Hiring the right executives at the right time is the key to scaling your company. But to many founders, the executive search and hiring process can feel like a black box. a16z talent partner Matt Oberhardt dives deep into the executive search process with Kelli Dragovich and Nolan Church on the HR Heretics podcast.[00:01:21] How a16z talent partners assess talent[00:03:42] Balancing internal and external roles[00:04:57] Measuring success in talent assessment[00:06:07] The MOC[00:10:29] Whiteboard sessions for assessing fit[00:13:10] Referencing as a continuous cycle[00:16:47] Putting negative references in context[00:20:25] Assessing personal growth vs. mistakes[00:21:50] Establishing trust with founders[00:25:03] Vetting EQ[00:26:53] Measuring success of what you can't control[00:28:43] Why hire veterans for startups[00:33:45] Talent landscape in 2024[00:35:20] Recruiting top talent in a tight market[00:38:42] Hiring the "operational glue"[00:39:36] The value of tough feedbackYou can read the key takeaways from this conversation, along with a transcript, here.