117: Hiring “A” Players (Part 1)

Developing a Hiring Process to Build a Winning Team

What does hiring “A” players actually mean? 

In this podcast, Devin sits down with the newest Axiom team member, Shannon, and they talk through what the hiring process for hiring a “A” player really means, from the perspective of someone who was hired following the process that Axiom lays out for all of their clients. 

The key for hiring this person is making sure that this person is a culture fit before anything else. In order to do this, we split up the interviews into distinct milestones, starting with a phone screening and ending with a dinner with Joey + Josie. 

Shannon’s perspective on the interview process is simple: ask questions, make sure the candidate is also asking questions, and remember that these should be a back and forth type of conversation, not just you (the employer) asking questions and pulling information. These interviews can be long or short, there’s no hard and fast rule, but be open to all options. 

One of the unique pieces of the Axiom hiring process, according to Shannon, is that they truly live out each of their core values; Care, Truth, Diligence, and Learning. Throughout the interview process, it was very evident to her that they were truly assessing whether or not her character was in line with the values that Axiom lives by. 

It is important to remember that it’s natural to be concerned about the length of the interview process, but a rule of thumb is that adding to your team quickly isn’t going to do anything to help your overwhelmed team members, because those three people who are overwhelmed with tasks are now just going to be overwhelmed with tasks and having to try and navigate a potentially wrong culture fit hire, while also training that person on what they should be doing. It is much better to take your time and find that character fit that will add longevity to your team, even if it takes a little bit longer than you’d prefer. 

Tune into the episode to hear more of the conversation, and be sure to tune into Part 2!