I'm stuck in a Marvel hole
And I don't want to get out
Imagine starting a comic book company in 1939 and almost 100 years later a random black girl is sitting in her room for twelve hours binge watching your multi-billion dollar content on Disney +. It’s kind of amazing. The lesson? Hire Stan Lee.
For those of us who cannot hire Stan Lee, hiring is tough. My friend Russ seems to be amazing at it since he has, at some point in his timeline, hired most of the greatest people I have ever met. But we can’t all be Russ. Believe me, I’ve tried. So what is there for the rest of us?
As someone who has been hiring people for a long time now, I can tell you that you are never going to get it right every time, but with experience you’ll get better and better. Oh and everyone has different opinions about the best way to do it. For example, I never call references. I have been asked to be someone’s fake reference often enough to know that they’re bullshit. Who is going to put someone down as their reference who they don’t know for sure is going to say great things about them?
But, I have also been called enough about former employees who were dumb enough to put their time working for me on their resumes to know that calling the former employees who are not listed as references can be a huge key. Sometimes they rave and rave about how amazing that person was and how much they miss them. Other times… they do not.
I’m also big on having multiple people on the team with different personalities and responsibilities interview each candidate. If you don’t have a big team, this is a good time to call your Russ and ask them if they wouldn’t mind helping you out. I also try to be as honest as possible about what the job really looks like every day. The more you can prepare people for the truth, the less likely they are to be surprised (then again, when people are interviewing they’ll say yes to everything and then be surprised anyways).
Once they’re hired, a trial period can be really valuable for both parties. After a few months, both of you will know if it’s a fit or not. You can do all of the above things and 100 others and you will still, more often than you’d like, hire the wrong person. So give yourself an out.
If you’re reading this and you’re on the other side? Be honest, with yourself and your potential employer. Listen for red flags (ask about hot button topics like maternity leave or salary transparency). If they call the workplace a family, say the words “culture fit”, or even think about using the word “hustle” run, don’t walk. Turn off that Zoom like your life depends on it.
Talk to other employees if you can, but stay away from the Glassdoors of the world. The only people who write on those are disgruntled employees and HR departments. You want something in the middle. No job is perfect (unless you’re an astronaut) and you want to hear the highs and lows from someone who is realistic about it.
I have no idea where these little pearls came from, except that it has been a busy quarter of hiring for me, but there it is. Take it or leave it. You probably shouldn’t be listening to me anyways.
Watch (There are a lot. Hashtag golden age):
The Dropout (Hulu)- Amanda Seyfried has channeled Elizabeth Holmes and I am both freaking out and loving every second of it.
Last Night in Soho (Rent)- This was the great Diana Rigg’s last movie and boy do I hope I go out like this.
Joe vs Carole (Peacock)- This show is really bad but Kyle MacLachlan gets into some background shenanigans that almost make it worth watching.
Penny Dreadful: City of Angels (Showtime)- I was trapped in Austin for two days and I spent one of them watching this. I’m pretty sure it would be good even if you were free to leave your location.
Bad Vegan (Netflix)- If you ever wondered if it was possible to have a one person cult, this will answer that question.
Listen:
White Vault (podcast)- This is an interesting pod about a… ok I can’t explain it but explorers encounter a… thing and stuff happens and then continues to happen for several seasons. It’s great for a long car ride.
Alex Goldman, Demon Hunter: Reply All (podcast)- Reply All is always solving super fun mini internet mysteries and this one was great.
Beditation- Donna D’Cruz- I love listening to this meditation album before bed, especially when I just finished bingeing a gory true crime docu and want to go to avoid nightmares.
Read:
Revelator (book)- This Appalachian Gothic post-war novel is fascinating and features a lot of moonshine.
The Plot (book)- A book about the plot of another book. But good. This is a fun beach read.