Evidence-and-Anti-Sell Hiring
Verify past performance, expose the worst realities, then sell fast
- Difficulty
- Advanced
- Time to result
- ~weeks to results
- Steps
- 5
- Confidence
- 99%
Evidence-and-Anti-Sell Hiring divides recruiting into evaluation and selling. Start with a short conversation and preserve the hiring manager's time by ending obvious mismatches early. For a promising candidate, conduct a topgrading history: move job by job, record each manager, ask the candidate to introduce selected former managers, and ask whether they would hire the person again and why. Then deliberately anti-sell the role by describing its worst hours, constraints, and duties before investing further. A candidate who has performed well and still wants the unvarnished job is less likely to disengage after joining. Once the fit is proven, switch to selling: understand the candidate's dreams and fears, address a partner's concerns when invited, and move from first meeting to offer within days to demonstrate conviction.
Origin
Mochary credits the book Who for the topgrading interview and combines it with his own anti-selling and speed practices.
Core principles
- 01Interview polish does not prove job performance
- 02Former managers provide stronger evidence than distant colleagues
- 03Candidates should confront the role's worst realities before joining
- 04Disqualifying weak fits early preserves time to sell the strongest candidate
- 05Speed and personal understanding help win a proven candidate
How to run it
- 1
Screen briefly
Use a short initial meeting to notice whether you are genuinely drawn to working with the candidate. End clear mismatches rather than extending the process by default.
Pro tip Mochary schedules only 15 minutes and continues immediately when interest is strong.
Watch out Intuition can encode bias; do not use it to bypass fair, job-relevant evaluation.
- 2
Map the work history
Go through every role since college and record the candidate's direct manager, plus relevant teammates where useful. Ask for correct names and spellings.
Pro tip Direct managers matter more than random people who know only the candidate's reputation.
- 3
Check direct evidence
Ask the candidate to introduce at least three selected former managers. Ask each whether they would hire the person again, followed by why or why not.
Pro tip The candidate's inability to make a promised connection is itself information.
Watch out Respect consent, privacy, and applicable employment law.
- 4
Anti-sell the role
Describe the hardest, least attractive, and most inconvenient realities of the work. Give the candidate a genuine opportunity to withdraw early.
Pro tip Do this before expensive reference work when possible.
Watch out Do not exaggerate or manufacture hardship as a loyalty test.
- 5
Sell the proven fit
Once evidence and anti-selling remain positive, learn the candidate's dreams, fears, and household concerns. Address those needs directly and move quickly to an offer.
Pro tip Minimize time spent on rejected candidates so you can maximize time with the finalist.
Watch out Speaking with a partner requires the candidate's willing involvement.
In the wild
Mochary anti-sells remote roles by telling candidates when the worst reality could mean beginning at 10 p.m. and ending at 6 a.m. He says candidates who remain interested after hearing only the bad parts tend to stay interested after joining.
→ The candidate evaluates the actual burden before either side spends more time.
Common mistakes
Calling random former colleagues
People distant from the candidate's work often report reputation rather than observed performance.
Selling before disqualifying
Early persuasion can hide the role's bad fit and wastes time that should be reserved for the eventual finalist.
Overriding every first impression
References cannot repair a recurring interpersonal reaction when the hiring manager must work closely with the person.
Is it for you?
Best for
It is best for important hires where past managers are reachable and the employer can describe the role candidly.
Not ideal for
It is not ideal when references would endanger a candidate's current employment or when intuition is used as a substitute for fair evidence.
From the transcript
“I find that only two things matter when it comes to evaluating. One is, how has the person performed in the past?”
“would you hire this person again? And if they say yes, why?”
“before you make this decision, I want to try to scare you away from the reality, so I'm going to tell you the worst things…”
From the episode
#658: CEO Coach Matt Mochary — Live Coaching with Tim, Why Fear and Anger Give Bad Advice, How to Perform Personal Energy Audits, The Power of Accountability Partners, Delegation Tips, Strategies for Hiring the Right People, and More
Matt Mochary