Always be recruiting, with Kayak co-founder Paul English
Executive Summary
A Masters of Scale episode from January 2022 in which host Reid Hoffman and Kayak co-founder Paul English give a five-lesson masterclass on recruiting. It opens with the story of Arshay Cooper and a Chicago rowing team, then covers recruiting your inner circle, scouting constantly, hiring for your weaknesses, recruiting at speed with a seven-day offer clock, and recruiting your customers, including English's story of putting his cell number as a customer line and his Get Human project. The caption text covers the whole episode, including the cold open and credits. All claims, anecdotes and advice are the speakers' own statements, not independently checked, and this is not employment or legal advice. Captions are automatic with errors. Topics are untimed; metadata follows YouTube. Source: https://youtubetotranscript.com/transcript?v=oB7RRB9D6kg
Key Takeaways
Cold open: recruiting
The episode opens with Arshay Cooper's account of how recruiters, a video and pizza got Chicago students into rowing, which Hoffman uses to show the power of recruiting.
Lesson one: inner circle
English describes recruiting his mother and brother in his early programming days, and Hoffman warns that relying only on friends and family can create a monoculture.
Lesson two: scout constantly
English says the first 10 hires set the tone for the next hundred, and Hoffman says you can scout early co-founders before you even have a company.
The Kayak lunch
English says he met Steve Hafner over one lunch, asked jokingly for 50/50 and was told 'You're in partner', and that Greylock later turned down their pitch.
Lesson three: complementary strengths
English lists his own weaknesses, says people follow confidence but are loyal to vulnerability, and says to hire honest truth tellers.
Lesson four: speed
English says the clock starts when he hears a name and he aims to make an offer within seven days, using specific interview questions and cold reference checks.
Lesson five: customers
English says he put his cell number on Kayak as a support line, started Get Human to help people reach real staff, and wants his podcast app Moonbeam users to act as scouts and critics.
The Conversation Breakdown
Cold open: recruiting
⏱ Untimed topicThe episode opens with Arshay Cooper's account of how recruiters, a video and pizza got Chicago students into rowing, which Hoffman uses to show the power of recruiting.
Lesson one: inner circle
⏱ Untimed topicEnglish describes recruiting his mother and brother in his early programming days, and Hoffman warns that relying only on friends and family can create a monoculture.
Lesson two: scout constantly
⏱ Untimed topicEnglish says the first 10 hires set the tone for the next hundred, and Hoffman says you can scout early co-founders before you even have a company.
The Kayak lunch
⏱ Untimed topicEnglish says he met Steve Hafner over one lunch, asked jokingly for 50/50 and was told 'You're in partner', and that Greylock later turned down their pitch.
Lesson three: complementary strengths
⏱ Untimed topicEnglish lists his own weaknesses, says people follow confidence but are loyal to vulnerability, and says to hire honest truth tellers.
Lesson four: speed
⏱ Untimed topicEnglish says the clock starts when he hears a name and he aims to make an offer within seven days, using specific interview questions and cold reference checks.
Lesson five: customers
⏱ Untimed topicEnglish says he put his cell number on Kayak as a support line, started Get Human to help people reach real staff, and wants his podcast app Moonbeam users to act as scouts and critics.
Core Frameworks & Ideas
Always be recruiting - Hoffman's principle
Recruit continuously for roles that will exist next year, not only open jobs.
Hire for your weaknesses - English's lesson
Know what you are bad at and hire people strong there, such as operations.
Seven-day clock - English's method
From first hearing a name, aim for an offer in seven days using a process.
Actionable Next Steps
- ✓List the roles you will need next year and who you know for them.
- ✓Write down your own weak spots and who could cover them.
- ✓Ask interview candidates about a specific past project and one thing a colleague did well and one that annoyed them.
- ✓Ask references how to be a good manager for the candidate, not what their weakness is.
Notable Quotes
“you should always be recruiting”
“people follow confidence, but they're loyal to vulnerability”
“All recruiting is about 50% selling and 50% evaluating”
The One Thing to Remember
Hoffman says you should always be recruiting, and English adds that you should hire for your weaknesses and move fast with a process.