Hiring Well

Joining Notion as an early employee completely changed how I think about hiring.

At established companies, interviews felt routine. Thousands of employees meant one bad hire couldn’t sink the ship. Change was slow. Culture couldn’t shift overnight.

The beauty of a 15-person startup is its flexibility. The culture is the sum of 15 personalities. It’s highly malleable. A startup is a blank slate, offering the chance to build something new and better with the most talented people you can find.

However, a startup’s culture is also fragile. One bad hire can set the company off course, especially if that person is responsible for future hiring. Anyone who doesn’t raise the bar is lowering it. The stakes are high.

At Notion, I initially screened candidates for technical skills, communication, collaboration, and alignment with company values. While these criteria often sufficed, sometimes they weren’t enough.

Some roles were particularly challenging because all candidates were exceptional. So how do you decide?

Ask better questions.

Ask yourself: If this person joined the company tomorrow and you were an investor, would you feel more confident in your investment?

If the answer is yes, it’s a great hire. If not, reconsider.

As an early employee, you are an early investor. You have equity on the line.

This question is important because it reframes the hiring process through a business lens.

Instead of asking, “Is this person a good designer?” ask, “Will this person’s approach to design impact our growth?”

Instead of asking, “Is this person a good engineer?” ask, “Does this engineer work with urgency to solve business problems with a high level of craft?”

Hiring at a startup is about setting and maintaining a high bar. You achieve this by asking better questions. Even at a large company without personal equity on the line, this reframing keeps the focus on what truly drives growth.