We're joined by former Amazon, Microsoft and Bulletproof executive Anna Collins to discuss how high-performance organizations structure their hiring and interview processes. Whether you're a small startup or a big public company, as Anna puts it, there is no more important question than who you put "on your bus". Anna distills what she's learned across 20+ years and making thousands of hires into actionable, must-listen advice for anyone aiming to grow their organization in a high-performance manner (or on the other side, anyone looking to join a high-performance company!).
Anna's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anna-collins-5965/
Transcript link: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1PX_6bUsHJRN3eZsCH5K8m-9OfHTOuFXH
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“I believe that structure is what is required for creativity and for humans to actually connect. If you have chaos, that is the opposite of having the ability to connect and having a good candidate experience. It’s all about being human and you need the structure to facilitate that and to be productive.” – Anna Collins
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Show Links:
14 Leadership Principles of Amazon
Show Bookmarks:
[01:30] – Introduction of Anna Collins
[08:22] – Anna’s path to Business School
[09:42] – Peer Mentoring and Leadership at aQuantive
[13:35] – Leadership and Interviewing at Amazon / Microsoft
[20:26] – Balancing Standard Process and the Human Element in Interviewing
[25:05] – Anna’s Interview Playbook
[32:35] – Iteration of the Job Description and the pool of Available Talent
[34:50] – Balancing Previous Work Experience in Interviewing and Hiring
[39:37] – Anna’s rules on Interviewing and Interviewee Experience
[44:24] – Behavioral Interviewing and Good Questions
[50:50] – Questioning with Purpose
[56:00] – Last thoughts on Interviewing
People Worth Knowing:
Kathy Delaney Smith (Harvard Basketball Coach)
Mike Galgon (Pioneer Square Labs)
Randy Wooten (former colleague)
Jeff Hull
Warren Buffet
Jeff Bezos
Companies Mentioned in Episode:
Amazon Prime
Microsoft
CVS Health
Harvard University
US Service Academies
Reserve Officer Training Corps
M.I.T.
Johnston & Johnston
aQuantive
Yahoo
Bulletproof
Episode Specific Terms:
Tactical Interview Questions
Team vs Individual
Peer Mentoring
Media Buying for Clients
Earning Trust
Working backward (Customer Focused)
Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)
PRFAQ (Amazon)
Bar Raiser (Amazon) / As Appropriate (Microsoft)
Mission, Vision, and Values
Skills and Functional Knowledge
Interviewing Biases
Being an ‘Athlete’ (Flexible / Adaptable / Coachable)
Interview Panacea
Pre-Brief and De-Brief
What is ACQ2: The Acquired Interviews?
ACQ2 is Ben and David's conversations with expert founders and investors. Acquired the stories of great companies — and ACQ2 dives deeper into the lessons we can learn from them, often with the protagonists themselves.