How We Rethought Hiring, And Why It Changed Everything
The traditional hiring process is not broken, it just has a blind spot. And it's the most expensive blind spot imaginable: you only discover whether someone fits your culture after they've already joined.
We ran that cycle for years. Open a role, filter CVs, interview, make an offer, bring someone on board, then find out, mid-probation, that the fit wasn't there. Not in terms of skill; usually the skill was fine. But in terms of how they worked, how they showed up, how they fit into how we do things at QAF Lab. By then, we'd spent time, energy, and momentum, and we'd have to start all over again.
Like any other company, a vision is formed, a plan is put, then we take it into action. How? We open a position, candidates apply, we filter CVs, shortlist candidates, invite them for an interview, actually interview them, and if we think we find the right candidate, we give them an offer, they negotiate or accept, then they start the job.
All of that is fine, apart from one thing: during all of that lengthy process, we do not know whether we have selected the right fit, not only in terms of skill, but also the culture of QAF Lab. That only becomes visible during the probation period, actual employment.
If they turn out not to be the right fit, we go back to square one where we have to open the position, candidates apply, and so on.
The above is a must-do, but the real expense starts when we find out the selected candidate is not the right fit for the culture. That is when we know we lost resources, and the most valuable of them all: time.
How did we shift our hiring culture from that traditional process?
After a few years of operations, we started to realize a pattern. Among all the programs and initiatives we implemented and the people we worked with, we started seeing that the best fit-to-work are the people we actually had the time to work with, where there was enough time for us to test each other away from the formal interview process, a personality check, and where we had a coffee or a meal together.
Upon that, we started anticipating the needs for projects and initiatives we want to implement, and started hiring interns. Why interns? Internship is an initiative that QAF Lab does like most companies, and it is actually a need by many senior-year university students as a university requirement, or fresh graduates, or youth looking to shift career paths.
We open an internship position, and the steps above apply the same. The difference is, instead of accepting one candidate, we accept two or three. The interns start their first day and our brains start to compare differently: all interns have the skillset we need or want to nurture, but we start to look towards the culture fit and the personality of those interns.
Usually, after the three months of internship is done, we have our eyes on one of the interns to offer a job. When they accept, they start immediately as employees without a big shift in their roles and without any hassle of a new employee.
Two Ways to Hire
The traditional process
- Open a position
Like any other company, a vision is formed, a plan is put, then we take it into action. How? We open a position.
- Candidates apply
Candidates apply. That is the start of a lengthy process, and we still only know what they put on paper.
- Filter CVs
We filter CVs. Slow, and it still only shows how someone describes themselves, not how they work.
- Shortlist
We shortlist candidates who look right on paper.
- Invite to interview
We invite them for an interview. We still have not seen them work.
- Interview
We actually interview them. A short formal window is not enough for skill in practice, or for the culture of QAF Lab.
- Give an offer
If we think we find the right candidate, we give them an offer.
- Negotiate / accept
They negotiate or accept, then hiring looks done. It is not.
- Start the job
They start the job. All of that is fine, apart from this: during all of that lengthy process, we do not know whether we have selected the right fit, not only in terms of skill, but also the culture of QAF Lab. That only becomes visible during the probation period, actual employment.
Not a fit? Square one.
If they turn out not to be the right fit, we go back to square one: we open the position, candidates apply, and we do it all again. The process itself is a must-do. The real expense starts when we find out the selected candidate is not the right fit for the culture. That is when we know we lost resources, and the most valuable of them all: time.
Internship
- Anticipate project needs
Instead of hiring in crisis mode, we look ahead at the programs we want to run in the next quarter and ask: what skills will we need? Internship timelines are predictable — three months, a university semester — so we can plan for them rather than scramble toward them.
- Open an internship
How did we shift our hiring culture from that traditional process? After a few years of operations, we started to realize a pattern. Among all the programs and initiatives we implemented and the people we worked with, the best fit-to-work were the people we actually had the time to work with. Internship is an initiative that QAF Lab does like most companies, and it is actually a need for many senior-year university students as a university requirement, for fresh graduates, and for youth looking to shift career paths. We started anticipating the needs for projects and initiatives we want to implement, and we open an internship position.
- Accept two or three
The steps above apply the same. The difference is, instead of accepting one candidate, we accept two or three.
- Three months together
The interns start their first day and we start to compare differently. All interns have the skillset we need or want to nurture, but we look towards culture fit and personality. There is enough time to work together, to test each other away from the formal interview process, a personality check, and to have a coffee or a meal together.
- Offer one a job
Usually, after the three months of internship is done, we have our eyes on one of the interns to offer a job.
- Start as employees
When they accept, they start immediately as employees, without a big shift in their roles and without the hassle of a new employee.
Who we take in
The usual way: One candidate for one job We open a position, candidates apply, we filter CVs, shortlist, interview, and if we think we find the right candidate, we give them an offer. That process is built around hiring one person for one job.
How we hire: Two or three interns at a time We open an internship position, and the same steps apply. The difference is, instead of accepting one candidate, we accept two or three.
How we get to know them
The usual way: CVs and a formal interview A CV and a short formal interview only show how someone describes themselves. We do not see how they work, and we do not see QAF Lab culture fit.
How we hire: Working together, plus a coffee The best fit-to-work were the people we actually had the time to work with, where there was enough time to test each other away from the formal interview process, a personality check, and where we had a coffee or a meal together.
When culture fit shows up
The usual way: During probation, after they start During all of that lengthy process, we do not know whether we have selected the right fit, not only in terms of skill, but also the culture of QAF Lab. That only becomes visible during the probation period, actual employment.
How we hire: Over three months, before an offer The interns start their first day and we start to compare differently. All interns have the skillset we need or want to nurture, but we look towards culture fit and personality over three months, before an offer.
If it's not the right fit
The usual way: We open the role and begin again If they turn out not to be the right fit, we go back to square one: we open the position, candidates apply, and we do it all again. That is when we know we lost resources, and the most valuable of them all: time.
How we hire: We already know, so we don't guess After three months together we already know. We do not guess at culture fit after someone has already joined.
How they start the job
The usual way: As a brand-new employee They start the job as a new employee, with the usual onboarding shock of a role they have not lived in yet.
How we hire: In a role they already know When they accept, they start immediately as employees, without a big shift in their roles and without the hassle of a new employee.
What we spend
The usual way: A long process, and time if we were wrong The process itself is a must-do. The real expense starts when we find out the selected candidate is not the right fit for the culture. That is when we know we lost resources, and the most valuable of them all: time.
How we hire: Time together, then they stay We spend three months working together. If they stay, that time is already the job, not a reset.
Who else benefits
The usual way: Mostly the company, if the hire works Traditional hiring mainly serves the company, and only if the hire works.
How we hire: Young people get a real workplace too It gives us a bigger exposure to the community and what the youth are looking for. It also gives us the opportunity to have more interns than usual, and that is a benefit to the young people themselves, to be exposed to a real working environment.
Saves your most valuable resource: time. No cycling through candidates post-hire. The decision is made from evidence you watched accumulate over three months.
Deeper connection to the community. Internships open a direct window into what the next generation is building toward, and what they expect from a workplace.
More interns, more impact. Running two or three interns at once benefits them too. Real exposure, real mentorship, and meaningful work experience, regardless of whether they are hired.
Dramatically lower mismatch cost. A mismatch discovered during internship costs a fraction of one discovered after a full hire. The risk lands on the right side of the offer.
It makes you a better company. Investing genuinely in young people, even those you don't hire, builds reputation, goodwill, and belonging in your city.
The Pattern We Noticed
After a few years, we looked back at who had become our best people. A clear pattern: every one of them was someone we'd already spent real time with. Not interview time, real time.
Had coffee or a meal together
Worked on something side by side
Tested each other away from the formal process
Works for small companies (under 100 people).