In our turbulent times, people change jobs much more frequently than they did in the relatively recent past. In the 1950s-60s in the US, many people would join a company for life—it was the norm. In the USSR, with its system, there were often entire dynasties working at the same place. Working at the same job for life was almost a family tradition for many—grandfather at the factory, father in the same place, and the grandson destined to follow.
The “family” approach to building a team has many advantages, and I must admit, I often grow attached to a team myself. However, modern careers are all about constant job changes and constant interviews. These days, every manager seems to pride themselves on the number of interviews they’ve conducted. It’s strange that the quality of these interviews is discussed far less often, even though it’s much more important (after all, conducting interviews is just part of a manager’s job in a growing company).
I’ve come across numerous articles and books on topics like “how to write the perfect resume” or “how to ace an interview” (including a book I previously mentioned, Résumé for a Million by my former colleagues). However, there’s far less information about how to conduct interviews properly. Personal experience shows that not everyone is good at it (since I go through various interviews quite often, and it helps me stay sharp).
And then, unexpectedly, I stumbled upon the book To Hire or Not to Hire? by Konstantin Borisov. It’s relatively short, but once I started reading, I couldn’t put it down. It’s honestly one of the best management books I’ve read in recent years. Practically no fluff—everything is to the point, with clear arguments. The book primarily focuses on how to interview developers in the IT industry, but most of the material is applicable to any interview and isn’t specifically tied to IT. I’m not sure where the author works, but the company is certainly lucky to have such an interviewer.
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