<aside> ❗ Note: This section is primarily meant for hiring managers from within Talented

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‘A great workplace is stunning colleagues.’ Reed Hastings

One of our early ambitions at Talented is to be a workplace with an enviously high talent density. A workplace where you’re surrounded by the best, automatically catapults your already good work to an entirely different level. High performance is after all, contagious. More importantly, working with really talented colleagues who are exceptionally creative, collaborative and who accomplish significant amounts of important work is key to making work exciting, inspiring and fun.

Which is why it’s so surprising that most companies suck at hiring. We’ve been guilty of it too. Managers often treat it like a low priority activity - something that you fit in around your regular schedule when you get an odd 30 minutes before lunch.

We believe that the way any company hires is a great signal for how it would be like to actually work there. So, at Talented, hiring has to be the most important part of our jobs and will be considered a significant part of the KRA for all team leads. Attracting new talented colleagues to our already high talent density environment, simply makes us better. We have a responsibility towards each other to be stunningly good at our jobs and for every new colleague who walks in, to raise our overall average.

Great teams are more than the assembly of great people. Great teams are grown, not gathered. They're made through endless iteration of roles, cultures, structures, and tackling issues whenever they emerge. The only way to build a great team is through endless optimisation of how a team works together. Look for new additions that improve you and your team. Those who may add that little extra or brings an entirely new skillset to your already amazing group.

At the same time, we want to be betting on people with potentially incredible growth trajectories, not just an impressive portfolio and past accomplishments. As more talent joins us, always be looking to optimise for the team, not for individuals. ****

The hiring process itself will be something we continually spend a lot of time and energy on to get right. Internal sessions on our approach to hiring, interviews and talent acquisition philosophy will be held for all team leads and hiring managers frequently to determine how we can get better at the most important part of our jobs - hiring.

What we look for

While extending an opportunity to someone to work with us, here are some factors we have a special bias for.

• Initiative & skill set over experience: We hire for initiative over experience. We are not résumé snobs, neither do we indiscriminately favour people with industry pedigree. We believe that smart people with initiative will always exceed our expectations. Which means, when we assess you it will always be skill set first, experience second.
• “Yes! And…”: In the improv comedy world, there’s a principle called “Yes! And…”. It is where comedians throw out an idea, and someone else builds on it. It allows everyone in the team to be uninhibited and vulnerable with each other - key ingredients for team building.
• Keeping it simple: We have a special bias for people who can explain even the most scientific matters in layman’s terms. Simplicity takes deep understanding and synthesis. Great thinkers are often great teachers.
• Collaboration confrontation: Endless debates help us iron out our preconceived notions, and force us to explore unpopular options. We’re looking for determined people willing to make us uncomfortable, challenge us and take up challenges.
• A commitment to craft: Commitment to craft is about taking a sense of ownership and pride in your work, to really care about everything you do including the tiny little details. And to help those around you to rise to that commitment.
• Culture-add over culture fit: We believe that hiring for a "culture fit" leads to a homogeneous team. While looking at a potential team member, we look how our values are aligned, and not for a sameness of cultural background or experience.
• Openness and transparency, always: Humble people who communicate their thought process openly and give/receive feedback in a helpful manner increase the quality of output, and build trust and mutual respect among not just coworkers, but also our clients and to the people whom we are finally creating for.

Hiring Process