3. FROM XTREME TO PIVOTAL
â˘âŻ Xtreme Labs:
â˘âŻ Built recruiting machine that
competes with the likes
Zygna, Amazon, Google,
Facebook
â˘âŻ We got acquired (Pivotal)
â˘âŻ Pivotal Labs:
â˘âŻ Big recruiting hubs â SF
and Toronto.
â˘âŻ Large offices are NY and
SF (HQ) â Toronto is
biggest.
â˘âŻ Now helping spread the
religion to other companies.
PEOPLE
PROJECTS
4. @BORISC
â˘âŻ Engineer #2 to Director of
Engineering at Xtreme Labs
â˘âŻ 6 (2008) to 200+ (2013)
â˘âŻ Then: Recruiting,
Interviewing, Onboarding,
Hiring, Building teams
â˘âŻ Now: Growing engineering
practice at Pivotal Labs
Toronto
5. THE XTREME WAY:
-⯠ALWAYS BE HIRING
-⯠START WITH INTERNS
-⯠MEANINGFUL WORK AND
PLAY
ATTRACTING TALENT
6. ALWAYS BE HIRING
How do we get to talk to tech
talent?
â˘âŻ Always have a posting â you
never know whoâs going to
apply, whoâs available
â˘âŻ Referral program, LinkedIn,
Stack Overflow, Alumni sites
â˘âŻ Virtual Bench â keep in touch
for when thereâs an opening
Hiring is not a âmodeâ â can
you be always on?
7. ALWAYS BE HIRING
Every opportunity is a recruiting
opportunity:
â˘âŻ Go to meetups, hackathons,
community events.
â˘âŻ interesting@ / events@
â˘âŻ Speak at events.
â˘âŻ Iâd walk up to the front and
write on the whiteboard:
"always looking for smart
peopleâ
â˘âŻ Only give t-shirts out to those
who have worked here:
â˘âŻ People want them â but only
get one if have worked here.
8. VIRTUAL BENCH
â˘âŻ Always interviewing and
keeping a pipeline of hires
(means always have
candidates in later stages)
â˘âŻ Keep in touch for when
thereâs an opening
â˘âŻ This will also let you get
folks who want to work with
you, but need time
11. INTERNS
â˘âŻ Can hire 65+ interns a term from
Waterloo in the first round
â˘âŻ Get more resumes than Facebook,
Microsoft, Twitter, Apple, Square,
Yelp, Foursquare, etc.
â˘âŻ High return and conversion rates
â˘âŻ Can give job offers to interns up to
two years in advance of graduation
(and they show up!)
12. HOW TO GET THEM
â˘âŻ Conferences
â˘âŻ Career Fairs
â˘âŻ Info Sessions
â˘âŻ Have a clear purpose + move fast
â˘âŻ Forget T-shirts:
= 1000 resumes
+
13. GREAT WITH INTERNS
â˘âŻ Pairing
â˘âŻ There are no intern jobs!
â˘âŻ Give FT offers when you like them
(not when they graduate)
â˘âŻ Builds your college hiring pipeline
22. COMMON HOURS
â⯠8:45 Breakfast
â⯠9:05 All Hands Standup
â⯠9:15 Team Standups
â⯠Lunch noon-ish
â⯠Done around 6pm (and people go play sports!
Socialize! Do fun things! Recharge!)
23. ITâS ABOUT SUSTAINABILITY
â⯠Consistent, predictable delivery is at a premium
â⯠Tired developers leave bugs
â⯠Tired developers leave
â⯠Short-term bursts of productivity cost more in the long
term
We want engineers who value long-term success, the impact of teaching others
and care about a sustainable fast pace.
24. MEANINGFUL WORK
Frame what makes working for you
amazing and motivating (Daniel Pink):
â˘âŻ Mastery
â˘âŻ Learn from the best by working
with the smartest (Pairing,
constant collaboration)
â˘âŻ Autonomy
â˘âŻ Small teams, working directly
with clients, no micro-
managing
â˘âŻ Purpose
â˘âŻ Deliver an amazing experience
for the worldâs leading
companies, used by millions
25. RETHINKING ATTRACTING TALENT
â⯠If youâre always hiring, youâll find them before you need them and youâll have
a virtual bench of candidates waiting to align opportunities with you
â⯠By building great pipeline of interns and college hires, youâll get an amazing
alumni network for pursuing industry hires
â⯠Small companies can offer an alternative path to a high impact and a
successful career for engineers through a different approach on meaningful
work and play
26. THE XTREME WAY:
-⯠EVERYONE IS A RECRUITER
-⯠INTERVIEWS ARE HORRIBLE
PREDICTORS OF
PERFORMANCE
-⯠MOVE FAST AND CLOSE
THINGS
HIRING TALENT
27. EVERYONE IS A RECRUITER
Your employees are your best
recruiters.
They can speak candidly,
passionately about your
company with authenticity.
Who? (Everyone!)
â˘âŻ Engineers
â˘âŻ Designers, PMs
â˘âŻ Sales Reps
â˘âŻ HR/Operations/Facilities/IT
â˘âŻ Alumni!
28. INTERVIEWS ARE MUTUAL
Interviews are often mutual:
â˘âŻ Invite candidates to ask your
interviewers about their
working experience
â˘âŻ How new employees get on-
boarded
â˘âŻ What work do new hires start
with?
Train your staff to speak about
the above during:
â˘âŻ Recruiting events
â˘âŻ Speaking opportunities
â˘âŻ All stages of recruiting:
referrals, interviews, closing
30. INTERVIEWS ARE HORRIBLE PREDICTORS OF
PERFORMANCE.
â˘âŻ No good proxy for actual
performance
â˘âŻ Past performance does
not guarantee future
performance
â˘âŻ Hiring for current fit vs.
hiring for potential
â˘âŻ Ability to learn on the job
and adapt to
organizationâs process
and cultures
31. PROCESS â ITâS ALL ABOUT FIT
Would you hire an actor without an
audition?
Engineers:
â˘âŻ Repeatable Pairing Interview
â˘âŻ Actual Pairing
â˘âŻ At XL: Written test, Top Coder on
whiteboard, hiring decision round
Designers:
â˘âŻ Portfolio review
â˘âŻ Interview and design challenge
Sales:
â˘âŻ They pitch us
â˘âŻ Meet separately with each level, and
finally with VP Sales
32. INTERVIEWS ARE HORRIBLE PREDICTORS OF
PERFORMANCE.
How do you sustain "hire
fast"?
Finding fit is continuous: 30 /
60 / 90 Day check-ins
Weâll give someone an offer
before they leave interview
days. Same day.
34. MOVE FAST AND CLOSE THINGS
How do you win candidates?
-⯠Heard of your company through the recruiting channels
-⯠Get that they can have impact through meaningful work and culture
-⯠Interviews where they learn about their role from people who are doing it
-⯠Whatâs next?
35. THE CLOSE PROCESS
How the same day process
looks:
â˘âŻ Written Test
â˘âŻ First round: Top Coder on
whiteboard
â˘âŻ Second round: hiring
decision round
â˘âŻ Offer meeting
â˘âŻ Follow-up Email/Call to Close
Train your recruiting team to
schedule for next round as
needed, on the spot.
36. THE PACKAGE
Compete on your strengths. Compensation is only a part. We offer:
â˘âŻ Free meals and snacks
â˘âŻ Great machines + fast internet
â˘âŻ Prime downtown location
â˘âŻ Mentoring and demos
â˘âŻ Events + socials
â˘âŻ Sense of purpose
â˘âŻ Netflix + Apple TV
â˘âŻ Medical and dental
â˘âŻ Retirement plan contribution
â˘âŻ Stock purchase plan
â˘âŻ Stock options
Interns
Full times
(perks start from sign
date, not start date)
37. RESULTS FOR RECRUITING
How do you win candidates?
â˘âŻ Hire fast means we signal
we work the same way. (no
red tape)
â˘âŻ People leave Amazon,
Google, Facebook and
Microsoft to work for us
â˘âŻ âBetter interview process
than Amazonâ
- Jon Ji