The Talgo Blog

Good interviewing is paradoxically easier and harder than the typical way that most people interview.

The main reason it’s easier is because it turns out that you actually don’t have to ask convoluted, multi-part questions about ultra-specific topics in order to get great data from...

The amount of hiring advice can sometimes be overwhelming. You can reduce a lot of the noise by focusing on the two types of errors that are possible and then working systematically to reduce them.

1. There are two types of selection errors in hiring: hiring the wrong person (false positives) and...

A cornerstone of our hiring philosophy is the Target: a document with a discrete list of Results Expected and Competencies.

Taking the time to create this document has many benefits that we’ve discussed before: getting internal alignment, informing your external communications to...

There are two common mistakes many companies make when screening candidates.

During my time at Palantir Technologies, I conducted around 500 screening interviews (via both phone and Zoom). I also shadowed—and was shadowed by—dozens of interviewers at the company so I got to see the...

Nobody wants to blow up a big job opportunity for their beloved former colleague. When you speak to references, they are often even more reluctant to talk about a candidate’s weaknesses than the candidate is. It’s important to get creative in the way you ask questions to ensure you...

Thinking, Fast and Slow

In his groundbreaking book, Thinking, Fast and Slow, psychologist Daniel Kahneman introduces two systems of the human mind. System 1 operates automatically and quickly, driven by instinct and emotion. System 2 is deliberative and logical, calculating and conscious.

While...

A short post this week on a simple—but difficult—topic. When you like a candidate but they are deficient in one part of the Target (scorecard), what do you do?

An example would be a candidate that scores well across all Facets of the Target except one (e.g. “concise...

If you’ve been through one of our trainings, you already know our 5-step talent algorithm. Here it is as a recent reformulation into a “TALGO” acronym for easy recall:

Target the specific outcomes and competencies you need for this role.

Aim for high performers—even if...

Have you ever conducted an interview where you were waiting for the candidate to wrap up a story that you didn’t really care about?

We’ve all been there. There are a lot of causes but the one I want to talk about today is when a candidate is wasting both of your time by talking about...