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We hire people based on enthusiasm, general intelligence (you can usually tell after a few minutes) and a low level of demonstrated proficiency - we'll ask them
by tastybites 16y ago
We hire people based on enthusiasm, general intelligence (you can usually tell after a few minutes) and a low level of demonstrated proficiency - we'll ask them to explain a code sample they wrote, or ask for a verbal description of how to solve a problem. We choose the person we like best, and if they don't work out after 2 weeks we fire them.
Hot seat quizzing produces way too many false negatives. We are not google. We can't do 5+ rounds in search of yeoman geniuses. We have to spend time making money. Some companies don't seem to have this inconvenient little problem, but we do.
And besides, most of our hires have come from existing networks where none of this is even necessary. Having an extensive professional network should be a feature of anyone you consider bringing on as founder or employee or contractor.
- shortlived 16y agoAre there laws that allow/prevent the 2 week trial period for a business?
- tastybites 16y agoNot in California. It's called contract-to-hire usually.
- chollida1 16y agoI'm Canadian, but here most, almost all, companies have a 3 month window in which a new hire can be let go without severance.
- JoachimSchipper 16y agoThis is allowed in the Netherlands, and I'd wager in most European countries.
- evilduck 16y agoMost US states are at-will employment, allowing anyone to be fired at any time, for no reason at all. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/At-will_employment http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/At-will_employment Fun fact, many anti-discrimination laws in the US don't apply to companies with less than 15 employees.
- dalore 16y agoEven if it's not allowed, you could always hire the person on a contract basis for the trial period. Then offer a full employment agreement after that.