Streamline your interview process

Building a great company starts with the people, yet too often companies struggle to recruit strong, long-lasting talent. When we look introspectively,“what can we do better?”, very few have spent the time on hiring process’, committed energy to aligning questions and qualities, or ensuring interview panels are well coordinated. This guide is created to go deep in to the art and science of hiring for long-term success.

1. Define the job role and requirements 

   1. Review similar roles to ensure job title and criteria alignment

   2. Determine the balance between required experience and transferable skills

   3. Broaden the talent pool by removing experience-based requirements to avoid limiting qualified candidates

   
   

2. Source and identify potential candidates 

   1. Use LinkedIn queries to find ideal candidates based on key criteria

   2. Share 3-5 sample profiles with recruiters and provide clear reasoning behind each selection - this helps standardize screening criteria and aligns expectations for candidate sourcing

      
      

3. Develop an interview and scoring guide

   1. Create a structured interview guide that includes:

      1. Key competencies needed for success in the role

      2. Specific, non-generic questions to elicit meaningful responses

      3. Consistent scoring system to evaluate candidates

   2. Equip recruiters with 1-2 primary focus areas for initial screening

   3. Ensure all interview guides include evaluation criteria for:

      1. Cultural fit and work environment compatibility 

      2. Natural curiosity and problem-solving skills

         
         

4. Prepare the interview panel 

   1. Select 3-4 individuals to participate in every interview to maintain consistency 

   2. Review the interview and scoring guide with panelists and key stakeholders to establish clear expectations and ensure alignment 

   3. Assign each panelist 1-2 focus areas to ensure an in-depth evaluation within a 30 minute interview  

   4. Keep interview panels to a manageable size to streamline the process, scheduling and prevent unnecessary delays

      
      

5. Standardize scoring 

   1. Ensure all panelists score candidates consistently 

   2. If discrepancies arise in ratings, discuss the reasoning to determine whether it aligns with the role’s needs or if biases are influencing the decision  

      
      

6. Post-hire review

   When an employee leaves, review the original interview guide to assess:

   1. Were any key indicators missed?

   2. What adjustments can be made to improve future hiring decisions? 

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A real framework to leverage: Sales Development interview guide

One of the most frequent hiring challenges the BOSS Team faces is interviewing Sales Development Representatives (SDRs), or Business Development Representatives (BDRs). Unlike most SaaS roles, candidates often come straight out of school, have little professional experience, or are transitioning from entirely different industries - therefore the usual hiring playbook doesn’t always apply.

While hiring at Zuora, I noticed a recurring theme: when we sent account executives to interview SDRs, they often returned with feedback like, “Yeah, they seem nice, not a ton of experience. I’d have a beer with them”. That struck me as odd because, frankly, I’d have a beer with just about anyone… probably twice. 

This observation led to a more structured hiring approach, focusing on intangibles like resilience, curiosity and adaptability - all are qualities that actually matter in an SDR role. Over time, this not only improved hiring outcomes but also built a more inclusive interview process, enabling me to build some of the most diverse teams in SaaS across multiple companies. 

Many hiring managers believe they have a strong “gut instinct” for hiring, however if that were true, attrition rates would not be so high. Too often hiring decisions are based on personal impressions instead of the qualities that drive success in the role.

A structured process, with consistent, well-thought-out questions, keeps things fair, reduces bias and focuses on real potential, not just experience. If interviewers disagree on a candidate, we pause and revisit the interview guide. And if just one panelist says “no”, we pass. A bad hire doesn’t just hurt productivity - it wastes time, frustrates teams, and leads to a poor experience for the candidate. Both sides deserve the right match.