For companies in growth mode, hiring becomes the killer combination of absolutely critical and really hard to get right. In the course of supporting recruiting at hundreds of companies, we’ve learned how to hire well, along with some classic mistakes to avoid. In this webcast, you'll learn: - Why it's time to blow up your job descriptions - Where to source candidates (beyond the obvious places) - How to make hiring a strategic priority internally These, along with 10 other hacks, will help you learn how to hire the right talent to fuel your company's growth. To hear more great tips, join us on the Talent Connect livestream October 5th-7th, 2016: http://bit.ly/2cflYPK

1. Hiring for Scale
13 hacks in 30 minutes
Leela Srinivasan, CMO
#HireToWin

2. NEWSFLASH: we are still in a candidate-driven
market
@leelasrin @lever Source: MRINetwork, May 2016

3. BEFORE WE PLUNGE
IN...
#HireToWin

4. Blow up your job
descriptions.
HACK #1:
@leelasrin @lever

5. Most job descriptions are a combo of
depressing and ridiculous.
Source: Twitter @_vicksolo via Buzzfeed
@leelasrin @lever

6. What will your new hire:
- Own?
- Teach?
- Learn?
- Improve?
What will they actually do?
@leelasrin @lever
Forget Job Descriptions,
Create Impact
Descriptions

7. Interview like you
mean it.
HACK #2:
@leelasrin @lever

8. Instead of this... … try this
Depressing, unrealistic
job description
Inspiring role profile with
sufficient context
Specific,
complementary areas
to delve into
Little to no guidance to
every interviewer
Evaluating whether their
skills and experience
raise the bar
@leelasrin @lever
Deciding if you’d enjoy
having a beer with a
candidate

9. Use technology to create a more consistent
process
@leelasrin @lever

10. Get your candidates
comfortable.
HACK #3:
@leelasrin @lever

11. Interviewing should not feel like this.
@leelasrin @lever

12. Simulate the work environment
“Put your candidates in the position that is most
similar to their actual working environment: at home
and with a computer, not in front of a white board
doing coding challenges.”
- Chris Shaw, Director of Talent at Meteor
@leelasrin @lever

13. Source beyond
the obvious places.
HACK #4:
@leelasrin @lever

14. Hiring has changed quite a bit.
@leelasrin @lever

15. 10 fresh talent sources
1. AngelList
2. GitHub, StackOverflow
3. Dribbble
4. Sourcing.io
5. Conference speaker lists
6. App stores
7. Quora
8. Amazon book reviews
9. Personal blogs
10.Meetup.com (and actual MeetUps)
@leelasrin @lever

16. Don’t give up on top
prospects so easily.
HACK #5:
@leelasrin @lever

17. Build relationships, don’t push jobs - and
adjust approach based on (non-)responses
Scenario 1:
no response
Scenario 2:
timing is off
● Try them again (politely)
● And again (politely)
● If you prod politely, you
may guilt them into a
response
● You may also get a
referral
● They decline: Find out why
- then follow up in the
logical timeframe (e.g.,
post-bonus or vesting cliff)
● You fill the position: Tag the
candidate so you can find
them 3, 6, 9 months from
now when the next role
opens up
@leelasrin @lever

18. Make LinkedIn your
employer brand machine.
HACK #6:
@leelasrin @lever

19. FACT
The whole world is checking
out your LinkedIn profile. And
the profiles of your employees.
10,000 employees x 250 unique, non-employee 1st degree connections = 2. 5 million
engagement opportunities

20. vs.
Employee connections on LinkedIn beat
Company Page followers by a mile
at least 18x
the 1st degree footprint
@leelasrin @lever

21. We gave our team guardrails - but we also let
them (and wanted them to) be themselves
@leelasrin @lever

22. 80 percent of our team overhauled their
profiles
“At Lever we really walk the
talk when it comes to talent.
We put a ton of thought into
how we hire and onboard
people, as well as how we
help them grow in their
careers
@leelasrin @lever
“I used to think being a woman in
tech meant simply accepting and
overcoming aggressive
workplaces… At Lever, I am
thrilled to be an integral piece of a
diverse, inclusive, engaged, and
impassioned team.”

23. Turn your newest hires
into evangelists.
HACK #7:
@leelasrin @lever

24. It is literally never too early to get
your people fired up.
@leelasrin @lever

25. “Call and coffee” your
referrals.
HACK #8:
@leelasrin @lever

26. Get to precious referrals, fast and in
person
“Double down on any referred candidates. Don’t
take a ‘we’ll get to them if they’re qualified’
mentality. Call and coffee them.”
- Jer Langhans, co-founder, Paired Sourcing
@leelasrin @lever

27. Internally, talk about hiring.
All.The.Time.
HACK #9:
@leelasrin @lever

28. Showcase hiring like you
showcase sales wins
Source jam in progress Slack erupts with each new hire

29. Get feedback from people
who didn’t make it.
HACK #10:
@leelasrin @lever

30. Learn from everyone who goes through
your hiring process
“We used to run NPS surveys among candidates that
we didn’t hire - and then ask follow-up questions to
find out how we could improve our candidate
experience .”
- Kirsti Grant, CEO & Co-Founder, Populate;
former VP Talent, Vend
@leelasrin @lever

31. Reference-check
your heart out.
HACK #11:
@leelasrin @lever

32. Do not under any circumstance
short-change reference checking
Don’t Do
● Rely solely on references
provided by the candidate
● Let the reference drive the
call
● Expect the reference to
proactively raise negative
points
● Find other references who
are mutual connections
● Lead the call; probe for
exact details on the
candidate’s achievements
● Find ways to frame
‘weakness’ questions to
get accurate answers
Recommended reading from Josh Hannah: bit.ly/reference-checking
With thanks to
David Skok of
Matrix Partners

33. Seed diversity & inclusion
early. Never let up.
HACK #12:
@leelasrin @lever

34. D&I is really hard. Smaller companies can
take more radical approaches.
The “guys” jar The “no resume”
campaign
The diversity
dashboard
@leelasrin @lever

35. celebrate and empower your D&I
ambassadors.
@leelasrin @lever

36. LinkedIn and Medium had measurable
impact
@leelasrin @lever

37. Invest in the tools
to do it right.
HACK #13:
@leelasrin @lever

38. Other functions are way better at
equipping themselves to manage leads
@leelasrin @lever business.linkedin.com lever.co

39. #1 Blow up your job descriptions.
#2 Interview like you mean it.
#3 Get your candidates comfortable.
#4 Source beyond the obvious places.
#5 Don’t give up on top prospects so easily.
#6 Make LinkedIn your employer brand machine.
#7 Turn your newest hires into evangelists.
#8 “Call and coffee” your referrals.
#9 Internally, talk about hiring. All. The. Time.
#10 Get feedback from people who didn’t make it.
#11 Reference-check your heart out.
#12 Seed diversity & inclusion early. Never let up.
#13 Invest in the tools to do it right.
Thank you!
Questions?
@leelasrin @lever
www.linkedin.com/in/leelasrinivasan
leela@lever.co

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LinkedIn Talent Solutions offers a full range of recruiting solutions to
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#HireToWin

41. #HireToWin