
Ask HN: I'm hiring my first employee – literature recommendations? - ethor
I run a small business that is scaling and I&#x27;m about to hire my first employee to help me with copywriting and content creation. The plan is to start with a part-time employee in order to both get some experience in being an employer and also to try the employee out. I will therefore hire a student within the field that wants to make some extra cash.<p>I have two questions for you:
(1) Does anyone have any experience in this that they want to share? (2) Are there any recommended literature out there that I really should read being new to this?
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paulcole
This is what I do for a living and I interview writers somewhat often.

You need to find someone who sees the difference between writing as an art and
as a profession. Look for someone who can research and write fast. They're not
going to know what they're doing and since you're not going to get high-
quality work you need to get a lot of decent work out of them.

As part of the interview process, ask them to pitch you a blog topic. Then dig
deeper and find out how this post is going to benefit your business, etc.
Finally, ask how long it would take them to write this blog post of say, 1000
words. The red flags are anyone who says this would take them more than 6 or
so hours and anyone who can't explain the business value of their work.

~~~
ethor
Very interesting, thank you

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ainiriand
The Prince - Machiavello. Just kidding, if you are in the technology business
I strongly reccomend The Manager's Path. It is a very good book to learn how
people interacts with the leaders and how to manage your own leadership.

~~~
ethor
I have read the prince but I'm not sure I want to foster that kind of company
culture... ;) I will definitely check that book out, thank you!

~~~
ainiriand
Your question could also lead to a nice submission about how you did. That
would be interesting to share: wins, fails... Thanks.

~~~
ethor
I'll make a submission if it results in something interesting.

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matt_the_bass
If you are hiring a student, then consider selling it an internship. A few
reasons why:

1\. You can place a clear timeframe (like “internship during the fall
semester, potential to renew internship during spring semester and summer”).
This way you start them with a clear end date. That way if you are not
comfortable firing someone, you have a natural excuse. As a new manager, that
may be valuable.

2\. Some local governments may have workforce development grants to cover
parts of the expense of an internship but not just a regular employee. I know
that is the case in my state (in the US).

Also if they are a student then by definition they are not an expert. For best
results expect to spend time mentoring them. This likely means spending time
in advance to outline the general path. In my experience, the more structure
you have to start the better your results. After they get going, you can
probably reduce the required structure (assuming they are a good hire). If
not, get a new intern at the next semester.

Keep a list of all IT things you configure for them (email accounts, slack,
other saas etc). This way you have an easier time to disable them when they
leave.

Lastly treat them like an adult with real company email address, etc. The more
professional you look to them, the more professional they will look to the
rest of the world. Also, they will certainly talk to their peers about you and
your company. So make a great impression.

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hluska
1.) When I hired co-op students in a previous position, I had a lot of luck
with an interview style that a cognitive psychologist friend of mine
suggested. I would switch between memory questions and creative questions. For
example, I would ask:

"Can you tell me about a specific time when you have had a conflict with a co-
worker?"

then

"Imagine that I am Steve Jobs and you are pitching me on some new features
that would make an iPod more useful. What features would you recommend?"

I found a couple of things with that style. First, it was an easier way to
figure out who they are and what they were like to work with. Second, it
showed me a lot about how they could think on their feet and come up with
creative solutions on the fly.

Also, honestly, don't overthink it. You're trying to hire someone who you are
going to want to spend a lot of time with. Don't expect perfection off the
bat, and if I were you, I wouldn't optimize for skill or experience. Instead,
optimize for someone you want to spend 40 hours a week with for the next
twenty years. Your relationship with this person and your ability to teach
each other things will be key to the relationship.

Also, when you hire them, I strongly encourage you to build a culture where
you encourage them to teach you how to become a better manager. This starts
during the interview - be upfront that this is a first for you and you want to
learn how to become the best boss they've ever had. Ask them to give you frank
feedback whenever it comes up. Ask them to do performance reviews on you. And
schedule frequent one on ones where you encourage them to teach you how to
become the best boss they have ever had.

That kind of culture is amazing because the more comfortable and skilled they
get giving you feedback, the more comfortable and skilled they will get
receiving feedback from you.

Good luck!!

2.) I'd avoid books. In fact, if I were you, I'd be very careful about taking
any of the advice I gave you in #1. Those are just things that worked for me,
and books are generally composed of things that work for the authors. You need
to figure out your own style and what works best for you and your
organization. Once you figure that out, hiring will get easier because you'll
have an idea what you're selecting for.

I can't believe I just wrote a wall of text, then told you to disregard what I
said. :)

~~~
ethor
I agree with using open questions to assess the candidate. I somewhat agree,
as the saying goes "planning is everything, the plan is nothing".

~~~
hluska
I've gained a lot from switching between open memory questions and open
creativity questions, preferably back to back.

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dmitripopov
Literature does not help a lot. It's an add-on to your personal experience,
nothing more. If it's your first time then it's a good idea to get someone
with strong background is psychology to take part in the interview process.
Psychological profile is very helpful in hiring decisions.

~~~
ethor
I would like to stand on the shoulder of giants, when possible.

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slipwalker
the best reference i can think of:
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secretary_problem](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secretary_problem)

i have used it myself, feels somewhat precise.

