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The Hiring PlaybookEleven plays · 12 min read

Hire on evidence,
not instinct.

Eleven plays for managers who'd rather find the right person than guess.

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Ryan Mahoney, Director of Product

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Pick where to start. Each play stands alone.

Play 1

Define the Job Before You Hire

Hire for the work, not the wishlist.
When it comes to hiring, many companies are throwing darts without looking at the target. They don’t know exactly what they need, so they write job descriptions full of clichés. “Team player.” “Self-starter.” “Strong communicator.” Words that say nothing. Then, they sit across from a candidate, ask a few standard questions, and trust their gut.

Do this

  • b>☐ /b> Work with experts to determine the “must have” skills, knowledge, and judgment.
  • b>☐ /b> Talk to top performers. Find out what makes them so great.
  • b>☐ /b> Pinpoint the key soft skills. Decide how to test them in interviews.

Ask yourself

  • What specific, measurable outcomes will this role achieve in the first 90 days and first year?
  • Which 3-5 technical skills are absolutely essential from day one, and which can be learned on the job?
  • What behaviors distinguish your top performers in this role from average ones?
  • What common hiring assumptions for this role have proven incorrect in past hires?
  • If you had to identify a single critical competency that predicts success, what would it be?
Go deeper

That’s why there are so many “do-overs” in hiring.

The best hiring managers don’t leave it to chance. They define their ideal candidate before they start searching, not with vague qualities but with specifics measurable skills and proven experience. They ask: What problem are we trying to solve here? What does success in this role actually look like? What skills and behaviors separate top performers from the rest?

Once you know that, everything changes. Job descriptions get to the point. Interviews focus on what matters.

Play 2

Train Your Interviewers to Think, Not Guess

Untrained interviewers fall back on small talk and gut feel.
When interviewers haven’t had the opportunity to prepare, they may feel anxious or uncertain. They fill the silence with small talk, inadvertently help candidates, and recommend candidates based on assumptions about what the organization needs.

Do this

  • b>☐ /b>Give interviewers clear questions and a structured process to keep things fair.
  • b>☐ /b>Make sure they create a welcoming, respectful space for candidates.
  • b>☐ /b>Have them take notes—real notes—not just rely on memory.
  • b>☐ /b>Train them to spot and reduce bias before it skews decisions.
  • b>☐ /b>Ensure they know the job and what makes an ideal candidate.
  • b>☐ /b>Teach them to listen. Let candidates speak. Silence is better than rushing to judgment.

Ask yourself

  • What specific training do interviewers need to evaluate the critical competencies for this role consistently?
  • How will you ensure interviewers collect objective evidence rather than relying on general impressions?
  • What tools or templates will help interviewers take effective notes during interviews?
  • How will you prepare interviewers to create a positive candidate experience while maintaining assessment rigor?
  • What process will you use to calibrate interviewer ratings and ensure consistency?
Go deeper

But it doesn’t have to be this way. Give interviewers the right training, clear questions, and a simple way to assess candidates. They’ll arrive confident, focus on what matters, and make decisions based on real evidence—not instinct or anxiety.

Play 3

Ask Better Questions. Get Better Answers

Hypothetical questions get rehearsed answers. Behavioral ones get the truth.
Bad interviews lead to bad hires. And bad hires cost time, money, and team morale. The best way to prevent that? Treat interviews like research.

Do this

  • b>☐ /b>Develop structured interview materials that align with “must-have” competencies and job requirements.
  • b>☐ /b>Use behavioral questions—those about past actions, not hypotheticals—to elicit examples from past work experiences.
  • b>☐ /b>Incorporate job knowledge questions to evaluate candidates' technical expertise.
  • b>☐ /b>Avoid compound questions to ensure a clear and straightforward evaluation process.
  • b>☐ /b>Design refreshing questions that discourage rehearsed or expected responses.
  • b>☐ /b>Encourage candidates to share detailed stories about their past behaviors and decisions for deeper insights.

Ask yourself

  • Which interview methods (behavioral, situational judgment, case studies, simulations) best assess the critical competencies for this role?
  • What specific evidence should interviewers document for each key competency?
  • How will you design questions that reveal actual past performance rather than hypothetical abilities?
  • What probing techniques should interviewers use when candidates provide vague or general responses?
  • How will you validate that your interview methodology actually predicts on-the-job success? b> /b> a href="#addition-369"> /a>
Go deeper

Predictive validity—how well an interview method forecasts job performance—matters. The highest predictive methods use structured interviews and competency-based questions that focus on real, measurable skills. Ask candidates to describe specific past experiences: “Tell me about a time you had to meet a tight deadline.” “Give me an example of how you handled conflicting priorities.” These questions force real answers, not rehearsed hypotheticals.

Good interviews don’t just collect responses—they collect evidence. A promising candidate gives specific details about what they did, why they did it, and what happened next. A superficial candidate speaks in vague generalities. Train interviewers to listen for those differences. 

Do this well, and hiring stops being a guessing game. It becomes a repeatable process that finds the right people—every time.

Play 4

Base Hiring Decisions on Facts, Not Hunches

Document evidence. Decide on facts, not first impressions.
Collecting evidence at each stage of hiring is essential—but using that evidence operationally is what transforms your hiring process. Interviewers must base recommendations on documented insights: structured interview notes and objective ratings based on vivid examples of past candidate behaviors. When hiring managers consistently rely on evidence gathered by interviewers rather than instinct, new hires thrive.

Do this

  • b>☐ /b>Conduct structured interviews with precise rating scales to ensure objective candidate assessments.
  • b>☐ /b>Consolidate candidate ratings and feedback into a scorecard to efficiently use interview insights.
  • b>☐ /b>Hold structured decision meetings where hiring managers review documented evidence before making a final decision.
  • b>☐ /b>Correlating interview ratings with subsequent job performance
  • b>☐ /b>Collecting data on false positives/negatives
  • b>☐ /b>Refining assessment criteria based on how people perform on the job
  • b>☐ /b>Regularly audit hiring decisions to ensure adherence to the evidence-based process, reducing reliance on instinct or bias.

Ask yourself

  • What specific evidence will be required to support a "hire" recommendation?
  • How will you structure hiring deliberations to ensure decisions are based on documented evidence?
  • What process will you use when interviewers disagree on a candidate's rating?
  • How will you compare evidence across candidates objectively?
  • What mechanism will help hiring managers resist gut feelings when evidence contradicts intuition? b> /b> a href="#addition-371"> /a>
Go deeper

This systematic, operational approach doesn’t just sound fair—it is fair. It reduces guesswork, cuts turnover, and builds teams you trust.

Play 5

A Bad Hiring Experience Loses Good People

Candidates remember rude. Don't be remembered.
Ignoring the candidate’s experience costs you good candidates. Talented people withdraw when your process is slow, unclear, or disrespectful of their time. Instead, simplify each step: tell candidates exactly what to expect, limit unnecessary questions, and communicate consistently at every stage. When you treat candidates thoughtfully, more high-quality applicants stay interested. Your talent pipeline deepens, hires improve, and the best candidates join—and stay.

Do this

  • b>☐ /b>Clearly outline the application process in the job description to set accurate expectations.
  • b>☐ /b>Streamline your application process to minimize the time required for completion.
  • b>☐ /b>Update all written communications, including rejection emails, to ensure they are respectful and personalized.
  • b>☐ /b>Prevent the “application black hole” by providing every candidate with a response, regardless of the outcome.
  • b>☐ /b>Collect pronouns and record pronunciation on a digital job application form.

Ask yourself

  • At which specific touchpoints do candidates currently express frustration with our process?
  • What unnecessary steps or information requests can we eliminate from our application process?
  • How can we create transparent timelines and expectations at each stage?
  • What personalized communication can we provide at key decision points?
  • How will we measure improvements in candidate experience? b> /b> a href="#addition-375"> /a>

Play 6

Remote Work Needs Remote Hiring Rules

Remote-first roles need remote-native interviews.
Remote and hybrid roles require skills traditional interviews often overlook: clear digital communication, disciplined self-management, and effective virtual collaboration. Standard interview methods rarely evaluate these competencies accurately. To hire successfully for remote roles, adopt structured assessments specifically designed to measure remote work capabilities. These include scenario-based questions or practical exercises simulating remote environments. By doing so, you select candidates genuinely prepared to thrive remotely—reducing early turnover, boosting team productivity, and ensuring your distributed teams remain effective no matter where they work.

Do this

  • b>☐ /b> Define remote competencies clearly—virtual communication, digital collaboration, self-management.
  • b>☐ /b> Use asynchronous tasks to test real remote work scenarios.
  • b>☐ /b> Assess candidates’ home workspace, tech skills, and security awareness systematically.
  • b>☐ /b> Combine video, written, and interactive formats to evaluate communication flexibility.
  • b>☐ /b> Evaluate time management and boundary-setting to ensure sustainable productivity.
  • b>☐ /b> Run virtual team exercises to test relationship-building and conflict resolution remotely.

Ask yourself

  • Which specific remote work skills are our current assessments overlooking or undervaluing?
  • What patterns of performance issues have emerged among remote hires who initially seemed promising?
  • How can we reliably test a candidate’s readiness for remote collaboration without face-to-face meetings?
  • How clearly do our evaluations measure whether candidates can build relationships and stay productive without regular in-person interactions?
  • What practical steps can we take to attract candidates who will stay productive, connected, and engaged when working remotely?

Play 7

Diversity Works When It’s Part of the System

Diversity isn't a step in the process. It is the process.
When organizations fail to establish thoughtful and clear practices for diversity and equity in hiring, well-meaning individuals may resort to improvised methods. Such informal, ad-hoc approaches—though well-intentioned—often introduce unintended biases, undermine diversity initiatives, and ultimately compromise the fairness and integrity of the recruitment and selection process. To prevent these unintended consequences, it’s essential to provide structured, deliberate guidelines and training, empowering employees to champion equity thoughtfully rather than improvisationally.

Do this

  • b>☐ /b>Develop a recruiting, selection, and hiring plan that outlines how diversity goals are integrated into standard operating procedures.
  • b>☐ /b>Ensure that leaders and hiring managers understand, support, and implement hiring practices according to the organization's guidelines.
  • b>☐ /b>Build relationships with diverse communities and educational institutions to facilitate proactive outreach, avoiding last-minute recruitment.
  • b>☐ /b>Use relevant metrics to track the progress of outreach and hiring efforts tailored to the organization's capacity and maturity level. For example, candidate pool gender balance.

Ask yourself

  • Which specific barriers in our process disproportionately affect underrepresented candidates?
  • What partnerships or sourcing channels will help us build a more diverse candidate pool before a position opens?
  • How will we ensure job requirements focus on essential skills rather than credentials that create unnecessary barriers?
  • What metrics will we track to measure diversity outcomes at each hiring stage?
  • How will we identify and address potential bias in our interviewing and selection processes?

Play 8

Use Hiring Tools That Help, Not Hinder

Tools should remove friction, not add it.
Strategically using an Applicant Tracking System (ATS) in hiring streamlines recruiting, improves candidate communication, and ensures consistent evaluations. By reducing manual workloads and minimizing distractions, an ATS allows staff to focus on the substance of hiring, not the mechanics.

Do this

  • b>☐ /b>Automate tasks like interview scheduling and candidate follow-ups with the ATS to save time and reduce administrative work.
  • b>☐ /b>Evaluate the ATS's usability to ensure it meets the needs of recruiters, hiring managers, and stakeholders.
  • b>☐ /b>Provide comprehensive training for all users to ensure effective use of the ATS.
  • b>☐ /b>Continuously collect user feedback to improve the ATS and address any issues.
  • b>☐ /b>Ensure the ATS complies with data security and privacy regulations to protect candidate information.

Ask yourself

  • How does your tool integrate with structured interviews and standardized assessments to support evidence-based hiring?
  • What specific hiring tasks does your tool automate, and which ones remain under human judgment?
  • Can your system provide data we can use in hiring decision meetings to ensure fair, consistent evaluations?
  • How does your tool focus on evaluating skills and competencies rather than proxies like education or past employers?
  • Can your tool be customized to align with our job competency frameworks?
  • How does your tool maintain a positive, transparent candidate experience?
  • How does your tool streamline, rather than complicate, the application process for candidates?
  • What data protection measures ensure candidate information remains secure?
  • How does your tool stay compliant with evolving regulations for AI in hiring?
  • What audit trails does your system maintain to document how hiring decisions are reached?
  • How does your AI enhance hiring decisions while ensuring transparency and avoiding bias?

Play 9

AI Is a Tool—Not a Judge

Use AI to assist. Never to decide.
Use AI strategically, not carelessly. AI tools streamline repetitive tasks—writing clear job descriptions, generating interview questions, personalizing communication—saving significant time. But never delegate decisions to algorithms alone, since AI can perpetuate biases embedded in training data. Human judgment remains essential to assess nuanced behaviors, interpret candidate responses accurately, and ensure fairness. When you combine AI’s efficiency with thoughtful human evaluation, hiring decisions improve, bias decreases, and your team consistently selects stronger candidates.

Do this

  • b>☐ /b>Leverage AI tools to identify each role's essential skills and competencies.
  • b>☐ /b>Automate resume processing with AI to extract crucial information and reduce data entry.
  • b>☐ /b>Use AI to create compelling job ads that attract top talent on various platforms.

Ask yourself

  • Which specific parts of our hiring process are best suited for AI assistance versus human judgment?
  • What safeguards will we implement to identify and prevent AI bias?
  • How will we validate that AI-supported processes produce fair and effective outcomes?
  • What training do hiring teams need to effectively interpret and supplement AI recommendations?
  • How will we continuously evaluate and refine our AI implementation based on results?

Play 10

Promote from Within Before Looking Outside

Look inside before you look outside.
Overlooking internal talent leads to avoidable attrition, lost institutional knowledge, and expensive external hiring. Too often, managers miss high-potential employees simply because they don’t have a clear system to assess them. Instead, companies should unify internal and external hiring by defining role-specific competencies and using structured evaluations to assess all candidates equally. When candidate assessment rubrics also set performance standards, employees know exactly what skills they need to develop before a role opens. This clarity accelerates promotions, reduces onboarding time, and strengthens leadership pipelines. A hiring system that balances fresh external talent with strong internal mobility builds more resilient teams and a company culture where employees see a future worth staying for.

Do this

  • b>☐ /b> Clearly align internal performance evaluations with external hiring standards.
  • b>☐ /b> Use structured assessments for internal candidates, matching external rigor.
  • b>☐ /b> Provide transparent career paths showing skills and experience needed for advancement.
  • b>☐ /b> Establish regular internal talent reviews before opening roles externally.
  • b>☐ /b> Offer targeted development opportunities to prepare employees for future positions.

Ask yourself

  • Do internal and external candidates face the same standards in hiring evaluations? If not, why?
  • What specific assessment methods accurately measure the potential of internal candidates versus external candidates?
  • How effectively does our current hiring process balance internal knowledge with fresh external viewpoints?
  • Do employees clearly understand what skills and experience they need to advance to their target roles?
  • What currently motivates or discourages managers from sharing and developing talent internally?
  • How will we measure whether internal mobility is improving our hiring quality, retention, and productivity?

Play 11

Pay People for What They Do, Not How Long They’ve Stayed

Pay reflects work, not tenure.
Making compensation decisions separately from candidate assessments hurts hiring. You end up losing strong candidates by offering too little or paying too much for average performers. Instead, directly tie compensation offers to clear evidence from structured candidate evaluations. Pay candidates based on proven skills, measurable experience, and demonstrated potential—not guesswork. This ensures fairness, keeps your best talent engaged, and avoids costly mistakes. When offers match candidate’s ability more precisely, you create incentives for growth without making waves with proven team members.

Do this

  • b>☐ /b> Create compensation bands clearly tied to competency assessments.
  • b>☐ /b> Define guidelines for adjusting offers based on candidate ratings.
  • b>☐ /b> Set a structured approval process for offer exceptions.
  • b>☐ /b> Establish consistent methods to evaluate non-traditional candidate experience.
  • b>☐ /b> Use a standardized process linking assessment data directly to compensation decisions.
  • b>☐ /b> Regularly evaluate compensation fairness for non-standard candidate paths.
  • b>☐ /b> Regularly review and adjust compensation to reflect market standards.

Ask yourself

  • Do we currently use candidate assessment evidence consistently when deciding compensation? If not, where does it break down?
  • Which specific assessment criteria most accurately predict a candidate’s future value, and how should they influence initial compensation offers?
  • How closely aligned is compensation for new hires with current employees performing at similar levels?
  • Which metrics will clearly show whether our compensation strategy successfully attracts and retains the right talent?
  • Are candidates accepting or declining offers primarily due to compensation? What specifically do candidates value?
  • How can we measure if our compensation negotiations create fairness and consistency across our workforce?
  • Which aspects of our compensation process influence candidates' decisions to accept and remain in roles?

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