Who - The A Method for Hiring

Geoff Smart, Randy Street

Key Facts and Insights The hiring process is crucial: The authors emphasize that the hiring process, which is often overlooked or rushed in many companies, is a critical aspect of business success. The “A Method”: Geoff Smart and Randy Street have developed a unique hiring strategy, the “A Method”, which emphasizes the importance of hiring “A Players”. Definition of “A Players”: These are the top 10% of talent available at any given pay level. They are the best in their field and bring exceptional value to a company. Four parts of the “A Method”: The method consists of Scorecard, Source, Select, and Sell steps, each of which is critical in hiring the right candidates. The Scorecard: It is a blueprint of a role, indicating what the person needs to achieve in the role, and what kind of person they need to be to succeed. The Source: This is about how to find “A Players”. They can come from networking, direct applications, or through headhunters. The Select: This phase involves a series of structured interviews to assess whether the candidate is an “A Player”. The Sell: Once the right candidate is found, the company needs to sell itself to the candidate, just as the candidate has been selling themselves to the company. Structured interviews: The authors suggest conducting a series of structured interviews, including the screening interview, the focused interview, and the reference interview. Importance of reference checks: The authors stress the importance of conducting thorough reference checks to verify the candidate’s abilities and fit for the role. In-Depth Summary and Analysis The central premise of "Who - The A Method for Hiring" by Geoff Smart and Randy Street is that the hiring process is crucial to a company's success. The authors argue that hiring the right people - or "A Players" - can make a significant difference in a company's performance. As a professor who has been dealing with human resource management and recruitment strategies for many years, I find their argument compelling and well-supported by real-life examples and cases. The "A Method" for hiring proposed by the authors is a systematic approach to hiring the best talent. It comprises four key steps: Scorecard, Source, Select, and Sell. Each step is critical and requires thought and planning. The Scorecard is essentially a detailed job description that outlines the expectations from the role and the characteristics needed to succeed in it. This approach is in line with the competency-based approach in human resource management, where the focus is on identifying and hiring individuals who possess the necessary competencies to perform a job effectively. Next, in the Source phase, the authors suggest various ways to find "A Players". This may involve networking, direct applications, or using headhunters. This emphasizes the importance of having a broad range of sourcing strategies to reach the best talent. The third step, Select, involves conducting a series of structured interviews. This starts with a screening interview, followed by focused interviews, and finally, a reference check. Each interview is designed to assess different aspects of the candidate and determine whether they are indeed an "A Player". This rigorous selection process echoes the importance of using multiple assessment methods in the selection process, a concept well-established in the field of human resource management. Finally, the Sell phase emphasizes that recruitment is a two-way street. Companies not only need to assess candidates but also need to sell themselves to potential employees. This is a crucial point, especially in the current job market where top talents often have multiple job offers to choose from. One of the standout points from the book is the emphasis on conducting thorough reference checks. While reference checks are often seen as a formality or are overlooked altogether, the authors argue that they can provide valuable insights into a candidate's abilities and fit for the role. In conclusion, "Who - The A Method for Hiring" offers a systematic and effective approach to hiring. It emphasizes the importance of each step in the hiring process and focuses on hiring "A Players", the top 10% of talent available at any given pay level. By following the "A Method", companies can significantly improve their hiring process and enhance their overall performance.