# Hiring Framework

> Hiring Framework

- Skill: `cdeistopened/hiring-framework` (Agent Skill)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add cdeistopened/hiring-framework`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/cdeistopened/hiring-framework/raw
- Safety review: pending
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: Coding & Dev Tools
- Author: cdeistopened (https://skillmd.com/u/cdeistopened)
- Updated: 2026-09-17
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/cdeistopened/hiring-framework

---

# Hiring Framework

Walk a founder through hiring for specific roles using Alex Hormozi's role-type interview design, Andrew Wilkinson's CEO hiring process, Brent Beshore's people diligence, and Blake's "teach me something" test from My First Million.

## When to Use

The user needs to hire someone and wants a structured approach. They might say:
- "I need to hire a [role]"
- "How do I interview for this position?"
- "Help me design a hiring process"
- "I'm hiring my first employee / executive / salesperson"

## Step 1: What Kind of Role?

From Alex Hormozi (`C7degTzRk_A.md`):

The interview process should be different depending on what the role actually requires. Don't use the same generic interview for every position.

**Ask the user:** What does this person need to DO day-to-day? Not their title — their actual work output.

Then match to one of these archetypes:

### For Salespeople: The Script Test

> "Send a script in advance. Listen to their delivery. If bad, say 'You messed this up, tweak it, try it again.'"

This tests three things simultaneously:
1. **Skill** — Can they actually sell?
2. **Work ethic** — Did they prepare?
3. **Coachability** — When given feedback, do they improve on the spot?

Build the interview:
- Send the candidate a 60-second sales script for your product
- Have them deliver it live (video call or in person)
- Give specific feedback: "The opening was weak. Try it again with more energy."
- Watch whether they improve immediately or get defensive

**Red flag:** Candidate who "doesn't need a script" and wants to wing it. This signals ego over process.

### For Creative / Technical Roles: The Work Sample

> "For editors: Send raw footage, ask for a clip. Removes presentation bias from the interview."

Adapt to any creative or technical role:
- **Developers:** Give a small real problem from your codebase
- **Designers:** Give a real brief and assets
- **Writers:** Give a real topic and style guide
- **Marketers:** Give real data and ask for a campaign recommendation

The work sample should take 1-3 hours, not a full week. You're testing judgment and quality, not willingness to do free labor.

### For Leadership / Executives: The Case Study

> "Present real company problems as cases — not hypothetical. Worst case we get free consulting. Best case we get somebody capable of implementing the solution they just came up with."

Build the interview:
- Pick 2-3 real problems your company is facing right now
- Present them without your solution: "Here's the situation. What would you do?"
- Probe their reasoning: "Why that approach? What could go wrong? What's the first thing you'd do Monday morning?"

**Hormozi's litmus test for C-level:**
> "Do I want to talk to this person about a complex problem? If I don't seek their advice, it means I don't see them as a value add."

After the case study conversation, ask yourself: "Would I call this person at 10pm if I had a hard problem?" If no, they're not the right executive hire.

### For Any Role: The Quality of Questions Test

> "The quality of the questions they ask is one signal. If someone said, 'I noticed you guys have this media brand and this advisory practice — what's revenue retention around that?' I'd be like, wow."

At the end of every interview, leave time for the candidate's questions. The questions they ask reveal:
- Whether they've done research on your company
- Whether they think strategically or tactically
- Whether they're genuinely curious or just performing interest

**Signal:** Great candidates ask questions that make YOU think. Mediocre candidates ask about vacation policy.

## Step 2: The "Teach Me Something" Test

From Blake (`3VLDuDZ6Qvo.md`):

> "My favorite interview question is 'teach me something.' You do that two or three times — push back, say 'I don't understand, walk me through it' — and you undress people that way. They start to anticipate it."

Use this for any role where domain expertise matters:
- Ask: "Teach me about [topic relevant to the role]."
- When they explain, push back 2-3 times: "I didn't follow that. Why does that work?"
- Watch whether they can explain clearly under pressure — or if they retreat into jargon and hand-waving.

Blake used this to test a hypersonic aerodynamics expert: asked them to explain hypersonic intakes. The candidate couldn't. Interview over.

## Step 3: Hiring a CEO (Delegating the Business)

From Andrew Wilkinson's Tiny Corp approach (`RzwS8iUHeQo.md`):

This is a specific, high-stakes hiring process with its own rules.

**Readiness check first:**
- Is the business at $300K+ annual profit?
- Does it have product-market fit (customers keep coming without you pushing)?
- Can you make this person genuinely wealthy from the role?

If not, you're not ready to hire a CEO. You're looking for a general manager or operator instead.

**Finding the candidate:**
- Target: the #2 person at a similar business that's 2x your size
- They're "eagerly awaiting being knighted as CEO" — ready for the step up but blocked at their current company
- Use a recruiter to broaden the pool. Have the recruiter record first Zoom calls — watch the first 2 minutes. "In the first 30 seconds you know they're a dingus."

**Compensation structure:**
- Lead with total comp, not base: "I'm going to pay you $300K — $150K base, $150K bonus"
- Bonus tied to EBITDA milestones
- Make it uncapped: "If you hit $1.2M EBITDA I want you to get double the bonus"
- For equity: require them to write a check rather than giving options. "I will personally loan you the money." This creates shared downside — not a lottery ticket.

**After hiring:**
- Send only financial numbers, monthly
- Annual in-person meeting
- "Leave them alone."

## Step 4: People Diligence (Before Any Senior Hire)

From Brent Beshore (`3q1QvEkbbyk.md`):

> "The business we're in is predicting people's behavior."

**The Beshore Method:**
1. **Personality mapping:** Categorize quickly using I/E, S/N, T/F, J/P to understand their communication and decision-making style
2. **Motivation mapping:** Understand their core drive (money, autonomy, impact, status, mastery)
3. **The Jerk Test:** Share a meal. Travel together. Watch them at the airport during a delay, with wait staff, under stress. "It is impossible to fake it when you're at the airport grinding through security."
4. **Back-channel references:** Talk to people the candidate DIDN'T list as references. Former colleagues, reports, vendors.

## Step 5: Search the Archive

The MFM transcripts have hiring stories and frameworks across many episodes:

```
grep -ri "hired\|hiring\|interview\|recruiting" transcripts/
grep -ri "first employee\|first hire\|building a team" transcripts/
```

Search for the specific role type — there may be a relevant episode with detailed advice.

## Output

After the session, deliver:
1. **Role definition** — what this person actually needs to DO (not a job description)
2. **Interview design** — tailored to the role type (script test, work sample, or case study)
3. **Key questions** — including "teach me something" and quality-of-questions evaluation
4. **Compensation structure** — base + bonus + equity recommendation
5. **Diligence plan** — reference checks + the jerk test
6. **Red flags to watch for** specific to this hire