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Three Interviews for Success
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No matter the role or function you’re hiring for, conduct three high-signal interviews: problem-solving assessment, bar-raiser and people management & hiring (for people managers)
Run a problem-solving assessment based on a real business case with a multi-layer problem to assess first-principles thinking and identify strong candidates
Use the bar-raiser to assess the candidate’s track record of achievement and cultural values and select the people who would raise the average talent bar of the team
Test people managers on their ability to diagnose performance issues and hire top talent consistently with the people management & hiring assessment
Hiring exceptional talent at scale requires more than just functional assessments - the best talent isn’t just about skills. It takes a system that reliably identifies potential, ambition and structured thinking.
The three interviews below were designed to do just that. They work together to extract the kind of signal that most hiring processes miss, and should be run for (nearly) every role.
Each interview is designed to assess a distinct trait of the candidates:
problem-solving assessment: can they crack through the toughest problems and get to the bottom of the issue?
bar-raiser (or values & achievements) assessment: are they on an upwards trajectory, and will they raise the talent bar of the team?
people management and hiring assessment (for people managers): can they identify, attract and nurture the next top performers in the organisation?
These interviews are in addition to any role-specific skill assessments (e.g., technical coding tests for engineers). While those evaluate functional knowledge, the three interviews below ensure that only people who can thrive in a fast-paced, high-growth environment make it through.
The problem-solving assessment
In a growing company, facing problems that have never been solved before is the norm. This is why problem-solving skills are crucial for almost all roles at scale-ups, even those normally seen as purely technical, from lawyers to data analysts.
This is the highest-signal interview in the process, and when done right, separates average candidates from the brightest problem solvers.
How the interview works
The interview is based on a real business problem that the candidate is expected to solve as independently as possible. The problem should include a 2-3-layer issue with multiple root causes. For example: “Conversion during onboarding has dropped.” A strong candidate will ask clarifying questions and uncover different drivers, like product issues (e.g. poor UX), operational bottlenecks (e.g. slow ID verification), and process gaps (e.g. no follow-up with drop-offs). They should structure the problem, prioritise root causes, and explain trade-offs clearly.
Great candidates will use quantitative reasoning to get to the bottom of the issue and will be able to identify the most impactful solutions. Average candidates will typically stay at the surface or jump to solutions without clarifying the goal or logic.
Example: A process is too slow. A strong candidate won’t just suggest process optimisations, they will dig deeper and discover that slow hiring is the root cause.
The bar-raiser
Scale-ups thrive on the energy and determination of their teams. Not everyone who can do the job is worth hiring. This interview answers a harder question: Will this person raise the average bar of the team?
Every person added to the team should be a force multiplier, not just another set of hands. You need to find people who are on a strong upward career trajectory and can create and achieve things that have never been done before.
How the interview works
This should be a deep-dive conversation to understand the candidate’s career trajectory, achievements, and weaknesses or mistakes. They key to this interview is to not settle for superficial or rehearsed answers - push forward to assess real impact and work ethic. Look for honesty, fast pace and ownership.
This interview is also an opportunity to assess cultural alignment. Look for specific behaviours and examples that show how the candidate operates - and whether that matches your company’s values and ways of working.
Example: A strong candidate won’t just say they “led a project” - they’ll explain how they improved a process by 30%, won internal buy-in, and scaled the solution across teams.
The people management & hiring assessment
Bringing in and developing the right team of people is a skill on its own, but not everyone possesses it. This becomes increasingly relevant as the company grows, and the decision on who gets hired will no longer always pass through the founding team. Candidates who will manage a team must take a case-study-based interview assessing their people management and hiring skills.
This interview is used for any role where people management and hiring are part of the job. It should be treated as a core skills interview, not an optional add-on, and be evaluated as rigorously as any technical capability.
How the interview works
The interview is broken down into two parts with different formats:
People management case study - A case study where the candidate must assess a realistic team challenge and propose solutions
Hiring experience assessment - A hiring experience deep dive to assess candidates' ability to evaluate and select top talent
Example: A strong candidate won’t just say they “hired a team” - they’ll explain how they structured the hiring process, identified high-performers, and ensured retention through career development.