Hiring Manager Guides
Practical frameworks, rubrics, and templates used by engineering leaders to interview smarter, level accurately, and build teams that ship.
The Structured Technical Interview Framework
Stop relying on "gut feeling." This data-driven framework gives you rubrics, scorecards, and calibrated questions to predict on-the-job performance and reduce bias in your hiring process.
- Competency-based scorecard template (Coding, System Design, Behavioral)
- 5 "Gold Standard" questions that probe depth without obscure algorithms
- 1-4 rating scale calibration guide for consistent evaluations
The Complete Hiring Toolkit
Frameworks and templates organized by where you are in the hiring journey. Each guide is designed to solve a specific pain point for engineering leaders.
The Interview Process
Structured Technical Interview Framework
Replace "gut feeling" with data-driven rubrics. Scorecards, calibrated questions, and a 4-stage process to predict on-the-job performance.
The System Design Interview Playbook
Move beyond whiteboard puzzles. Run collaborative architecture discussions that reveal real engineering seniority through trade-off analysis.
Strategy & Planning
Engineering Role Leveling Matrix (L1 - L6)
Clear expectations prevent bad hires. Define exactly what "Senior" vs "Staff" means for your team before you post the job. Avoid title inflation.
Designing Balanced Teams: Ratios & Composition
Don't just hire clones. Calculate the right ratio of Seniors to Juniors to prevent burnout and ensure mentorship. Hire for "Culture Add."
Onboarding & Success
The "First 90 Days" Technical Onboarding
Time-to-productivity is the real hiring metric. Get engineers shipping code to production in their first week with this structured roadmap.
Assessing "Slope" vs. "Y-Intercept"
The resume shows where they are (Y-Intercept). You need to know how fast they learn (Slope). Hire for high-potential engineers who grow with you.
Quick Downloads
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Frequently Asked Questions
How do I adapt these hiring frameworks for a startup environment versus a large enterprise?
Startups often require more agility. We recommend streamlining the technical assessment phase and focusing heavily on cultural add and adaptability. For enterprises, a more structured, multi-stage process ensures consistency and compliance across large teams.
What is the best way to train my engineering team to conduct effective interviews?
Structured interview training is crucial. We suggest implementing shadow sessions where junior interviewers observe senior staff, followed by reverse-shadowing. Utilizing scoring rubrics (like the ones provided in our guides) helps standardize feedback and reduce bias.
Can these guides be customized for specific technical roles like DevOps or Data Science?
Absolutely. While the core competencies of problem-solving and communication remain constant, the technical assessment modules should be tailored. Our guides provide templates that can be modified to include domain-specific challenges relevant to specialized roles.
How much time should we allocate for the technical assessment portion?
We recommend keeping take-home assignments under 4 hours to respect candidates' time. For live coding sessions, 60-90 minutes is typically sufficient to gauge problem-solving skills without causing fatigue.
Need help building your engineering team?
These frameworks are battle-tested. But if you'd rather have us handle the search, vetting, and coordination—we've placed hundreds of engineers using these exact methods.