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Hire Smart from the Start: The Entrepreneur's Guide to Finding, Catching, and Keeping the Best Talent for Your Company
Don't rely on instincts alone.
Hiring. Is. King. The lesson seems so basic. Yet time after time, good companies stumble and lose their stride — just when they were poised for rapid growth. Why? Because their leaders treated hiring as a tedious chore. They posted an ad hoc ad. Took the first person with the right skills. Hired for immediate needs, rather than future flourishing.
In Hire Smart from the Start, Dave Carvajal distills lessons gained from 20 years in the trenches, building out and staffing two enormously successful Internet startups and helping firms like Tumblr, Buddy Media, and Shutterstock land the talent they need to reach their greatest potential.
Whether you’re a high-tech entrepreneur taking a startup public, or a food truck vendor with a concept that’s taking off, this book offers a proven formula to help you:
Find candidates whose values and working style fit your business ● Spot the 5 types of applicants you should never, ever hire ● Motivate “reach” candidates to leave their jobs and take a chance on your vision ● Develop meaningful incentives that make people stay ● And more
Accelerate success: hire smart from the start. This book shows you how.
256 pages, Hardcover
Published January 18, 2018
17 people are currently reading
199 people want to read
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January 10, 2022
The examples and strategies employed in this book may not seem very innovative or special, but they lay the foundation of an objective/realistic approach to hiring and recruiting indeed. At the end of the day, it is not just the skills and qualifications, but also the personality and the candidate's attitude towards the company's goals that count as well. People, even executives, too often forget about the human factor, unfortunately.
On the other hand, culture plays a major role in some countries or companies worldwide. Phenomena like nepotism or favoritism should be taken into account too - otherwise, one might not fully understand the local conditions when entering a new/international market.
Supposedly, it might sound like a trade-off when hiring the best, the second best or the only available candidate, but most of the time life is not as it is described beautifully, if not naively, in the business textbooks.
By all means, common sense and teamwork do help in shortlisting the candidates. In other words, HR department shouldn't be the only one dealing with the tasks associated with recruitment and selection. Besides, chance sometimes could be a factor. However, entrepreneurs should always assess the advantages and disadvantages, incorporated within the classic SWOT analysis framework.
Overall, this is a realistic and well-researched read written by an experienced author.
Recommended as a primer for business executives and maybe job applicants alike.
On the other hand, culture plays a major role in some countries or companies worldwide. Phenomena like nepotism or favoritism should be taken into account too - otherwise, one might not fully understand the local conditions when entering a new/international market.
Supposedly, it might sound like a trade-off when hiring the best, the second best or the only available candidate, but most of the time life is not as it is described beautifully, if not naively, in the business textbooks.
By all means, common sense and teamwork do help in shortlisting the candidates. In other words, HR department shouldn't be the only one dealing with the tasks associated with recruitment and selection. Besides, chance sometimes could be a factor. However, entrepreneurs should always assess the advantages and disadvantages, incorporated within the classic SWOT analysis framework.
Overall, this is a realistic and well-researched read written by an experienced author.
Recommended as a primer for business executives and maybe job applicants alike.
March 10, 2021
The author masterfully shares the experience and wisdom acquired throughout his professional career as a recruiter. He transmits his knowledge, experiences, skills and tools in an enjoyable, efficient, orderly and accessible way for any reader. It's a very useful read for any entrepreneur who wants to find and employ the right people to collaborate and prosper with him.
______________
El autor comparte magistralmente la experiencia y sabiduría adquirida a lo largo de toda su carrera profesional como reclutador. Transmite su conocimiento, experiencias, habilidades y herramientas de una manera amena, eficiente, ordenada y accesible para cualquier lector. Es una lectura muy útil para cualquier emprendedor que quiera encontrar y emplear a las personas adecuadas para colaborar y prosperar con él.
______________
El autor comparte magistralmente la experiencia y sabiduría adquirida a lo largo de toda su carrera profesional como reclutador. Transmite su conocimiento, experiencias, habilidades y herramientas de una manera amena, eficiente, ordenada y accesible para cualquier lector. Es una lectura muy útil para cualquier emprendedor que quiera encontrar y emplear a las personas adecuadas para colaborar y prosperar con él.
January 14, 2021
This book is for you if you're a business owner with a solid hiring process in place. I'm in this position and found the book worth my time. You'll pick up some high-level nuggets that will improve your hiring.
Some of my takeaways were:
- wimpy goals attract wimpy people. If you want the best people to work with you, have an impressive vision for them in your company.
- the business owner does not have to be the only person that "can get it done" in the company. Don't be scared to let someone else grow the company.
- be wary of the trap of hiring "cool" people over industrious people.
- to help you distill what you value in team members, analyze the people that you had the best working relationship with in the past.
You will find your own takeaways that resonate with you. Therefore the book is not a must-read but is helpful.
This book is NOT for you if you don't have a solid hiring process in place. In that case, you should first read Geoff Smart's "Who".
"Who" goes into much more detail about how the hiring process should be set up. Frankly, most of the practical examples in "Hiring Smart From The Start" were pretty naive. (E.g., the book recommends to "ask the candidate if they listen to their team's input." Of course, anyone with half a brain will answer with some version of "yes" if that is what you want to hear. That's not very useful. The "Who" method is less direct but gets you much deeper insights.)
"Who" will have enough high-level insights for you too. So if haven't read it yet, that's where I'd start.
P.S. If you want to learn more about my hiring philosophy, check out https://recruitermill.com/
Some of my takeaways were:
- wimpy goals attract wimpy people. If you want the best people to work with you, have an impressive vision for them in your company.
- the business owner does not have to be the only person that "can get it done" in the company. Don't be scared to let someone else grow the company.
- be wary of the trap of hiring "cool" people over industrious people.
- to help you distill what you value in team members, analyze the people that you had the best working relationship with in the past.
You will find your own takeaways that resonate with you. Therefore the book is not a must-read but is helpful.
This book is NOT for you if you don't have a solid hiring process in place. In that case, you should first read Geoff Smart's "Who".
"Who" goes into much more detail about how the hiring process should be set up. Frankly, most of the practical examples in "Hiring Smart From The Start" were pretty naive. (E.g., the book recommends to "ask the candidate if they listen to their team's input." Of course, anyone with half a brain will answer with some version of "yes" if that is what you want to hear. That's not very useful. The "Who" method is less direct but gets you much deeper insights.)
"Who" will have enough high-level insights for you too. So if haven't read it yet, that's where I'd start.
P.S. If you want to learn more about my hiring philosophy, check out https://recruitermill.com/
March 8, 2021
Quite a great book and gives a fantastic perspective of "values-based hiring" as against the usual norm of "skill-based hiring". The book talks about what questions should be asked to a candidate to uncover certain traits. 4 stars because the book doesn't talk in detail about how to interpret candidate's answers and assumes that the author would know that already.
July 5, 2019
Hire smart from the start is written by 'Dave Carvajal'.
It is a self help book. It is good to know how to hire and what kind of mistake entrepreneur do when they are hiring a candidate. what kind of value and mission we should to keep in mind. it is not as like that Hire Smart for the company,this is totally different book if we are judging the book . it will help in start up and give you practical view about how to Map the organization Fundamental mission and values and many more thing.
It is a self help book. It is good to know how to hire and what kind of mistake entrepreneur do when they are hiring a candidate. what kind of value and mission we should to keep in mind. it is not as like that Hire Smart for the company,this is totally different book if we are judging the book . it will help in start up and give you practical view about how to Map the organization Fundamental mission and values and many more thing.
February 12, 2021
HIRE SMART FROM THE START
DAVE CARVAJAL
They say that people are the most important part of your business: your clients, your management and your team. Yet, why is the team so often overlooked? Hire them, slot them in and let them show their mettle, don’t micro-manage, and let them produce. Is it any wonder why they and ultimately you fail?
Building a team is important. Coaching that team is important. But as the title of the very fine book by Dave Carvajal states: “Hire Smart from the Start.”
Hiring smart is not just for Human Resources to do. Nor is it a task that should be delegated to an outside firm and forgotten. Junior members become middle management if properly trained and coached. Those managers are your next level of leadership, and leadership does not only come from the top. It comes from all levels of an organization. So the solution is “Hire Smart from the Start.”
My notes go into a fair degree of technical detail, as I learnt a lot, remembered a lot and mused a lot on how this could help some of my current (and future clients), but before we go into that I would like to tell a story.
We once had a client that was worth a Billion dollars in the markets. This was 20 odd years ago so a billion was considerable for a small business in Canada. Their assets were about $250 million or so and about half of that were intangibles – intellectual property and goodwill that they booked on acquisitions. So the question was posed to their auditor – where are the people.
“The people?” The auditor asked a little surprised. “We don’t book the people in the financial statements.”
“But aren’t the people, the management and the staff, a valuable asset? Some will say the most important asset?” The analyst asked for the benefit of the audience.
“Yes, but we just don’t do it that way,” replied the auditor.
We just don’t do it that way. The auditors and management got into a dispute. Management was fired; the valuation of the company dropped by more than 80 per cent. We just don’t do it that way. Perhaps the auditors should have read, understood and adapted their position – not in terms of accounting, but in terms of a business solution – to the lessons contained in Hire Smart from the Start. They could have helped find the right solution to the company’s issues and saved the investment community hundreds of millions of dollars. But we digress.
Or do we?
Hire Smart from the Start is full of good ideas, tips and insights – it goes way beyond hiring – it calmly explains how you should prioritize your time to build a successful enterprise. And people are an incredibly important part of building success.
Sure there is an element of “Hire a firm to help to do your hiring.” But that is good advice for most businesses out there. How often people are hired on intuition, looks, desperation or convenience. A client once said, ‘be slow to hire and fast to fire. In fact give them a trial real quick and most will leave by themselves. But those that stay will be winners if you make them stick to your system.” Maybe that works for some businesses that have a low training and high production threshold but would it work for yours?
For another larger small business, Saturday morning was hiring day. The CEO and HR adviser would meet the potential hires. Test them for compatibility, rank them and then let Human Resources do their thing. Why? Because every position was important and people needed to be vetted for fit. When this process was not followed – lack of time – mistakes were made, or more accurately, more mistakes were made. Hiring is not an exact science, but the more one sticks to a proven system, the more you avoid personnel issues. The prologue states: If you have four good employees and you hire an ill-fitting fifth one, 20% of your workforce has gone bad. Actually that bad person can and will drag down the others as well. That is how important Hiring Smart is.
This book reminds and helps to develop an approach that:
• Prioritizes people over technology, ideas and capital
• Reframe your recruiting mindset to custom-fit talent to your organization
• Use a tried-and-true process to search for individuals whose values and work-styles are compatible with your organization’s culture.
Everyone can have good ideas and find some good people. It is your values and culture that separate the winners from the contenders and you need to amplify that advantage. Now you might think that this does not apply to your business. If it is a business that you want to grow, we encourage you to read this book with an open mind next weekend and to rethink your position.
The author explains that, “financing is plentiful for many reasons—venture capital, low interest rates and so on. Great products and ideas are also abundant, due in large part because of the speed of information and how innovations can be identified and reproduced faster than ever before.” This is sound business advice as well as good hiring advice, but, then again hiring is sound business advice.
The author also explains why diversity it worthwhile and good for your business. Think about it, it makes sense that you need different personalities with different backgrounds to create a diversity of ideas. This may create some but creative friction on teams is good as long as it aligns with the mission and values.
Finally if you are doing hiring, but are too busy to read this book – which you really should read the book – we leave you with this warning from the author, to “screen candidates with five red flags in mind:”
1. Posers/pretenders
a. But their mask may slip if you press them on problems that occurred under their watch at previous employers. If they become defensive or scapegoat others, that’s a sign that they’re hiding something behind their leadership mask
2. Political Beasts
a. Political Beasts are game players and power lovers. They seek the most influential people in an organization, aligning themselves with powerbrokers.
b. People who name-drop are likely to be political animals
c. They betray an elitist, entitled sensibility
3. Troublemakers
a. These individuals are overly judgmental and blame others when things go wrong.
b. If they have a skill, it’s the ability to point out flaws. But the mask they wear is one of competence, when in fact they are only adept at pointing out things that are wrong
4. Lone Wolves
a. Lone Wolves may be able to function effectively in certain positions, as long as they don’t have to work closely with others and they’re closely supervised
5. Wallflowers
a. Unfortunately, they’re the people who are satisfied to work at 30 percent capacity
So what should you be looking for in candidates – or friends, we would add:
: If candidates possess one or more of these virtues—and they resonate with the values you espouse in your company—then the odds are good that they’ll become high performers if you hire them. The six virtues are:
• Humility
• Authenticity
• Compassion/Generosity of Spirit
• Openness/Transparency
• Positive Attitude
• Hard Work
What to do in you need to start today – read the book – and follow these suggestions:
1. Slow down and get the hire right
2. Ensure that the core values are intact and respected
3. Look for leadership abilities
4. Be prepared to sacrifice a little on the technical side to get the right value fit.
Your business is different from mine. Your business is unique in some way. You make it unique. This book respects that while helping you learn how you can find the people to make it grow and further its success.
Five stars and a very worthwhile read – thank you Dave Carvajal! And thanks to @BookTasters for recommending this book for a review – it was a worthwhile experience.
Lino Matteo ©™
Twitter @Lino_Matteo
PS Will be blogging my notes and some comments next week.
https://linomatteo.wordpress.com/2021...
DAVE CARVAJAL
They say that people are the most important part of your business: your clients, your management and your team. Yet, why is the team so often overlooked? Hire them, slot them in and let them show their mettle, don’t micro-manage, and let them produce. Is it any wonder why they and ultimately you fail?
Building a team is important. Coaching that team is important. But as the title of the very fine book by Dave Carvajal states: “Hire Smart from the Start.”
Hiring smart is not just for Human Resources to do. Nor is it a task that should be delegated to an outside firm and forgotten. Junior members become middle management if properly trained and coached. Those managers are your next level of leadership, and leadership does not only come from the top. It comes from all levels of an organization. So the solution is “Hire Smart from the Start.”
My notes go into a fair degree of technical detail, as I learnt a lot, remembered a lot and mused a lot on how this could help some of my current (and future clients), but before we go into that I would like to tell a story.
We once had a client that was worth a Billion dollars in the markets. This was 20 odd years ago so a billion was considerable for a small business in Canada. Their assets were about $250 million or so and about half of that were intangibles – intellectual property and goodwill that they booked on acquisitions. So the question was posed to their auditor – where are the people.
“The people?” The auditor asked a little surprised. “We don’t book the people in the financial statements.”
“But aren’t the people, the management and the staff, a valuable asset? Some will say the most important asset?” The analyst asked for the benefit of the audience.
“Yes, but we just don’t do it that way,” replied the auditor.
We just don’t do it that way. The auditors and management got into a dispute. Management was fired; the valuation of the company dropped by more than 80 per cent. We just don’t do it that way. Perhaps the auditors should have read, understood and adapted their position – not in terms of accounting, but in terms of a business solution – to the lessons contained in Hire Smart from the Start. They could have helped find the right solution to the company’s issues and saved the investment community hundreds of millions of dollars. But we digress.
Or do we?
Hire Smart from the Start is full of good ideas, tips and insights – it goes way beyond hiring – it calmly explains how you should prioritize your time to build a successful enterprise. And people are an incredibly important part of building success.
Sure there is an element of “Hire a firm to help to do your hiring.” But that is good advice for most businesses out there. How often people are hired on intuition, looks, desperation or convenience. A client once said, ‘be slow to hire and fast to fire. In fact give them a trial real quick and most will leave by themselves. But those that stay will be winners if you make them stick to your system.” Maybe that works for some businesses that have a low training and high production threshold but would it work for yours?
For another larger small business, Saturday morning was hiring day. The CEO and HR adviser would meet the potential hires. Test them for compatibility, rank them and then let Human Resources do their thing. Why? Because every position was important and people needed to be vetted for fit. When this process was not followed – lack of time – mistakes were made, or more accurately, more mistakes were made. Hiring is not an exact science, but the more one sticks to a proven system, the more you avoid personnel issues. The prologue states: If you have four good employees and you hire an ill-fitting fifth one, 20% of your workforce has gone bad. Actually that bad person can and will drag down the others as well. That is how important Hiring Smart is.
This book reminds and helps to develop an approach that:
• Prioritizes people over technology, ideas and capital
• Reframe your recruiting mindset to custom-fit talent to your organization
• Use a tried-and-true process to search for individuals whose values and work-styles are compatible with your organization’s culture.
Everyone can have good ideas and find some good people. It is your values and culture that separate the winners from the contenders and you need to amplify that advantage. Now you might think that this does not apply to your business. If it is a business that you want to grow, we encourage you to read this book with an open mind next weekend and to rethink your position.
The author explains that, “financing is plentiful for many reasons—venture capital, low interest rates and so on. Great products and ideas are also abundant, due in large part because of the speed of information and how innovations can be identified and reproduced faster than ever before.” This is sound business advice as well as good hiring advice, but, then again hiring is sound business advice.
The author also explains why diversity it worthwhile and good for your business. Think about it, it makes sense that you need different personalities with different backgrounds to create a diversity of ideas. This may create some but creative friction on teams is good as long as it aligns with the mission and values.
Finally if you are doing hiring, but are too busy to read this book – which you really should read the book – we leave you with this warning from the author, to “screen candidates with five red flags in mind:”
1. Posers/pretenders
a. But their mask may slip if you press them on problems that occurred under their watch at previous employers. If they become defensive or scapegoat others, that’s a sign that they’re hiding something behind their leadership mask
2. Political Beasts
a. Political Beasts are game players and power lovers. They seek the most influential people in an organization, aligning themselves with powerbrokers.
b. People who name-drop are likely to be political animals
c. They betray an elitist, entitled sensibility
3. Troublemakers
a. These individuals are overly judgmental and blame others when things go wrong.
b. If they have a skill, it’s the ability to point out flaws. But the mask they wear is one of competence, when in fact they are only adept at pointing out things that are wrong
4. Lone Wolves
a. Lone Wolves may be able to function effectively in certain positions, as long as they don’t have to work closely with others and they’re closely supervised
5. Wallflowers
a. Unfortunately, they’re the people who are satisfied to work at 30 percent capacity
So what should you be looking for in candidates – or friends, we would add:
: If candidates possess one or more of these virtues—and they resonate with the values you espouse in your company—then the odds are good that they’ll become high performers if you hire them. The six virtues are:
• Humility
• Authenticity
• Compassion/Generosity of Spirit
• Openness/Transparency
• Positive Attitude
• Hard Work
What to do in you need to start today – read the book – and follow these suggestions:
1. Slow down and get the hire right
2. Ensure that the core values are intact and respected
3. Look for leadership abilities
4. Be prepared to sacrifice a little on the technical side to get the right value fit.
Your business is different from mine. Your business is unique in some way. You make it unique. This book respects that while helping you learn how you can find the people to make it grow and further its success.
Five stars and a very worthwhile read – thank you Dave Carvajal! And thanks to @BookTasters for recommending this book for a review – it was a worthwhile experience.
Lino Matteo ©™
Twitter @Lino_Matteo
PS Will be blogging my notes and some comments next week.
https://linomatteo.wordpress.com/2021...
January 5, 2020
Dave Carvajal co-founded and grew HotJobs.com, built up TheLadders.com and runs his own boutique executive search company, Dave Partners. Carvajal has written the knowledge he has gained from two decades of success in the book “Hire Smart from the Start.” It would help any entrepreneur who is looking to grow their business quickly, without making the typical hiring mistakes. The book is divided into 12 chapters, he provides real-world examples to prove his points. He shared stories with leaders like John Wood, former Microsoft executive. The book has good tips on how to do a proper recruiting interview along with tests that help understand the personality of the candidate. As I read through the book helped me to see the importance of learning about the mission, mission and working system of the company which are the main elements. Whether you have a small business or a huge one, this book helps to understand the business types in easy words. Dave has proved to be a top notch of his craft who knows how to build a good business. Huge appreciation to author’s caliber to connect people is worth a mention.
February 13, 2022
If you want to start your own business or you want to grow a small business, this book is for you. ‘Hire smart from the start’, says Dave Carvajal. The author feels that if you hire the wrong person, no matter how skilled or qualified he may be, you are inviting disaster for your company. According to the author, you need to find someone who has the same values and mission as you do. Talk to the person who you have short-listed in detail, even going as far as asking about weekend interests in order to find out whether s/he will fit into your organization. Just asking professional questions is not enough, he says.
In his book, Hire Smart FromThe Start, Dave Carvajal has given many examples from businesses small and big to support his ideas on hiring smart. He, himself, has recruiting experience for companies that he has set up successfully. He is the co-founder of HotJobs, a company with 650 employees and $1.2 billion in market capitalization, Ladders.com and Dave Partners. There are references to future reading on the subject throughout the book. Once you’ve read the book you can visit HireSmartFromTheStart.com for resources that will help you build your recruiting expertise.
Go slow on recruiting. It takes time to find people with personal beliefs and personal missions the same as that of your company. Recruit consciously based on values. Think through your own mission and identify your values and long-term goals. Recruiting must be a structured and strategic process as competition is tough due to the start-up boom of the 21st century. These are the main ideas in the book about hiring smart. Details have been outlined for which you need to read the book.
The strong forward by John Wood, founder of Reading Room, which has given 15 million people with the lifelong gift of education by 2020, underlines and supports Carvajal’s ideas about hiring only those who share a company’s mission and values even though there may be more skilled and qualified people in the job market.
In his book, Hire Smart FromThe Start, Dave Carvajal has given many examples from businesses small and big to support his ideas on hiring smart. He, himself, has recruiting experience for companies that he has set up successfully. He is the co-founder of HotJobs, a company with 650 employees and $1.2 billion in market capitalization, Ladders.com and Dave Partners. There are references to future reading on the subject throughout the book. Once you’ve read the book you can visit HireSmartFromTheStart.com for resources that will help you build your recruiting expertise.
Go slow on recruiting. It takes time to find people with personal beliefs and personal missions the same as that of your company. Recruit consciously based on values. Think through your own mission and identify your values and long-term goals. Recruiting must be a structured and strategic process as competition is tough due to the start-up boom of the 21st century. These are the main ideas in the book about hiring smart. Details have been outlined for which you need to read the book.
The strong forward by John Wood, founder of Reading Room, which has given 15 million people with the lifelong gift of education by 2020, underlines and supports Carvajal’s ideas about hiring only those who share a company’s mission and values even though there may be more skilled and qualified people in the job market.
August 3, 2020
This book provides some wonderful insights into the world of hiring and nurturing a potential candidate, who can provide your company with results to the best of their potentials. The book started off with a nice recommendation on how to transition a hiring process from an existing traditional one to the one most in-demand now and that can result in much better resources for a company.
In this book, certain myths regarding the hiring process and grooming a candidate overall are shrugged off and instead of them, actual and fruitful recommendations regarding the hiring process is given.
The book started off with the emphasis given on the values associated with the company and how the company drew a vision for itself in order to accomplish the missions they have targeted under the boundaries of value they have set for themselves. Then it guided a methodology through which one's perception for the strengths or weaknesses of a candidate can be proven and they can be certain of the thoughts they have made for the candidate. After that, the candidate under discussion is tested for the mission and values they possess, and whether those qualities of a candidate can be aligned with what the company expects from a certain candidate. Finally, based on mutual agreement of the hiring team, the book guided how to extract the best candidates for the position your company is offering.
In discussing these revolutionary points, this book has come up with various real life examples of a certain failures as well as certain successes with regard to the process of hiring, various companies have encountered.
In my opinion, the book provides a spectacular never-before-heard viewpoint regarding the hiring process, which is crucial for any company, especially for those who like to be entrepreneurs.
In this book, certain myths regarding the hiring process and grooming a candidate overall are shrugged off and instead of them, actual and fruitful recommendations regarding the hiring process is given.
The book started off with the emphasis given on the values associated with the company and how the company drew a vision for itself in order to accomplish the missions they have targeted under the boundaries of value they have set for themselves. Then it guided a methodology through which one's perception for the strengths or weaknesses of a candidate can be proven and they can be certain of the thoughts they have made for the candidate. After that, the candidate under discussion is tested for the mission and values they possess, and whether those qualities of a candidate can be aligned with what the company expects from a certain candidate. Finally, based on mutual agreement of the hiring team, the book guided how to extract the best candidates for the position your company is offering.
In discussing these revolutionary points, this book has come up with various real life examples of a certain failures as well as certain successes with regard to the process of hiring, various companies have encountered.
In my opinion, the book provides a spectacular never-before-heard viewpoint regarding the hiring process, which is crucial for any company, especially for those who like to be entrepreneurs.
Read
September 29, 2020Hire Smart From The Start is a book which explains a lot of things which successful people do intuitively but without understanding the underlying reasons. Hence this book will make one learn the reasons why Hiring goes right or wrong. When one hires for a position where fierce competition exists, cultural misfits could do more damage than generally thought about. The author recommends using a process all the time and I like this aspect and examples shown. Nice explanations of how perceptions, though good to have, can drive one away from achieving the optimum results. The Johari window and the four quadrants are useful to know and as detailed above helps to understand the underlying reasons even when one takes decisions intuitively. The Five Red Flags are detailed well. One will understand how the lone wolf may be thought of as good but not great in the long run for an institution. The art of conversations gives one much more than we care to admit. We all know this but dont do and the author brings it out well. The author deals elaborately with all the adjectives generally used as a description while hiring. This really helps to map the adjectives to the respective qualities and helps the process of hiring smartly. Listen well and connect the dots are good advise from the book. Agility, Hunger for Learning and Humility are well detailed and beautifully explained for a smart hire. You can get things (hiring smartly) done by reading this and making notes to map your intuitive actions and understanding the underlying reasons well. The book can be a good check-list for hiring smartly. The book explains the concept of hiring smartly and hiring people not as a result of past achievements (which could serve as an indicator) but more for future opportunities and responsibilities. Thats exactly why one should hire smart and this book helps in understanding the same.
June 20, 2020
This book is amazing. As a recent MBA grad with a plan to work in HR I gained a lot from Dave and his view to hire smart from the start. I’ve seen great business ideas foiled by poor hiring and watched as good employees quit a business due to lack of cooperation from their team. This book touches on the importance of finding like-minded and hard-working individuals to join a business that can connect with the goals of the company. It compares the urgent need to hire to the needs of ensuring long term employment. Looking at the current job climate where so many people are working from home and setting their own expectations, from a business perspective that’s dangerous if those employees don’t share the same passions for the business as the founder. Dave lists ways to identify ideal candidates from not ideal candidates for positions and explains what important attributes to look for during the recruitment and hiring process.
I would recommend this read to anybody thinking about going into business for themselves, working within the business sector, or anybody that wants to understand recruiting, hiring, and training at an expert level. This book was full of easy to understand and helpful takeaways that can be applied to a business of any size and at any stage in their development process.
I read this book for free through Booktasters in return for my honest review. I will be purchasing the physical copy of this book to keep on hand for my career development.
I would recommend this read to anybody thinking about going into business for themselves, working within the business sector, or anybody that wants to understand recruiting, hiring, and training at an expert level. This book was full of easy to understand and helpful takeaways that can be applied to a business of any size and at any stage in their development process.
I read this book for free through Booktasters in return for my honest review. I will be purchasing the physical copy of this book to keep on hand for my career development.
November 8, 2020
Excellent book that's good to be read by people doing business. Thank you to Dave Carvajal and Booktaster for giving me a chance to read it for free!
The book makes good point about the importance of recruiting process, with clear examples and is easy to be understand by general public. It was more of a what-to-do and how-to kind of book instead of digging too deep about the "why". Some contents immediately made some sense in my mind to the point of it made me feel stupid for not realizing the obvious (but that's why we read books, right?). I felt like Carvajal also generously shared his experiences in this book. There were a lot of examples of which we could learn from—I believe, almost in every section.
The only cons for me is that it was too repetitive in stressing the importance of including the head of the business in recruiting processes. At some parts in the middle of the book, I kept thinking "Yeah, you've said it already in the first chapter. No need to be so desperate to cry it out throughout the book." Perhaps it was meant to be a reminder or to make it more convincing. But I feel like it would be a much better reading experience if it was being presented more subtly.
The book makes good point about the importance of recruiting process, with clear examples and is easy to be understand by general public. It was more of a what-to-do and how-to kind of book instead of digging too deep about the "why". Some contents immediately made some sense in my mind to the point of it made me feel stupid for not realizing the obvious (but that's why we read books, right?). I felt like Carvajal also generously shared his experiences in this book. There were a lot of examples of which we could learn from—I believe, almost in every section.
The only cons for me is that it was too repetitive in stressing the importance of including the head of the business in recruiting processes. At some parts in the middle of the book, I kept thinking "Yeah, you've said it already in the first chapter. No need to be so desperate to cry it out throughout the book." Perhaps it was meant to be a reminder or to make it more convincing. But I feel like it would be a much better reading experience if it was being presented more subtly.
February 19, 2021
As a hiring manager I’ve been coming to this road block; Employees being a perfect fit until they’re not anymore. Performance and quality would decline gradually and before you knew it they were out the door. As this occurred, naturally I’d try different tactics to sift through the less than desirable fits for the position. Still through a variety of different candidates I continued to have the same problem.
This book has given me a tremendous amount of insight as to why the cycle hasn’t broken. This is a clear guide to finding the right person for you, your company, and your other employees. Having experience, the right qualifications and background aren’t enough to find a candidate that fits the bill. On paper they could be the perfect fit, but without sharing the same mission and values they’re not.
You may be thinking, “How do I break the cycle?” Here, Dave gives a blueprint to map your companies mission and values, which is a great way to keep that focus while finding the right match. Without a mission and values match you’re bound to bring in the wrong candidate. This book is incredibly informative.
If you’re a business owner, entrepreneur, even a hiring manager at the lower end of a big chain, listen to Dave. Read this book!
This book has given me a tremendous amount of insight as to why the cycle hasn’t broken. This is a clear guide to finding the right person for you, your company, and your other employees. Having experience, the right qualifications and background aren’t enough to find a candidate that fits the bill. On paper they could be the perfect fit, but without sharing the same mission and values they’re not.
You may be thinking, “How do I break the cycle?” Here, Dave gives a blueprint to map your companies mission and values, which is a great way to keep that focus while finding the right match. Without a mission and values match you’re bound to bring in the wrong candidate. This book is incredibly informative.
If you’re a business owner, entrepreneur, even a hiring manager at the lower end of a big chain, listen to Dave. Read this book!
May 14, 2020
I had the fortunate opportunity of being linked to the author and this book through Booktasters. As a business professional and a manager, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was well-written and had a lot of applicable concepts in terms of how to hire smart from the get go. As it points out in the subtitle of the book, it does deal a lot with entrepreneurs and how they can hire the right people but I would definitely recommend anyone in the business world to read this as they will see a lot of recruiting practices that will benefit them at their own companies.
One of the concepts that I absolutely loved had to do with the difference between people with masks and those with blind spots. You want to hire people with blind spots because you can easily help them as they are usually growth minded. On the other hand, you want to stay away from people who wear masks because their instinct is to hide their weaknesses or areas of opportunities from you.
I would highly recommend ALL business-minded people to read this book, and even if you don’t fall into this category, this easy-to-read book will provide value to you as you focus on your respective career.
One of the concepts that I absolutely loved had to do with the difference between people with masks and those with blind spots. You want to hire people with blind spots because you can easily help them as they are usually growth minded. On the other hand, you want to stay away from people who wear masks because their instinct is to hide their weaknesses or areas of opportunities from you.
I would highly recommend ALL business-minded people to read this book, and even if you don’t fall into this category, this easy-to-read book will provide value to you as you focus on your respective career.
April 19, 2020
This book provides recruiters with insights on how to achieve successful hiring. It is a good read for those who are aiming for the success of entrepreneurial enterprises.
The main point of this book is to show how appropriate hiring is crucial for a business to soar. In contrast, intuitive recruitment may lead to a disaster. Recruiters should be enthusiastic about finding the right personnel to fulfill their company's cause. It made me think that this book is also relevant for job seekers. Choosing and applying intuitively for a job is not the best option. Such candidates would sooner or later find that their decision was not right for them. Knowing the firm's cause in advance will make them find out if they are suitable for the job offered.
Some people might fall in a situation where they are desperate to find any quick bread-winning job. Even in such cases, they need to take time and consider looking for ways to find the best opportunity. This book would probably remind them that, in the long run, that's the fastest way to a better livelihood.
The main point of this book is to show how appropriate hiring is crucial for a business to soar. In contrast, intuitive recruitment may lead to a disaster. Recruiters should be enthusiastic about finding the right personnel to fulfill their company's cause. It made me think that this book is also relevant for job seekers. Choosing and applying intuitively for a job is not the best option. Such candidates would sooner or later find that their decision was not right for them. Knowing the firm's cause in advance will make them find out if they are suitable for the job offered.
Some people might fall in a situation where they are desperate to find any quick bread-winning job. Even in such cases, they need to take time and consider looking for ways to find the best opportunity. This book would probably remind them that, in the long run, that's the fastest way to a better livelihood.
September 29, 2025
Bruh, this book is basically like “stop hiring randoms just .....cause they look good on paper.” Dave really be exposing how so many companies trip right when they’re about to blow up— all ‘cause they didn’t take hiring serious. Like why build a mansion on shaky bricks? Makes no sense.
What I vibed with is how he keeps it practical. He’s been through the startup chaos and knows the struggle of picking ppl who can either make you or break you. He shows how to spot the ones who’ll tank your energy vs the ones who’ll actually ride with your mission.
He also drops gems on convincing top-tier ppl to leave their cushy jobs and join you (kinda savage but in a good way lol). Plus he reminds you it ain’t just about money— loyalty and real connection keep ppl sticking around way longer.
Overall, this book is like a reality check for anyone building something from scratch. Whether you’re cooking up a side hustle or shooting for unicorn status, it’s giving<<,choose your team wisely or die trying>>.Big recommend if you don’t wanna repeat rookie mistakes.
What I vibed with is how he keeps it practical. He’s been through the startup chaos and knows the struggle of picking ppl who can either make you or break you. He shows how to spot the ones who’ll tank your energy vs the ones who’ll actually ride with your mission.
He also drops gems on convincing top-tier ppl to leave their cushy jobs and join you (kinda savage but in a good way lol). Plus he reminds you it ain’t just about money— loyalty and real connection keep ppl sticking around way longer.
Overall, this book is like a reality check for anyone building something from scratch. Whether you’re cooking up a side hustle or shooting for unicorn status, it’s giving<<,choose your team wisely or die trying>>.Big recommend if you don’t wanna repeat rookie mistakes.
December 12, 2021
Great to choose this one to read.
An business organisation is based upon:
1). Planning
2). Organising
3). Staffing
4). Directing
5). Controlling
This book is primarily based on the thired element 'Staffing', means Hiring people in the business organisation.
The author has shared his personal experience to share some strategies and advices to hire perfect and competent person on job. The best part of the book is that it is well explained and seem realistic, some authors just write over-the-top things to justify his/her point, but thank god not this time.
With realism, I felt bit lack of innovation but I think that's justifiable.
My Personal Opinion: One should read this book before hiring people especially in newly setup business, not to be like rock-hard but... just an advice.
Although the book is very enjoy but the particular chapter - ' High Level Hires: Leaders and Managers'.
Glad to read it.
An business organisation is based upon:
1). Planning
2). Organising
3). Staffing
4). Directing
5). Controlling
This book is primarily based on the thired element 'Staffing', means Hiring people in the business organisation.
The author has shared his personal experience to share some strategies and advices to hire perfect and competent person on job. The best part of the book is that it is well explained and seem realistic, some authors just write over-the-top things to justify his/her point, but thank god not this time.
With realism, I felt bit lack of innovation but I think that's justifiable.
My Personal Opinion: One should read this book before hiring people especially in newly setup business, not to be like rock-hard but... just an advice.
Although the book is very enjoy but the particular chapter - ' High Level Hires: Leaders and Managers'.
Glad to read it.
June 25, 2020
Convincing explanation. Full of understanding. Professional and easy to read.
Do recommend this for strategic management lovers. Having any trouble with confronting business approaches, or you are a strategy maker - perhaps wanting to relate to huge examples - this one is for you.
Talked about culture and entrepreneurship, including family oriented organisations and corporate ones with a slick view on diversity, given individual mindful steps. With conversing perspectives on every dimension, this book hands you the notch for all in a nutshell. Even hit spot on examples for huge multinationals and uproarious social media and networks to illustrate discussed strategies.
Let's just say this is a competent one on one book talking about strategies. This book came the right moment for me to cope with understanding how businesses work realistically and efficiently.
Do recommend this for strategic management lovers. Having any trouble with confronting business approaches, or you are a strategy maker - perhaps wanting to relate to huge examples - this one is for you.
Talked about culture and entrepreneurship, including family oriented organisations and corporate ones with a slick view on diversity, given individual mindful steps. With conversing perspectives on every dimension, this book hands you the notch for all in a nutshell. Even hit spot on examples for huge multinationals and uproarious social media and networks to illustrate discussed strategies.
Let's just say this is a competent one on one book talking about strategies. This book came the right moment for me to cope with understanding how businesses work realistically and efficiently.
May 18, 2020
Honest review*
This is one dynamite of a book. Though personally, I think it should be on the book shelves of any MBA planning to make a career in human resources. At first, I thought this book was all about recruitment, but the author went into an indepth explanation of the importance of values and missions in a business.
Its an academic read, it should be bought in a hard copy format, for making notes and keeping the references handy, I could learn a lot with the real life examples the author mentioned, especially the clashes in top management. Though I don't agree with everything mentioned (due to my beliefs in mind science), but there's nothing negative I could pick up from the book.
Overall an academic excellence that's a must read for every Entrepreneur and HR.
This is one dynamite of a book. Though personally, I think it should be on the book shelves of any MBA planning to make a career in human resources. At first, I thought this book was all about recruitment, but the author went into an indepth explanation of the importance of values and missions in a business.
Its an academic read, it should be bought in a hard copy format, for making notes and keeping the references handy, I could learn a lot with the real life examples the author mentioned, especially the clashes in top management. Though I don't agree with everything mentioned (due to my beliefs in mind science), but there's nothing negative I could pick up from the book.
Overall an academic excellence that's a must read for every Entrepreneur and HR.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 22, 2020
Hire smart from the start is one of the impactful books I have read. this reading experience got me enthusiastic and passionate about the systematic and yet easy process of recruiting.
The title might have made it sound like its only about hiring and that was my first impression too, but these 258 pages were actually basic and involved concepts much wider than just hiring. I have for sure added a significant value into my entrepreneurial mindset and my point of view will never be the same.
The book was insightful and full of important messages that I wanted to read fast and finish but had to focus and take all the points with me. it's so relatable that I found my self nodding while reading before I even knew it. it also gave clarity to the things I thought I knew. the fact that it emphasizes the values and culture of a company shows how the author's experience is a great deal.
the thing I loved most about this book is, it's well elaborated with examples and real-life experiences that the messages are grabbed without trouble.
generally, the book is a well organized and a step by step piece, easy to read and I say everyone needs to read it.
The title might have made it sound like its only about hiring and that was my first impression too, but these 258 pages were actually basic and involved concepts much wider than just hiring. I have for sure added a significant value into my entrepreneurial mindset and my point of view will never be the same.
The book was insightful and full of important messages that I wanted to read fast and finish but had to focus and take all the points with me. it's so relatable that I found my self nodding while reading before I even knew it. it also gave clarity to the things I thought I knew. the fact that it emphasizes the values and culture of a company shows how the author's experience is a great deal.
the thing I loved most about this book is, it's well elaborated with examples and real-life experiences that the messages are grabbed without trouble.
generally, the book is a well organized and a step by step piece, easy to read and I say everyone needs to read it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 24, 2020
Stumbling on this book changed my life forever. The way I've come to understand hiring the "best fit" for your company has also changed. As times have changed and the chances for errors are reducing, Dave Carvajal elaborates on how to hire people who are both efficient enough to deliver and passionate enough to share the company core values. This book is more than whatever you need to create a stable, energy flowing, work environment that is rid of too many cogs in the wheel. With the knowledge from this book, anyone can create the right atmosphere for employees (and employers as well) to deliver the best services and products to their customers. His tips on personality types come in handy as well. Superb, direct and workable.
July 3, 2020
I love reading books that help me build my business sense and do things smart from the beginning.
Hire smart from the start is a great read for all - existing / aspiring entreprenuers, business owners, founders, recruiting heads.
What I love about the book -
The author shares a lot of his experience through real stories and examples, which makes it easy to relate. Some of the pointers shared are very straight forward (almost obvious) and hence easy to implement.
The book is well structured and starts with general problems that exist in the market. And then dives into the problems and solutions that can help you hire better.
What I missed in the book -
There were a few sections where I took me some time to decode the real "how" behind the solution.
Hire smart from the start is a great read for all - existing / aspiring entreprenuers, business owners, founders, recruiting heads.
What I love about the book -
The author shares a lot of his experience through real stories and examples, which makes it easy to relate. Some of the pointers shared are very straight forward (almost obvious) and hence easy to implement.
The book is well structured and starts with general problems that exist in the market. And then dives into the problems and solutions that can help you hire better.
What I missed in the book -
There were a few sections where I took me some time to decode the real "how" behind the solution.
September 14, 2020
Great book to provide new and fresh insights on the hiring process. It is very important for an entrepreneur to make the right hires as they can make or break the business especially in the "fast-pace startup world". Few important learning points from book regarding hiring.
1. Hire people based on their values and alignment with company values
2. Hire people for the long game and those who can sacrifice short gains for long term big gains
3. People should be motivated with passion and strong mission statement not just material benefits
4. Variety of opinion really helps to reach more just consensus then just having people of same vision.
Most important of all is that always hire people having "Growth Mindset".
1. Hire people based on their values and alignment with company values
2. Hire people for the long game and those who can sacrifice short gains for long term big gains
3. People should be motivated with passion and strong mission statement not just material benefits
4. Variety of opinion really helps to reach more just consensus then just having people of same vision.
Most important of all is that always hire people having "Growth Mindset".
October 7, 2025
Hire smart from the start talks guides business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs on the things to look out for while hiring employees to get the job done.
Employers are often focused on the competency of the candidate alone and are blind to other factors like employees alignment and compatibility with the company's vision and mission, including work culture.
The book explains why the Best employees are those whose visions and missions aligns with that of the company and how they can add value to the business through diversity of views, ideas and work ethic.
This is an interesting read for those who aspire to own startups or does who are already in the business as it sheds light on how to work with the right team for the success and progress of the company to be achieved.
Employers are often focused on the competency of the candidate alone and are blind to other factors like employees alignment and compatibility with the company's vision and mission, including work culture.
The book explains why the Best employees are those whose visions and missions aligns with that of the company and how they can add value to the business through diversity of views, ideas and work ethic.
This is an interesting read for those who aspire to own startups or does who are already in the business as it sheds light on how to work with the right team for the success and progress of the company to be achieved.
September 15, 2019
I'm new to Entrepreneurship but I think every Entrepreneur should own this book.
It offers practical advice on how to hire and recruit for an organization. Instead of emphasizing on skills however, the author highlights qualities like personality, company culture and matching the company values to that of the prospective employers. He further offers examples on conducting interviews and not hiring people with similar qualities (clones).
All this is written in self help language and easy to comprehend.
It easily makes an entrepreneur collectors handbook. If you're an entrepreneur, this book is very helpful.
It offers practical advice on how to hire and recruit for an organization. Instead of emphasizing on skills however, the author highlights qualities like personality, company culture and matching the company values to that of the prospective employers. He further offers examples on conducting interviews and not hiring people with similar qualities (clones).
All this is written in self help language and easy to comprehend.
It easily makes an entrepreneur collectors handbook. If you're an entrepreneur, this book is very helpful.
May 16, 2020
A very interesting and inspiring reading, helping to understand the hiring process and guide the recruiter in a correct ideal process. It would be great if companies have this mindset and hire smart from the start! It is a very well-written book, stating facts and providing examples from the real business world, explaining objectives and methods to achieve them, providing easy-to-follow guidelines.
August 30, 2020
I enjoyed so much reading this book hiring smart the first time, it has allowed me an opportunity to reflect on my current employer and that reflection made me realize that instilling culture is very important in hiring and also as an employee to maintain and ensure you are aligned. I would definitely recommend this to anyone, be it an entrepreneur or a professional at all levels. Highly recommended to senior level employees.
September 9, 2020
I am a new business owner and hiring is one of the things that I am in charge of. I found this book a practical and useful resource in the process of hiring. It takes one through the process of landing your first hire and how to deal with some pitfalls that you may encounter along the process. The book gives tips from sourcing through to securing your preferred candidate or next employee. Very useful book to have at hand.
August 31, 2025
this book teaches from the basics.
how to build a company. by hiring the right people. how to do that. read this book.
it tells us about the key features.
how to find the right employee.
how to make them believe that this job is good and how to make them leave the old job.
how to motivate them.
how to build a good company from the start.
honestly this approach is innovative and I liked the points mentioned here.
totally a different type of corporate book.
how to build a company. by hiring the right people. how to do that. read this book.
it tells us about the key features.
how to find the right employee.
how to make them believe that this job is good and how to make them leave the old job.
how to motivate them.
how to build a good company from the start.
honestly this approach is innovative and I liked the points mentioned here.
totally a different type of corporate book.
September 17, 2025
I was given a free copy by Booktaster.
If you are a business owner, this is definitely for me. I had hoped to gain some tips as a potential employee, and I absolutely got some, but given that this book has a specific audience, I did not enjoy it as much as I hoped .
Also, there was a lack of statistics that could have helped the author really make his point instead of relying on annecdotes. But overall, it's an innoffensive book for those in the market for this type of books.
If you are a business owner, this is definitely for me. I had hoped to gain some tips as a potential employee, and I absolutely got some, but given that this book has a specific audience, I did not enjoy it as much as I hoped .
Also, there was a lack of statistics that could have helped the author really make his point instead of relying on annecdotes. But overall, it's an innoffensive book for those in the market for this type of books.
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