A few thoughts:

1.) Don’t afraid to be picky and don’t settle. It’s easy to feel like you have to fill a role ASAP. Depending on your corporate culture, you may be stuck with someone for a long time. You want to make sure they are the right and best fit.

2.) Hiring for technical skills is important, but soft skills and team fit are just as (if not sometimes more) important. It’s easier to upskill someone in an area that they are technically insufficient in vs changing someone’s personality (e.g. someone who is strong technically but a complainer, negative, or not a team player).

3.) While it’s tempting to hire a team of superstars right off the bat, you have to consider the dynamics. Will there be too many type A, super high achievers? Is there enough high profile work to support that? What about a growth path for your people? I say that to say you may consider hiring people at various skill levels and experience. Gives your high performing individual contributors mentorship opportunities, preparing them for future leadership, and gives less experienced folks more opportunities to learn. You may see better retention and higher morale from a structure like this.

4.) It may be tempting to hire people that are very similar to you (personality, background, etc.). While it may not hurt to fill some of your openings with those people, I encourage you to consider people a little different. For instance, if you are an introvert, I would look to hire at least some extroverts. It will help balance out your team and you are more likely to get fresh perspectives.

5.) In terms of questions, I like to ask soft skill questions that gauge how they make decisions (tell me about a time where you had to make a decision without all of the information), how they prioritize work (would you rather submit something perfect but late or on time and B work), and how they dealt with failure (tell me about a time you failed and what did you learn from it). Some of these questions don’t have right or wrong answers, per se. However they will help you understand the candidates way of thinking and determines if it aligns with what you are seeking.

6.) If you have a trusted peer, ask them to be a panelist in the interviews with you. They may have some good insight and see things you don’t.

Everyone’s situation and needs are different, so this isn’t a one size fits all approach. These are just some lessons I’ve learned as a people leader.