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The process we use for hiring at @StrongTowns is unique, but it shouldn't be.
When people apply to work at Strong Towns, we only ask for their email address. No resume. No cover letter. No letters of recommendation. Just an email. We don't even want to know their name. (1/?)
When people apply to work at Strong Towns, we only ask for their email address. No resume. No cover letter. No letters of recommendation. Just an email. We don't even want to know their name. (1/?)
When we have all the emails we're going to get, we send the applicants an article and a set of questions. In this case it was eight. Write two headlines for the article. Write a summary. Give us two recommended photos for the article. The kind of stuff we need them to do. (2/?)
We give them five days to answer. Two out of three don't bother, but I read every single one that does. I just read and ranked all 124, as will a number of my colleagues. From this list we will whittle things down to a couple of dozen. (3/?)
They will get a second set of questions on work habits and approach. Then we'll pick a few of them to interview. It's about as blind a process as we can make it, removing as many of our own biases as possible, and it has produced fantastic results for us. (4/?)
If you're still sifting through cover letters and resumes, relying on recommendations from peers and colleagues, or picking someone based on what college they went to, you're shortchanging your organization as well as tons of highly qualified and competent people out there. (5/?)
You are way more than a resume. So is everyone else.
We consistently hire amazing people. It's not a perfect process, and we are always working to make it better, but it's an earnest attempt to remove our personal blinders and get at what really matters. (6/?)
We consistently hire amazing people. It's not a perfect process, and we are always working to make it better, but it's an earnest attempt to remove our personal blinders and get at what really matters. (6/?)
I share this because I want other people to copy the approach. There is a lot of amazing talent sidelined because they lack the resume or connections to stand out. Finding them is our Moneyball innovation. I would love all nonprofits and small businesses to benefit from it. (7/7)
