
At Heard, I recruited 8 engineers (mid to staff level), scaling team capacity by 60% while maintaining a mission-driven culture. Scaling teams requires balancing growth with culture fit.

#### The Challenge

Scaling teams requires:
- Finding great talent
- Maintaining culture
- Onboarding effectively
- Retaining talent
- Managing growth

#### Our Hiring Process

**1. Sourcing**
- Employee referrals (best source)
- Direct outreach
- Job boards
- Recruiters (selective)

**2. Screening**
- Resume review
- Phone screen (30 min)
- Technical assessment
- Culture fit interview

**3. On-Site**
- Technical deep dive
- System design
- Culture fit
- Team fit

**4. Decision**
- Debrief meeting
- Reference checks
- Offer negotiation

#### What We Looked For

**Technical Skills**
- Strong fundamentals
- Problem-solving ability
- Growth mindset
- Relevant experience

**Culture Fit**
- Mission alignment
- Collaboration skills
- Ownership mindset
- Growth orientation

#### Interview Process

```typescript
interface InterviewProcess {
  phoneScreen: {
    duration: 30; // minutes
    focus: 'communication', 'basic technical';
  };
  technicalAssessment: {
    duration: 60; // minutes
    format: 'take-home' | 'live-coding';
    focus: 'problem-solving', 'code quality';
  };
  onSite: {
    technicalDeepDive: 60;
    systemDesign: 45;
    cultureFit: 30;
    teamFit: 30;
  };
}
```

#### Onboarding

**Week 1:**
- Setup and orientation
- Meet the team
- First small task
- Pair programming

**Month 1:**
- Larger features
- Code reviews
- Team meetings
- Regular check-ins

**Month 3:**
- Full ownership
- Mentoring others
- Process improvements

#### Maintaining Culture

- Clear values and principles
- Regular culture discussions
- Lead by example
- Address issues quickly
- Celebrate wins together

#### Results

- 8 engineers hired
- 60% capacity increase
- Strong culture maintained
- High retention rate
- Mission-driven focus preserved

> "Hire for culture fit, train for skills."

#### Lessons Learned

1. Referrals are the best source
2. Culture fit matters as much as skills
3. Onboarding is critical
4. Retention starts with hiring
5. Growth requires intentional culture work

#### Common Mistakes

- Hiring too fast (quality over quantity)
- Ignoring culture fit (skills aren't enough)
- Poor onboarding (sets people up to fail)
- Not investing in retention (expensive to replace)
- Growing without structure (chaos)



hiring

Recruiting and scaling engineering teams