Working Interviews: The Overlooked Hiring Superpower
Why Working With Someone Beats Interviewing Them
Hiring is weird.
It’s one of the most important decisions a business can make… but we still rely on resumes, a couple of Zoom calls, and a gut feeling.
Thanks for reading! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.
Think about that.
You’re making a multi-six-figure investment based on a document, a conversation, and someone else’s recommendation.
We like to believe we’re being thorough. But many times, we’re just guessing. There have been times when I work with a hiring manager and they want to hire someone too fast and I am scared for them.
That’s why I’m more and more convinced:
The best way to evaluate someone is to actually work with them.
Even just for a week.
A trial project. A paid assignment. A short-term contract.
You’ll learn more from that than five rounds of interviews.
This works especially well for ambiguous roles — the ones where success isn’t just about hitting KPIs, but how someone communicates, solves problems, navigates change. Think: HR, product management, operations. You may find out you need to hire a different person than what you thought before the trial began.
We had a client who wanted a part-time HR leader. They weren’t sure if the role should be permanent — and the candidate wasn’t sure if she wanted it long term either. So we set up a two-month working trial.
They got to know each other. Trust was built. Real collaboration happened.
By the end, both sides said yes. And here’s the thing: that person never would have been hired through a traditional interview process.
On the flip side, we ran a similar model for a sales role.
The candidate crushed lead generation… but once they were in the seat, it became clear they struggled to close. The trial helped the company avoid a full-time hire that wouldn’t have worked.
So no — this isn’t about turning every hire into a long audition.
It’s about creating space to see how someone really works.
Resumes can’t tell you that. Interviews rarely do. But a few days of real collaboration? That’s where the truth lives.