How Are Companies in Silicon Valley Hiring?
The job market is hot. This is especially true in Silicon Valley where every company - big and small - is looking to hire top talent.
How do they do it?
Fred Ngo, co-Founder of Standout Jobs acted as roving reporter at the TechCrunch 9 Party asking people for their best hiring stories and biggest challenges in recruiting top talent.
The results are quite interesting…
My favorite stories come from Emmett Shear at Justin.tv and Dick Hardt, Founder of Sxip.
Yeah that’s a cool story from Dick. He seems like a pretty congenial guy. He should have hired me back in the day…
Mat - What happened? Do tell!
Some people might think Dick’s approach is silly, and maybe to a certain extent it is, but if it’s representative of the company’s culture then I’m all for the approach he’s taken.
I believe in Justin.tv’s philosophy get them young, smart and talented and mold them. The young ones have not been tainted and are not set in their ways.
Amit - Thanks for stopping by and commenting.
Generally, I’d say most companies feel that way: go for young, smart and talented people, even if they’re inexperienced.
Most startup founders are just the same - brilliant, fun guys right out of school.
Hiring: Silicon Valley Style…
Interviews on how to hire in Silicon Valley. I especially like Guy Kawasaki’s comment - “the key to getting great people to work for you is to have a great product. That is why Google does so well. That is why Apple does so well.”…
I have to agree with Curious Cat / Guy Kawasaki Product or service is Key. without a great product or service the perks will not have a long lasting effect. On top of it, loyalty to the company I feel will be jeopardized if it’s employees feel they the product or service is worth nothing…
just my 2 cents..
Hugo - I agree. Without a great product it’s hard to keep employees interested and challenged.
At the same time, great product isn’t enough. There are plenty of examples of superior products falling to the wayside because of better marketing, better attention to customers, etc.
A lot of great products never make it because they don’t have the necessary push — and I’d say the same holds true when hiring. Lots of interesting companies who don’t generate the right attention, don’t have a solid enough employer brand to get people hooked.