Episode 196

196 Jordan Burton - Decoding Talent Assessment: A Journey into Data-Driven Hiring

In our latest episode of SaaS Fuel, we are joined by Jordan Burton, who has transitioned from a career in consulting and entrepreneurship to becoming a talent assessment guru. He specializes in data-driven interviewing techniques, focusing on understanding a candidate’s true fit for leadership roles in high-growth SaaS companies. Jordan’s expertise lies in eliminating the pitfalls of traditional, gut-feeling-based interviews by promoting structured, data-centric methods that enhance the effectiveness of the hiring process.

Learn how to craft concise and inspiring job descriptions, create standardized interview guides to reduce bias, and leverage networks for effective hiring in high-growth SaaS companies. Discover the importance of personal connections in recruiting high-performing engineers and explore Talgo on Demand, a platform designed to enhance interviewing skills and entrepreneurial leadership.

Key Takeaways

[00:00:59] - Data Driven vs Traditional Interviewing Pitfalls

[00:06:17] - Data Driven Interviewing in Talgo Hiring

[00:08:07] - Leveraging Networks for Talent Acquisition

[00:13:22] - Defining Role Context in Interviewing

[00:19:44] - Hiring Engineering Leadership for Business Impact

[00:24:35] - Overcoming Bias in Executive Assessment

[00:26:59] - Note Taking in Executive Assessments

[00:31:25] - Quality of Working vs Non-Working Candidates

[00:36:37] - Using Humor in Data Driven Interviews

[00:41:50] - Talgo Online Competitive Advantage

Tweetable Quotes

“Most of us do it that way though that's right. I mean, the vast majority of interviewing is really bad.” - 00:01:30 Jordan Burton

“Data-driven interviewing is about like let's actually learn about them. Where have they been, what have they done and how relevant is that for what we're looking to hire them to do?” - 00:04:15 Jordan Burton

“A significant number of hiring mistakes come down to a misalignment of stakeholders on what success means in the role.” - 00:10:45 Jordan Burton

“The mistake we see businesses high growth, SaaS, and otherwise make is an over-reliance on job postings. Essentially, you're never even going to see high performers through a job post.” - 00:21:35 Jordan Burton

“What we want to see is that when we come together as a team, we are reviewing an aggregated set of facts, of stories, of things from this person's past.” - 00:35:20 Jordan Burton

SaaS Leadership Lessons

Embrace Data Driven Decision Making in Hiring: Traditional hiring methods often rely on gut feelings and uncoordinated interviews, leading to suboptimal decisions. By implementing data driven interviewing techniques, leaders can ensure a thorough and objective assessment of candidates. This approach helps in understanding a candidate’s true fit for the role by examining verifiable facts and past performances, thus reducing bias and redundancy.
Craft Inspiring and Transparent Job Descriptions: Effective communication is necessary in talent acquisition. Leaders should focus on creating concise and inspiring job descriptions that clearly reflect the organization’s mission and the role’s impact. Innovative methods like video job descriptions and transparency about the role’s challenges can attract the right candidates and ensure they are well informed about what to expect.
Leverage Networks for Talent Sourcing: Founders and leaders often struggle when hiring for roles outside their expertise. Leveraging existing networks can streamline the hiring process by tapping into a pool of trusted and high performing candidates. Engaging with these networks can also help in identifying the right talent through personal connections and warm introductions, which are more effective than cold outreach.
Implement Standardized Interview Guides: To ensure consistency and objectivity in interviews, standardized interview guides tailored to specific roles must be developed. This approach helps in maintaining fairness and reducing bias by focusing on role specific competencies and avoiding repetitive questions. Meticulous note taking during interviews further aids in creating a clear and unbiased record of the candidate’s responses.
Focus on Role Specific Competencies: One size does not fit all in leadership roles, especially in high growth SaaS companies. Identify and prioritize the key traits necessary for each specific role. Creating a one page document that outlines the desired outcomes and qualities for leadership positions can help in aligning expectations and ensuring that the selected candidate possesses the competencies required for success in a resource constrained environment.