How to Hire
Most companies hire the same way. They look for people who’ve already proven themselves elsewhere. They compete for the same small pool of established talent. This seems logical, but there’s a better approach.
Established talent presents problems. They come with fixed ideas. They’ve developed methods at previous jobs and don’t want to change them. They believe they know the “right way” to do things, which often conflicts with how your team works.
Worse, established talent has often lost some of their curiosity. The openness that helped them initially succeed tends to diminish over time. They’ve found solutions that work and naturally stick with them. This can create friction. They might be less receptive to feedback, find it harder to adapt to new cultures, and occasionally reference how things worked at previous employers. You pay extra for their experience, but sometimes inherit an understandable resistance to change.
Most companies end up in expensive bidding wars for established talent. They drive up salaries while getting less value. This makes sense for specialized roles. But for most positions, there’s a better way. Identify potential early and help it grow.
A strategy many companies miss is creating programs for recent graduates. These young professionals start their careers with you as you provide guidance. Keith Rabois puts it well: “The biggest alpha is finding talent before the talent knows they’re talented, or the market knows they’re talented.”
I witnessed this approach succeed firsthand. We implemented it at Unacademy through our Design Debut Program. We identified promising young designers at the start of their careers. The program generated interest across India’s design community. We hired 10 high-potential designers who produced excellent work over the next few years. Several notable Indian companies later created similar talent initiatives.
Palantir takes this to the extreme. They recently declared “College is broken” and launched a fellowship for high school graduates. They select based purely on merit, not credentials. The best get internships, then full-time offers upon completion. They’re betting raw talent doesn’t need college’s validation. And it works. These young hires build core products and lead major client work within just a few years. They’ve recognized you can identify exceptional ability earlier than most think possible.
Google might be the best example of this strategy. In “Work Rules!” (excellent book by the way), former VP of People Operations Laszlo Bock discusses their impressive intern-to-employee conversion. Their program is so effective that a “Google internship” has become highly desired on college campuses. Students prepare with intent to get selected for internships at Google so that they can then convert to full-time.
Young talent has distinct advantages. They’re motivated and energetic. They have fewer external obligations. They’re eager to learn. They bring perspectives unencumbered by conventional thinking.
When you only hire established talent, finding the ideal role-person fit becomes an interesting challenge. Established professionals are often placed in roles they’re already good at. Roles they could do in their sleep. This leads to comfort, and comfort often leads to coasting. Once someone knows how to navigate the promotion system, the work becomes less about doing great things and more about doing the right things for the next review cycle. Productivity plateaus. Creativity dulls. You end up paying a premium for predictability.
By contrast, early-career talent lives in a different psychological zone. They’re often unsure if they deserve the seat they’ve been given. That sense of being slightly underqualified, of needing to prove themselves, pushes them to bring their best work every day. They obsess over the details, they chase feedback, they stretch. This kind of productive insecurity drives excellence. It’s not imposter syndrome. It’s hunger. The result is faster growth, fresher ideas, and a team that doesn’t take their seat at the table for granted.
That tension between what the role demands and what the person is ready for is where great work happens. You want people in roles that make them reach. That’s how you build a culture of continuous elevation.
Another distinct advantage with hiring and nurturing early talent is loyalty. Young talent doesn’t forget where they learned their craft. When you invest in developing someone early in their career, you earn a special kind of loyalty that’s hard to replicate. These professionals deeply value who taught them their skills and shaped their professional identity. Even if they eventually move on, they remain connected to your network and often return or collaborate in the future. You’re not just building a team. You’re creating a loyalty network that compounds in value over time. I’ve seen engineers return to the leaders that gave them their first break, even after successful stints elsewhere, because of the connection formed during those formative years.
There’s an important caveat with early-career programs though. They only succeed when companies genuinely invest in development of the young hires. High-pressure startups that ignore planning for development end up setting them up for failure.
For finding and developing young talent:
- Prioritize potential over credentials – Seek problem-solving ability, curiosity and grit rather than perfect GPAs or prestigious degrees.
- Assign real work immediately – Put new talent on meaningful projects with actual impact, not busywork.
- Connect with strong mentors – Pair young talent with experienced guides who maintain high standards while providing support.
- Value unconventional backgrounds – Find exceptional performers in unexpected contexts who bring fresh perspectives.
- Go where others aren’t looking – Explore overlooked talent pools beyond elite universities to find diamonds in the rough.
Most hiring strategies focus on the short-term need to fill positions. Developing early-career talent requires patience but builds lasting organizational strength. The results aren’t immediate, but they compound over time.
Identifying talent before others recognize it isn’t just cost-effective. It’s often the difference between good and great companies.