Stop Hiring Resumes [29]

Show notes

Part 1 of a four-part series on hiring the right SE. The perfect-on-paper hire who fell apart in month three — and the reframe that changed how Ava interviews. Stop screening for what people have done. Screen for how they think, how they handle pressure, and how they respond when you tell them they got it wrong.

What Nate and Ava discuss

• Why experience-first filtering produces a shortlist who all look the same — and why you then pick on demo-of-a-demo skill
• The coachability test — a five-minute role-play with real-time feedback, watching whether they integrate, debate, or deflect
• Why polished STAR-format answers are often a red flag, and why "that deal was a mess" can be a green one
• Confusing confidence with competence — the candidate who commands the room vs. the one who asks you questions

The move

Before your next SE interview, audit your questions. How many test knowledge versus how many test thinking? If more than half are "tell me about a time when" — you're screening for storytelling, not for the skills that matter. Add one role-play. Add one real-time feedback moment. Watch what happens.

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