Hammans Stallings on Assessing Fit Interviewing a Job Candidate

In Chapter 16 of 19 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, strategist and management consultant Hammans Stallings answers "How Have You Learned to Better Assess Fit When Hiring New Employees?" Stallings shares how frog design approaches new hire candidate assessment. He notes it is not about trick questions or mind benders but more about understanding candidate capabilities via behavioral interviewing and having them present work as they might on an actual client project. The next step is to have an interdisciplinary team review the candidate.

Hammans Stallings is a Principal Strategist at frog design. Previously Stallings worked in strategy at Dell and investment banking at Stephens. He earned an MBA from the Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management, a MS in Technology Commercialization from the University of Texas and a BA in Economics and Psychology from the University of Virginia.

Audrey French on The Best Advice to Prepare Yourself for Parenthood

In Chapter 2 of 21 in her 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, new mother Audrey Parker French answers "How Did You Go About Seeking Advice as You Prepared for Parenthood?" French shares how after doing a lot of research she finds the best advice simply observing her best friend and how she raises her three children.

Audrey Parker French is a new mother living with her husband and son in Austin, Texas. Before leaving work to focus on family, French co-founded CLEAResult, an energy management consulting firm she helped grow to #144 on the 2010 Inc. 500 list of fastest-growing private companies and then sell to General Catalyst Partners. She graduated from Wake Forest University. 

Audrey French on Having a Baby at a Birthing Center and Not a Hospital

In Chapter 5 of 21 in her 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, new mother Audrey Parker French answers "What Made You Choose to Have Your Baby at a Birthing Center and Not a Hospital?" While pregnant, French and her husband research options and decide to give birth at a birthing center instead of a hospital. She decides to have a natural birth without drugs and then she and her husband prepare for the moment by reading and taking classes.

Audrey Parker French is a new mother living with her husband and son in Austin, Texas. Before leaving work to focus on family, French co-founded CLEAResult, an energy management consulting firm she helped grow to #144 on the 2010 Inc. 500 list of fastest-growing private companies and then sell to General Catalyst Partners. She graduated from Wake Forest University. 

3 Insider Tips on Finding a Small Business Investor

In Chapter 10 of 15 in her 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, entrepreneur Hattie Elliot answers "What Advice Do You Have for Small Business Owners Considering Taking on an Investor?" A small business owner who brought on an investor over the past year, Elliot shares three ways to improve the investor solicitation process. First, she notes the importance of doing due diligence to hone a business plan and financial model. Second, using the models, calculate the amount of funding you will need and map the use of funds out over a timeline to make sure you raise the right amount. Third, finding an investor comes down to matchmaking and finding the right person with the right motives to be your business partner.

Hattie Grace Elliot is the founder and CEO of The Grace List, a social networking company that creates destination events and experiences to forge lasting personal and professional connections across its young professional members. Elliot graduated from the University of Cape Town in South Africa, where she studied economics, philosophy, and politics.

Matt Ruby on How to Find Branded Content Advertisers for a Web Series

In Chapter 18 of 19 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, standup comedian and Vooza founder Matt Ruby answers "In television, we see the big automotive brands making big plays and obviously there is an Apple computer in every HBO show, but you also tailored your branded content and product placement to your audience with Vooza. So how did you go about finding the right fit for potential advertisers to put on a show?" Ruby shares how finding advertisers for his web series starts with reaching out to people to start a conversation. From there he has been able to find people doing similar projects and websites and look at who is advertising with them. As he has built audience and advertiser relationships for branded content and product placement, Ruby returns to existing relationships - people who understand his business - for new campaigns and projects.

Matt Ruby is a standup comedian based in New York City. He also founded Vooza, on online comic strip web series that makes fun of tech startup culture. As an actor, director, writer and producer, Ruby leads the creative direction for the team. Before his comedy career, Matt was employee #1 at 37Signals. He graduated from Northwestern University. 

Anatole Fayking on Testing Product Market Fit for a New Startup Idea

In Chapter 9 of 16 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, Internet entrepreneur Anatole Faykin answers "How Are You Learning to Better Develop Products and Build Companies Around Them?" Faykin shares how he and a friend pursued their passion for tennis and started an e-commerce company catering to people passionate about tennis. By testing product/market fit, Faykin and his partner realize there is not sufficient consumer demand for their product offering. After testing multiple channels, Faykin and his partner decide to shut down the business.

Anatole Faykin is an Internet entrepreneur and digital marketer exploring new career options. A passionate world traveler and problem solver, Faykin plans to return to graduate school to earn a biosciences masters degree. Previously, Faykin has started multiple companies, including Tuanpin, a Shanghai startup he sold in 2011. He holds an MBA from NYU and a BS in computer science and biology from the California Institute of Technology.

Anatole Faykin on How to Assess Fit Applying to Grad School Mid-Career

In Chapter 14 of 16 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, Internet entrepreneur Anatole Faykin answers "How Did You Assess Fit When Deciding Where to Apply for Bioscience Graduate Programs?" As an internet entrepreneur now mid-career, Faykin looks for bioscience grad schools who support entrepreneurial thinking and blend learning science in labs with applying science in business. Ultimately, he identifies three graduate programs that fit his criteria and applies to each of them.

Anatole Faykin is an Internet entrepreneur and digital marketer exploring new career options. A passionate world traveler and problem solver, Faykin plans to return to graduate school to earn a biosciences masters degree. Previously, Faykin has started multiple companies, including Tuanpin, a Shanghai startup he sold in 2011. He holds an MBA from NYU and a BS in computer science and biology from the California Institute of Technology.

Michael Olsen on Deciding Where to Move After Getting a Job Offer

In Chapter 18 of 20 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, management consultant Michael Olsen answers "What Has Been Your Approach to Determining What City is Best Suited for You?" Olsen receives a job offer from Accenture and is told he can choose to live in any city where Accenture has an office. Olsen uses Microsoft Excel to structure his thinking and make a more informed decision on where he and his girlfriend should go, ultimately deciding on San Francisco.

Michael Olsen is a management consultant at Accenture. Previous to Accenture, Olsen earned dual MBA and MPH degrees at Emory University in Atlanta. Olsen earned a BA in symbolic systems from Stanford University and spent the next five years founding an IT consulting company, Redwood Strategies. 

Two Steps You Need to Build Relationship Trust

In Chapter 14 of 22 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, education technology entrepreneur Adam Geller answers "How Do You Establish Trust When Building Relationships?" Geller finds trust building is a two-step process. First, he assesses someone's trustworthiness from a capabilities standpoint of what they have compared to what the relationship requires. Second, he performs diligence on an individual to gather data and make a more informed decision on whether or not to trust them. He shares his experiences building trust with students as an 8th and 9th grade science teacher.

Adam Geller is founder and CEO of Edthena, a video platform enabling online teacher coaching, peer review, and group learning. He is a recent Education Ventures fellow at the Kauffman Foundation and the founder of Teach For Us, a network connecting Teach for America corps members and alumni. He earned a BA from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a MA from the University of Missouri-Saint Louis.

Two Things to Look for in a Technical Cofounder

In Chapter 15 of 22 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, education technology entrepreneur Adam Geller answers "What Attributes Do You Feel Are Most Important in a Technical Co-Founder?" Geller looks for two things when searching for a technical co-founder. The first is to find a co-founder candidate who technically capable for the job requirements, both as they exists today and how they will evolve in the near future. Second, Geller looks for a co-founder who shares a passion for the problem being solved. Geller finds a co-founder when he meets someone who can handle the architectural and product rigor required while also being passionate about helping teachers improve.

Adam Geller is founder and CEO of Edthena, a video platform enabling online teacher coaching, peer review, and group learning. He is a recent Education Ventures fellow at the Kauffman Foundation and the founder of Teach For Us, a network connecting Teach for America corps members and alumni. He earned a BA from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a MA from the University of Missouri-Saint Louis.

Geoff Hamm on Assessing Fit When Interviewing for a New Job

In Chapter 10 of 20 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, mobile business executive Geoff Hamm answers "How Do You Assess Fit When Interviewing for New Job Opportunities?" When interviewing for new job opportunities, Hamm first makes sure he sees value in what the company is building. He then learns about the founders and the values and belief system they have brought to the company. If first-time entrepreneurs started the company, he looks more closely about founder focus and resources in place to keep founders focused on reaching their goals.

Geoff Hamm is a business development executive and VP Strategic Alliances at mobile marketing platform start-up Applovin in San Francisco, CA. Previous to Applovin, Hamm held senior sales management positions at Tapjoy, Scribd, Electronic Arts, Yahoo!, Orbitz, IAC and Excite where he built deep relationships with advertisers and brands. Hamm graduated from the University of Illinois.

Two Key Things to Look For Before Joining a Startup

In Chapter 12 of 20 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, mobile business executive Geoff Hamm answers "How Did Working at Your First Startup Inform What You Looked For at Your Second Startup?" When looking for a new startup job, Hamm first looks at the founders' story and experience. He learns a hard lesson about inexperience working with first-time founders and chooses a founding team with previous startup experience when he joins his next startup. Additionally, he learns to understand what to look for in an advisory board and the importance of board involvement in the company.

Geoff Hamm is a business development executive and VP Strategic Alliances at mobile marketing platform start-up Applovin in San Francisco, CA. Previous to Applovin, Hamm held senior sales management positions at Tapjoy, Scribd, Electronic Arts, Yahoo!, Orbitz, IAC and Excite where he built deep relationships with advertisers and brands. Hamm graduated from the University of Illinois.

Preston Smith on Measuring Success Managing Charter Schools

In Chapter 16 of 22 in his 2014 Capture Your Flag interview, elementary charter school network CEO Preston Smith answers "How Do You Define and Measure Success in What You Do?" As CEO running a network of K-5 charter schools, Smith defines and measures success using a number of qualitative and quantitative inputs, from student learning outcomes to teacher satisfaction surveys to parent participation analysis. These help Smith work toward a goal of waking up every day knowing he is doing everything he can to build great schools full of happy employees and achieving students.

Preston Smith is co-founder and CEO of Rocketship Education, the highest performing low-income school system in California. After graduating the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Smith joined Teach for America. After three years teaching 1st Grade, he founded a district school in San Jose and became its principal. Smith was selected as a member of the 2010 class of Aspen Institute New Schools Fellows.

Mark Graham on Assessing Fit Interviewing Job Candidates

In Chapter 12 of 15 in his 2013 Capture Your Flag interview, media executive Mark Graham answers "How Do You Assess Fit When Interviewing People for a Job?" As a hiring manager who regularly interviews job candidates for writing and digital media jobs, Graham looks not only for talent but also for alignment of interests and skills to the brand's audience expectations. He makes sure to set clear expectations on what he is seeking from a job candidate and in the job description. Graham finds peer and ex-colleague feedback useful to assess fit and speaks to references as well.

Mark Graham is currently a managing editor at MTV Networks. Previously Graham worked in editing and writing roles at New York Magazine and Gawker Media. He graduated from the University of Michigan with a B.A. in English. 

Nina Godiwalla on When to Find a Sponsor Instead of a Mentor

In Chapter 13 of 18 in her 2013 Capture Your Flag interview, author and entrepreneur Nina Godiwalla answers "How Have Mentors Helped Motivate You to Do Your Best Work?" Godiwalla shares how she is shifting her focus from finding mentors to finding sponsors. She notes sponsors are different than mentors in that sponsors take specific action to advocate for you while mentors are more of an advice resource. Godiwalla shares how sponsorship can be used when applying to join a board of directors. Nina Godiwalla is an expert on diversity, leadership and women in the business world. She is CEO of Mindworks, which provides leadership, stress management, and diversity training to companies all over the world. She is also a bestselling author and public speaker. Godiwalla earned an MBA from Wharton, a MA from Dartmouth and a BBA from the University of Texas.

Tricia Regan on How to Use Your Network to Find a New Job

In Chapter 9 of 15 in her 2013 Capture Your Flag interview, filmmaker Tricia Regan answers "How Has Your Network Helped You Find New Jobs?" Regan shares that the only way she finds jobs in film and television is through word-of-mouth. She is introduced to new opportunities and recommended for jobs via the network of professionals who know her work and what she can do. This helps open the next career opportunity for her, making a film about autism in Abu Dhab in the United Arab Emirates. Tricia Regan is an Emmy Award-winning filmmaker known for writing, directing and producing documentary films, including the Emmy-winning "Autism: The Musical". She also has worked extensively in non-fiction television for A&E, ABC, FOX, Lifetime, MTV Networks and NBC. Regan earned a bachelors from Binghamton University and masters from New York University. 

Ken Biberaj on Learning Who and How to Ask for Feedback

In Chapter 17 of 23 in his 2013 Capture Your Flag interview, New York City Council Candidate Ken Biberaj answers "At This Moment in Your Life, Where Are You Seeking Advice and Coaching?" Beyond his campaign team and family, Biberaj finds it surprising how willing neighbors have been to offer coaching tips and feedback. After hosting campaign house parties, Biberaj follows up with phone calls and asks "What Can I Do Better?" Ken Biberaj is currently a 2013 Democratic Candidate for City Council in New York City. He is also a public relations executive for the Russian Tea Room restaurant at One Fifty Fifty Seven Corporation, a family business focused on real estate development, investment sales and retail leasing. Previously Biberaj was Florida Research Director for the Kerry-Edwards for President Campaign. Biberaj holds a JD from New York Law School, a Masters in Public Policy (MPP) from Harvard University Kennedy School of Government, and a BA in Political Science from American University. 

Ken Biberaj on Learning Community Service From President Bill Clinton

In Chapter 18 of 23 in his 2013 Capture Your Flag interview, New York City Council Candidate Ken Biberaj answers "What Has Bill Clinton Taught You About How to Run a Better Political Campaign?" Biberaj shares why President Bill Clinton inspired his public service career and how learning from him before, during and after serving as an intern in his office has motivated him to do work that improves his community.

Ken Biberaj is currently a 2013 Democratic Candidate for City Council in New York City. He is also a public relations executive for the Russian Tea Room restaurant at One Fifty Fifty Seven Corporation, a family business focused on real estate development, investment sales and retail leasing. Previously Biberaj was Florida Research Director for the Kerry-Edwards for President Campaign. Biberaj holds a JD from New York Law School, a Masters in Public Policy (MPP) from Harvard University Kennedy School of Government, and a BA in Political Science from American University.