Finding and Hiring Rockstars. I need advice.

[Vadim26]

I have been using the following approach lately, and it's been working quite well for me.
I am curious to know as to what you do differently compared to my approach in the process of hiring.

This is exactly what I do when I am looking to make a hire on UpWork (whether it will be for an engineer/artist/marketer):

PROCESS

1) Create a detailed job description outlining what exactly needs to be done;
2) Include deadlines / final deliverables;
3) Add specific questions (at least 3);
4) Mention my good reviews on Upwork;
5) Mention generous salary and long-term project (of course, if it is one).

• I like to make my job postings as detailed and as long as possible;
• I throw small tasks in the posting between the lines (write "x" in the end of your application) to see who has read the whole thing;
• I make my questions as specific as possible and ask freelancers to include work examples;
• I never share a salary first.

After the job posting is LIVE:

- I let the job posting sit for a few days and collect applications.
- I use the FREE "20 invites" I get per posting and try to find candidates myself.
- Some freelancers reject the invitation, so I am able to reuse it. I keep inviting people until I run out of invitations.

Screening:

> Round 1 - "First Glance"

I look over applications and immediately weed out applicants who either failed to answer my questions, include relevant work examples, or didn't follow basic instructions.

> Round 2 - "Closer look"

I carefully go over each application and compare it to my job requirements. Just following intuition and common sense at this point.
* Are they really a good fit?
* Do I like their work examples?
* How relevant is their experience?

> Round 3 - "Interviewing"

Over the span of several days, I chat with selected applicants.
I take notes on how long they take to respond.
I take notes on how lengthy/detailed their replies are (detailed = more effort they are willing to put).


Finally, I hire the person who has put the most effort into getting the job, proved himself to be skilled, followed all the instructions, nice to chat with, and within my budget.

How do you hire and screen?
Share your tips, tricks and strategies.

 

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[Wil22]

ike

I have been using the following approach lately, and it's been working quite well for me.
I am curious to know as to what you do differently compared to my approach in the process of hiring.

This is exactly what I do when I am looking to make a hire on UpWork (whether it will be for an engineer/artist/marketer):

PROCESS

1) Create a detailed job description outlining what exactly needs to be done;
2) Include deadlines / final deliverables;
3) Add specific questions (at least 3);
4) Mention my good reviews on Upwork;
5) Mention generous salary and long-term project (of course, if it is one).

• I like to make my job postings as detailed and as long as possible;
• I throw small tasks in the posting between the lines (write "x" in the end of your application) to see who has read the whole thing;
• I make my questions as specific as possible and ask freelancers to include work examples;
• I never share a salary first.

After the job posting is LIVE:

- I let the job posting sit for a few days and collect applications.
- I use the FREE "20 invites" I get per posting and try to find candidates myself.
- Some freelancers reject the invitation, so I am able to reuse it. I keep inviting people until I run out of invitations.

Screening:

> Round 1 - "First Glance"

I look over applications and immediately weed out applicants who either failed to answer my questions, include relevant work examples, or didn't follow basic instructions.

> Round 2 - "Closer look"

I carefully go over each application and compare it to my job requirements. Just following intuition and common sense at this point.
* Are they really a good fit?
* Do I like their work examples?
* How relevant is their experience?

> Round 3 - "Interviewing"

Over the span of several days, I chat with selected applicants.
I take notes on how long they take to respond.
I take notes on how lengthy/detailed their replies are (detailed = more effort they are willing to put).


Finally, I hire the person who has put the most effort into getting the job, proved himself to be skilled, followed all the instructions, nice to chat with, and within my budget.

How do you hire and screen?
Share your tips, tricks and strategies.

Hi Vadim26,
My business helps SMBs select the best-fit candidates by using a behavioral assessment. Why is this important in the hiring process? Because it uncovers the individual's tendencies, traits, and personalities necessary to succeed in the role with a prediction of an 80% success rate. It reveals characteristics (depending on the position) like ambition, drive, loyalty, trust, integrity, interest in learning, detail orientation etc. This tool can be used for contract workers and new employee applicants in conjunction with a background search and reference checking.
If the system you use is working for you, then stick with it; however, if the position is critical to your business growth, like sales or C-Suite position (among others), I recommend you take a closer look. If you would like more information on hiring or using assessments, I am happy to help. will@harley-consulting.com

 

[Michael Burgess]

Another option is to find employees already working for another company and poach them? Not that I've had great experience finding reliable and ambitious employees, but could be worth a try.

 

[deeptib]

If your business' process and systems are good you won't need rockstars, you'l only need ordinary hardworking people.

As a developer, I steer way clear of people who ask me to be a rockstar. What that says to me is: 'I want you to be an exceptional leader, so I don't need to take the lead. Oh, and I'll let any of your coworkers take the lead and do whatever they want as long as I don't have to lead.'

No thanks- if I have to be an employee I wanna work for a leader who owns the responsibility of creating a well functioning team. A team that executes without anyone needing to be a rockstar.

 

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[Jon L]

I've not hired anyone for a while from Upwork, but the only thing I'd add to that is to hire them for a short, initial project first. Let them know that this is a trial project and if things go well, then more work will be forthcoming.

I've hired a few people on Upwork that were amazing. I've also hired some people that looked amazing, but weren't.

 

[kleine2]

I have been using the following approach lately, and it's been working quite well for me.
I am curious to know as to what you do differently compared to my approach in the process of hiring.

This is exactly what I do when I am looking to make a hire on UpWork (whether it will be for an engineer/artist/marketer):

PROCESS

1) Create a detailed job description outlining what exactly needs to be done;
2) Include deadlines / final deliverables;
3) Add specific questions (at least 3);
4) Mention my good reviews on Upwork;
5) Mention generous salary and long-term project (of course, if it is one).

• I like to make my job postings as detailed and as long as possible;
• I throw small tasks in the posting between the lines (write "x" in the end of your application) to see who has read the whole thing;
• I make my questions as specific as possible and ask freelancers to include work examples;
• I never share a salary first.

After the job posting is LIVE:

- I let the job posting sit for a few days and collect applications.
- I use the FREE "20 invites" I get per posting and try to find candidates myself.
- Some freelancers reject the invitation, so I am able to reuse it. I keep inviting people until I run out of invitations.

Screening:

> Round 1 - "First Glance"

I look over applications and immediately weed out applicants who either failed to answer my questions, include relevant work examples, or didn't follow basic instructions.

> Round 2 - "Closer look"

I carefully go over each application and compare it to my job requirements. Just following intuition and common sense at this point.
* Are they really a good fit?
* Do I like their work examples?
* How relevant is their experience?

> Round 3 - "Interviewing"

Over the span of several days, I chat with selected applicants.
I take notes on how long they take to respond.
I take notes on how lengthy/detailed their replies are (detailed = more effort they are willing to put).


Finally, I hire the person who has put the most effort into getting the job, proved himself to be skilled, followed all the instructions, nice to chat with, and within my budget.

How do you hire and screen?
Share your tips, tricks and strategies.

I create a small sample job ($20-50). I hire 3 people to do the exact same job and compare the results.
I find very often the person that is most responsive and completes the job the fastest is the best candidate.
Many people there also have regular jobs which makes them less available and not as invested (hence slower response and turnaround).

 

[Phikey]

Upwork can be great but remember that it’s a market. There’s supply and demand. I’ve found great team members there but they’re often more expensive because they also have more jobs to choose from.

Some of the best and most ‘economic’ hires have been through less-competitive mediums. Places where there’s massive supply and little demand. A lot of skilled people congregating and few people hiring.

A common hiring funnel I’ll run is:
Facebook group > engaging video about the job > google form > 30 minute interview (vetting for cultural fit) > 3 day intensive paid trial > 1 hour interview > hired.

Here’s an example video I made when I was hiring a new PPC manager last yr:

Having a video advertising the job has drawn in WAY higher quality talent than just a text job posting. Seriously. No one does this and it’s so easy and gets way better results.

@Simon Angel I don’t know if you’re at the hiring stage just yet but this could be helpful.

 

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[Vadim26]

Thank you for your replies, everyone.

I posted this thread before I was gonna post a job posting on UpWork. I will implement some of the tips you posted here guys. I am not looking for C-suite people or anything like that lol, just freelancers. I am a 1-man business

Another option is to find employees already working for another company and poach them? Not that I've had a great experience finding reliable and ambitious employees, but could be worth a try.

This might be worth trying again, thank you.

I am looking for a very specific skillset, so reaching someone on LinkedIn who works / ed for a company that makes similar products to mine could work.

Upwork can be great but remember that it’s a market. There’s supply and demand. I’ve found great team members there but they’re often more expensive because they also have more jobs to choose from.

Some of the best and most ‘economic’ hires have been through less-competitive mediums. Places where there’s massive supply and little demand. A lot of skilled people congregating and few people hiring.

A common hiring funnel I’ll run is:
Facebook group > engaging video about the job > google form > 30 minute interview (vetting for cultural fit) > 3 day intensive paid trial > 1 hour interview > hired.

Here’s an example video I made when I was hiring a new PPC manager last yr:

Having a video advertising the job has drawn in WAY higher quality talent than just a text job posting. Seriously. No one does this and it’s so easy and gets way better results.

@Simon Angel I don’t know if you’re at the hiring stage just yet but this could be helpful.

Wow, this is something I haven't considered. Very cool approach!
I am going to try this too.

 

[Wil22]

Another option is to find employees already working for another company and poach them? Not that I've had a great experience finding reliable and ambitious employees, but could be worth a try.

Be cautious here. I coach, manage, and am a consultant for those who want to improve their hiring processes. Two of the biggest hiring problems I witness come with family/friends hiring and second, hiring a salesperson, in particular, from your competitor. Rarely does the new hire work out, produce much, and (in my experience) over the long term never works out.

 

[lukemiller01]

Given the circumstances of the world due to the pandemic, hiring can be difficult. Especially when it comes to trustworthy contractors and freelancers.

From my experience, despite plenty of marketplaces to look for talent, it's gotten harder to find trustworthy expertise and quality help for short term jobs. There's still too much overhead and inconsistency to rely on third party marketplaces.

In my opinion, the best place to hire contractors and freelancers are through using the network you already have. Recently, my solution to hiring is through AskFora, where you describe what you need, and AskFora then helps find qualified people from your network. With AskFora, a client can find a contractor, get their job done, and pay them, all in the same day. I highly recommend it. If you have a chance to check it out, I'd be curious to get your thoughts on how it works for you

 

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