[Guide] Product hiring framework

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Topic

LeadershipProduct Management

Type

Guide

Here is a framework that I used to hire Product people across different disciplines (design, analytics, BI) and levels (from juniors to seniors). It is based on an article from Marc Andreessen's blog that was posted 6 June 2007.

Sidenote: Read old blog posts. I find a lot of value in old articles. I find them less sales-oriented, with deeper meanings and value that lasts. This is not applied to all but there are some great old articles that you should not miss. Check my knowledge base and you will find plenty of them.

Inspired by this article:

Pmarchive · How to hire the best people you've ever worked with

There are many aspects to hiring great people, and various people smarter than me have written extensively on the topic. So I'm not going to try to be comprehensive. But I am going to relay some lessons learned through hard experience on how to hire the best people you've ever worked with-particularly for a startup.

pmarchive.com

How should I choose the right candidate?

In order to choose the right candidate, you need to define what you really want. You should take into consideration the following:

[Desired professional level] Do you seek junior, middle, senior or leadership position?
[Mindset & Sense] Do you seek someone to focus on commercial & customer problems? Someone to optimize your planning process or someone to get shit done?
[Skillset] Does the team need someone to inspire them, help them deliver more or give them the right direction?
[Business maturity] Is this a new business vertical? A mature business function? A bet?
[Team maturity] Is this a team full of experienced developers? Does the team have designers?
[Stakeholders maturity] What does the business expect from Product team? To deliver more? To deliver better solutions?

Once you have all the above clarified, you can develop a profile that consists of personality traits & desired skills. Based on this you will craft your job description.

You have to choose no more than 9-10 key areas. The reason behind this number, is that the more the areas, the “thinner” the examination.

Since interview time & resources are limited, you have to focus your energy on specific areas that you would like to explore, rather than randomly checking facts & past experience from the candidate.

[Personality] Hiring Pillars

These questions should not necessarily be answered directly. It’s better to ask for specific examples around these topics. Examples can be based on past experience or can be theoretical based on recent trends or best practice. The examples will help you understand if the candidate has the right mindset & attitude in place.

Drive

➕ Do you want to become top PM%?

➕ Are you disciplined enough?

➕ Are you motivated enough?

Curiosity

➕ Do you have the necessary analytical thinking skills to take the right decisions?

➕ Do you love your craft?

➕ Are you creative enough?

➕ Did you just launch a product feature or you are proud of it?

Ethics

➕ Do you like transparent communication?

➕ Do you have the resilience to overcome potential obstacles without whining and drama?

➕ Are you a team player?

➕ Are you a culture fit for the team?

💡

If you are super-scrupulous about your hiring process, you’ll still have maybe a 70% success rate of a new person really working out—if you’re lucky.

And that’s for individual contributors.

If you’re hiring executives, you’ll probably only have a 50% success rate.

That’s life. (source)

[Skillset] Hiring Pillars

Product Sense

➕ Do you (deeply) care about your customers?

➕ Do you care about UX? What’s the best product out there and why?

➕ Can you collaborate with designers?

➕ Are you data-informed?

Analytical Sense

➕ Can you plan effectively?

➕ Can you prioritize effectively?

➕ Can you manage your stakeholders?

➕ Can you prioritize your time?

Execution Sense

➕ Do you have the right technical skills?

➕ Are you a builder?

➕ Do you care about delivery?

➕ Can you collaborate with developers?

[Leadership] Hiring Pillar

➕ Do you like managerial or individual contributor activities?

➕ Can you effectively manage conflicts?

➕ Do you care about your people?

➕ Can you craft & implement the Product strategy of the next day of your product?

In summary, this comprehensive framework for hiring product professionals is a strategic blend of industry insights and practical considerations, influenced by Marc Andreessen's wisdom and personal experience.

It emphasizes a meticulous approach to defining candidate requirements, focusing on a blend of personal traits, skillsets, and alignment with the company's maturity levels in various aspects. By limiting focus areas to a manageable number, the framework ensures a thorough evaluation process, tailored to find individuals who not only meet the job's technical demands but also resonate with the organizational culture and ethos.