Who: The A Method for Hiring

Smart and Street studied hiring practices across a large sample of executives and produced a method they summarise as scorecard, source, select and sell. The scorecard defines the mission, outcomes and competencies for a role before anyone is interviewed, which is what makes everything afterwards assessable rather than impressionistic. Selection uses a structured sequence starting with a screening interview, then a chronological interview through the candidate's whole career, then focused interviews on specific outcomes, and finally reference checks the authors are strict about. There is direct material on the common interviewing failures, including hiring on gut feel and asking hypothetical questions that reward fluency. Read it if your interviews produce opinions rather than evidence.