Since I’ve joined Blendle we’ve grown from 14 to over a 100 people. I had the honor to talk with lots of the new guys and hire a bunch of them. You might be in a position as well where you interview people for various positions.

Couple of things I learned in this process, which might be helpful for you:

Number 1: This is said so often, but at the same time is crazy difficult: only hire the really good people. Especially when things are super busy, people will start to push for “hands”. Just get some guys in here to do the easy work. Don’t give in.

Number 2: Take the time. The hiring process can take a long time and because of this, you might be tempted to give in and just decide to go for it. Don’t do it: hopefully you’re getting into a really long lasting, productive relationship together. It is worth 30 more minutes of your time to make a good decision.

Number 3: Never decide alone. Get multiple people to interview and don’t interview at the same time. You’ll waste your time waiting and listening to the questions your colleague asks. Give ratings individually afterwards and compare notes. Be strict. If you’re in doubt, say no.

Number 4: Start prepared. I’ve had a couple of interviews where I was really underprepared. It is unprofessional, flat out lazy and unproductive. For each position you’re interviewing for, build a set of questions around a framework you ask every time. Take 30 minutes to research what you really want to know. Evaluate your questions after each interview and refine.

Number 5: Don’t be afraid to interrupt if the answer is heading in the wrong direction. This is probably the only conversation where I believe it is okay to not always wait politely until the end of a really longwinded answer which is not going in the right direction. You probably have between 30 minutes and 1 hour, so make it count.

Happy chatting! By the way, if you’re up for it, we’re hiring too.