Interviewing: Finding Your People
Part of Helia’s Interviewing Series
Summary:
The team is the foundation of all your things - and getting hiring right makes the difference. Here’s Helia’s quick take on things we’ve learned about what really matters - getting the proper role at the right level, aligning the why, AND going deep on defining and finding “your people”. Very much a personal take!
What’s in it for you:
You are hiring folks - either for the first or umpteenth time - and want to get it “right”
You want to figure out what getting it “right” actually means!
You’re looking to redefine what hiring looks and feels like - and want some grounding to build from
Helia’s Perspective
Teams are the most important thing - not just because of what gets done, but HOW we go about it, and who we get to spend time with, and what that time and work feels like. Note that I said might be the most important thing because, well, on different days my answer might vary - and this will always be up there. A lot of how a team looks and feels comes in the day-to-day of the culture and the management and the communication and how the org runs(!), a lot also comes down to WHO you have on your team. And thus, the importance of interviewing and getting it “right”. Here are some of the things I’ve learned/my story - most definitely not all the way right and representative of a lot of experiences, good and bad, and everything in between!
Story
I honestly believe I'm really, really good at hiring. AND, I’ve had some epic fails.
I’ve hired and onboarded 20+ folks in one month to get ready for a new school year, looked for over a year for a “unicorn” because I just knew they were out there (the first candidate I met didn’t work out AND was perfect so I kept holding out hope), hired folks I knew were wrong because I got ahead of myself, selected folks for interviews based on having really cool names (you had to be there - and Sloane Flashman says it all!).
While my preference is to hire entirely based on my intuition(!) - I’ve learned that there are REALLY good reasons we have multiple folks interview candidates, use rubrics, follow processes, and… the list goes on and on. I won’t pretend to know it all or be an expert - and here are just a few of the lessons I’ve learned that make a HUGE difference.
My daughter Nat (16!) at an Angel City football game! Nat has sat in on a LOT of my interviews over the years (pandemic, driving to/from school, etc.) - and is now a VERY savvy interviewer.
What this Looks Like in Practice
This isn’t about a perfect process -it’s about thinking through all the things ahead of time that need thinking about so you KNOW going in what you’re looking for - and then having the patience to go for it (—and trusting yourself and your team along the way!).
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There's always pressure to hire for what we need right here, right now. But that's just a tiny drop of the challenge at hand. We need a year or two or even three that we want to build towards/focus on. Basically, think beyond today and hire for your tomorrow!!!!!
Example - the CEO needs more administrative support. Do you want to hire an EA or Ops Manager or Chief of Staff, OR take it all the way to a Deputy Director to really hold some of the work? It's easy to slot into one of these - or to write a job description that's just what feels the most painful in the moment (could someone PLEASE organize the calendar and take notes/send out next steps from meetings). And, you do NOT want to hire a CoS if you need expenses coded, emails drafted, and office supplies in-house - just like you don't want an EA if what you really need is someone to help lead the team so the CEO can step away from the day-to-day.
More HERE on how we think about doing this (aka let’s go deeper!) and a quick reference guide/cheat sheet on some common levels + roles HERE.
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This is my secret and favorite thing and, well, probably the MOST important interviewing tip. Basically, the thing I’ve learned over and over and over again is that if the WHY a candidate wants the job matches with WHY our company wants + needs this role, everything works! And if there’s ever a mismatch, run fast and far. In every interview process I’m involved in, I make sure at least one of the interviews is the “WHY Interview” - AKA a wildly open-ended interview early in the process (usually just after resume review and phone screens) where I get to listen and figure out why they want this role. If it aligns with what we want… beautiful.
Do they want to get in the weeds of the work, OR lift out of it? Looking for a new challenge/to build, OR to bring things they've already learned? Manage or do? All these things have a place. Is it the right fit for the organization/this role?
I once hired two Customer Success humans - one had no experience and didn’t love people(!), but they LOVED building systems and solving problems. The other had a ton of background and could build a rapport instantly, but they wanted to chat with folks and have everything handed to them, not make things better. Our company - and our customers - needed someone who wanted to fix and build, not connect.
Match your why - and everything else works out!!!! (More on our Why Interview HERE)
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We need ALL types of skills/experience/approach/human. And there are often specific styles, approaches, mindsets, and, well, humans that will succeed at your organization in the current iteration. What does this look like???
At Think of Us: We used to look for folks that didn't say Yes (don't need lots of yes humans around/what's the point) or No (not wired that way/never move anywhere)– but instead those that asked Why and then How. We had so many ideas and opportunities that we needed the folks that would be part of making it happen.
At Rev Foods: We looked for folks who wanted to problem solve and thrived in TRICKY situations. My real life interview scenario was: How will you manage a day in the life including: (1) getting 1000 lunches to kids within two hours while our delivery truck' (whose top had been ripped off by a low tree branch!) is blocking the only way in and out (2) sourcing 15K apples for the next day that needed to be packed by 5pm AND (3) prepping a customized sales tasting for a large school district that afternoon. The folks who leaned forward in interviews and got excited thinking about it - they were in. The deer in headlights folks, this wasn’t the right moment (and we want you to come back when we figure this out!).
There’s more HERE on figuring out who will thrive. Not perfect (ever) - and a good foundation to build from!
Liz Mills, co-founder of the Helia Collective who helped envision all the things on vacation + surfing in Hawaii! She initially interviewed for the same role as me at TOU - and I then turned around and made her my first hire as the multi-faceted human who worked side by side with all of us to build the team!
Secret Sauce & Takeaways
Intuition + Structure = Magic: While your intuition is powerful (and often right!), pairing it with thoughtful structure gives you the best of both worlds. Create processes that support your gut feelings rather than replacing them.
The WHY above all else: When a candidate's motivation aligns with your needs, other gaps can be bridged. Misaligned motivation can't be fixed.
Watch for energy shifts: When does someone light up? When are they going through the motions? These often open the door for the real convo.
Think beyond today: Hire for where you want to be in 1-3 years, not just immediate pain points.
Questions to ask yourself
What work patterns, approaches, and styles actually succeed in our organization right now? What can we give to folks in terms of support? What do we need from new team members?
When did I hire against my gut feeling, and what happened? (Hint - mine have all been serious learning lessons)?
How often do my interviews reveal someone's genuine "why"? How might I create the space for candidates to show who they really are?
Want to Try This?
Templates & Guides:
The Management Center’s Hiring resource hub - including interview question toolkits, sample emails, and rubrics,
The Why Interview Guide includes my go-to questions for understanding someone's real motivation.
Recommended Reads:
Okay - hear me out! While this has NOTHING to do with interviewing, reading Predictable Revenue taught me a ton about how to think about building teams and what you need and how to put folks together. I might not be specific about this, but there’s a ton of wisdom in this case study book that helped me hone how I think about teams.
Connections:
Sophia Zisook and Nina Jacinto are two brilliant humans we know. While we haven’t worked directly with either in a consulting capacity, we LOVE how they think about the work.
We LOVE The Management Centers’ trainings generally. We haven’t taken this one specifically - but we hear GREAT things from those who have. Check out their Hiring Your Team training.
If + when you need more/don’t want to do it all on your own(!), we’ve worked with a few different recruiters and our fave, by far, is Fitzroy and Associates.
This article is Helia's perspective! We've learned the most from doing and talking with other doers willing to share their wisdom. We share these stories in the Helia Library because we don't need to start from blank pages or do it all alone.
As always, take what's helpful, leave what's not, and make it your own.
