A common hiring mistake is searching for generic talent. The true skill is assessing a candidate's inherent characteristics to determine if they can thrive in your company's unique culture and pace. The critical question isn't if they're a great employee, but if they can be a great employee *for you*.

To understand a candidate's true drivers, ask them to walk through every major career decision they've made, from college choice to job changes. This narrative reveals patterns and motivations—such as status-chasing, financial incentives, or problem-solving focus—far more effectively than direct questions.

Instead of the generic "What's your weakness?", ask candidates what their previous managers will say they struggle with. This question tests self-awareness and authenticity by framing it around a future reference check, forcing a more honest answer.

To understand a candidate's perspective and definition of excellence, ask what criteria they would use to hire someone for the same position. This meta-question reveals their priorities, uncovers nuanced aspects of the role you may have missed, and improves your own hiring criteria.

To maintain a high-performance culture while scaling, be brutally honest about extreme work expectations during hiring. Explicitly stating that the job is "extremely difficult" and requires "full commitment" and a "huge amount of hours" filters for candidates who are energized by, not deterred from, the challenge.

The simple question "What motivates you?" can be a powerful filter. A Forterra leader was once told by a banking vice chairman that being motivated by "team mission" over money would make for a difficult finance career. This advice proved correct and became his favorite question to uncover a candidate's core intrinsic drivers.

When interviewing, ask candidates: 'In six months, what would be a nightmare situation for you here?' Their answer reveals their work-style preferences and anxieties, highlighting potential mismatches with your company's reality and helping you hire for retention.

The chaotic, underdog nature of a startup is a binary filter. Frame this reality honestly during interviews. The right candidate will be energized by the challenge, while the wrong fit will be stressed. This question quickly reveals cultural suitability.

Assess a candidate's ability to handle ambiguity by asking for real-world examples of a success and a failure. The key is to deeply probe their decision-making process for both—not the outcome—focusing on how they gathered data and made choices when information was scarce.