • Do your "fit" questions measure potential or conformity? • When was the last time you hired someone who challenged your assumptions? 💡 Pro Tip: The most transformative hires often come from unexpected places. 🤔 Real Talk: • Leaders: Share a time when breaking your hiring "rules" led to an exceptional hire • Candidates: How have you stood out despite not fitting the "typical" mold? ♻️ Save this post - it might transform your next career move and don't forget to follow me Kumud Deepali R. for more insightful posts!

When I started Arcade, overnight I went from someone who had never hired anyone to constantly thinking about building high-performing teams. These are a few things that I've learned along the way. I believe that great people solve 80% of problems (and build great product and great revenue), and can significantly alter the trajectory of your company. The inverse is true: hiring the wrong people can cause damage that can take years to unwind. 𝟭. 𝗛𝗶𝗿𝗲 𝘀𝗹𝗼𝘄, 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝗲 𝗳𝗮𝘀𝘁: Being very thoughtful about WHO to hire is critical. Usually, a pain slowly emerges within the daily workflow. Solving the problem yourself is really important as a hiring manager. If you're also not doing the job frequently enough, it's a signal that it's not really a full-time role. For example, I did not hire our first sales rep until we were at $800k in ARR. Being fast to part ways is important to unwind any potential damage. While firing fast is never ideal - and should be avoided by putting in the upfront work during the interview process (see below) - there's only so much that you can learn until they're in the role. Usually, if you have questions after the first 90 days, and not improving after at least two rounds of feedback, then the person is likely not the right fit. 𝟮. 𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝗮 𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗼𝗿𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝘀𝗰𝗼𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗱: Write down the attributes and qualities of who you want to hire, and a rating system across each attribute for each interview. This needs to be super specific to the role, and interviewing the best of the best in this role can give great inputs into designing the scorecard. This also helps keep the bar high across the team and avoid changing your mind after meeting someone. 𝟯. 𝗣𝗮𝘆 𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝘂𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: Some people are better at reading people than others. While interviewing, pay attention to every signal at the potential cost of over indexing - I've picked up on issues. Typos in emails? Not going to work. Late to interviews? If they're late to interviews, why would they be on time in the role? Rude to the waiter during lunch? Matter of time before they will treat your team the same. Blaming everyone else but themselves for past mistakes? They'll likely say the same about you when the next challenge comes. If there's a doubt about a person, don't hire. 𝟰. 𝗜𝗻𝘃𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝗼𝗻𝗯𝗼𝗮𝗿𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗴𝗼𝗮𝗹𝘀: This step is glossed over too often, but if you bring in top 1% talent and don't give them context or upfront education, they are not set up to succeed. Studies have shown that rigorous and thoughtful onboarding can extend retention by 2x. I've learned a lot over the years and believe that learning to hire well is one of the most, if not the most, critical part of team building.

Want to improve your hiring decisions? Every time you hire someone, write down: - Your hiring thesis: Why did you hire this person for this role? - Your performance expectation: What does the expected performance look like in the context of the job, team, and company? - Your stretch scenario: What would it look like if they exceeded your expectations? - Your risk triggers: What signs would suggest the hire isn't yielding the intended value -- and how quickly will you take action? - The employee's potential: What role(s)/level(s) do you believe the employee can develop towards and perform highly in, in the next 5 years? Over time, this data, when reviewed and acted on, sharpens your hiring judgment and helps you calibrate faster. If you found value in this post, let me know by commenting, sharing it, or tagging a colleague who can benefit from this post. #talentmanagement #hr #humanresources #hiring