3. FROM XTREME TO PIVOTAL
• Xtreme Labs:
• Built recruiting machine that
competes with the likes
Zygna, Amazon, Google,
Facebook
• We got acquired (Pivotal)
• Pivotal Labs:
• Big recruiting hubs – SF
and Toronto.
• Large offices are NY and
SF (HQ) – Toronto is
biggest.
• Now helping spread the
religion to other companies.
PEOPLE
PROJECTS
4. @BORISC
• Engineer #2 to Director of
Engineering at Xtreme Labs
• 6 (2008) to 200+ (2013)
• Then: Recruiting,
Interviewing, Onboarding,
Hiring, Building teams
• 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?
• Always have a posting – you
never know who’s going to
apply, who’s available
• Referral program, LinkedIn,
Stack Overflow, Alumni sites
• Virtual Bench – keep in touch
for when there’s an opening
Hiring is not a ‘mode’ – can
you be always on?
7. ALWAYS BE HIRING
Every opportunity is a recruiting
opportunity:
• Go to meetups, hackathons,
community events.
• interesting@ / events@
• Speak at events.
• I’d walk up to the front and
write on the whiteboard:
"always looking for smart
people”
• Only give t-shirts out to those
who have worked here:
• People want them – but only
get one if have worked here.
8. VIRTUAL BENCH
• Always interviewing and
keeping a pipeline of hires
(means always have
candidates in later stages)
• Keep in touch for when
there’s an opening
• This will also let you get
folks who want to work with
you, but need time
11. INTERNS
• Can hire 65+ interns a term from
Waterloo in the first round
• Get more resumes than Facebook,
Microsoft, Twitter, Apple, Square,
Yelp, Foursquare, etc.
• High return and conversion rates
• Can give job offers to interns up to
two years in advance of graduation
(and they show up!)
12. HOW TO GET THEM
• Conferences
• Career Fairs
• Info Sessions
• Have a clear purpose + move fast
• Forget T-shirts:
= 1000 resumes
+
13. GREAT WITH INTERNS
• Pairing
• There are no intern jobs!
• Give FT offers when you like them
(not when they graduate)
• Builds your college hiring pipeline
22. COMMON HOURS
– 8:45 Breakfast
– 9:05 All Hands Standup
– 9:15 Team Standups
– Lunch noon-ish
– Done around 6pm (and people go play sports!
Socialize! Do fun things! Recharge!)
23. IT’S ABOUT SUSTAINABILITY
– Consistent, predictable delivery is at a premium
– Tired developers leave bugs
– Tired developers leave
– 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):
• Mastery
• Learn from the best by working
with the smartest (Pairing,
constant collaboration)
• Autonomy
• Small teams, working directly
with clients, no micro-
managing
• Purpose
• Deliver an amazing experience
for the world’s leading
companies, used by millions
25. RETHINKING ATTRACTING TALENT
– If you’re always hiring, you’ll find them before you need them and you’ll have
a virtual bench of candidates waiting to align opportunities with you
– By building great pipeline of interns and college hires, you’ll get an amazing
alumni network for pursuing industry hires
– 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!)
• Engineers
• Designers, PMs
• Sales Reps
• HR/Operations/Facilities/IT
• Alumni!
28. INTERVIEWS ARE MUTUAL
Interviews are often mutual:
• Invite candidates to ask your
interviewers about their
working experience
• How new employees get on-
boarded
• What work do new hires start
with?
Train your staff to speak about
the above during:
• Recruiting events
• Speaking opportunities
• All stages of recruiting:
referrals, interviews, closing
30. INTERVIEWS ARE HORRIBLE PREDICTORS OF
PERFORMANCE.
• No good proxy for actual
performance
• Past performance does
not guarantee future
performance
• Hiring for current fit vs.
hiring for potential
• Ability to learn on the job
and adapt to
organization’s process
and cultures
31. PROCESS – IT’S ALL ABOUT FIT
Would you hire an actor without an
audition?
Engineers:
• Repeatable Pairing Interview
• Actual Pairing
• At XL: Written test, Top Coder on
whiteboard, hiring decision round
Designers:
• Portfolio review
• Interview and design challenge
Sales:
• They pitch us
• 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
We’ll 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
- What’s next?
35. THE CLOSE PROCESS
How the same day process
looks:
• Written Test
• First round: Top Coder on
whiteboard
• Second round: hiring
decision round
• Offer meeting
• 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:
• Free meals and snacks
• Great machines + fast internet
• Prime downtown location
• Mentoring and demos
• Events + socials
• Sense of purpose
• Netflix + Apple TV
• Medical and dental
• Retirement plan contribution
• Stock purchase plan
• Stock options
Interns
Full times
(perks start from sign
date, not start date)
37. RESULTS FOR RECRUITING
How do you win candidates?
• Hire fast means we signal
we work the same way. (no
red tape)
• People leave Amazon,
Google, Facebook and
Microsoft to work for us
• “Better interview process
than Amazon”
- Jon Ji