Jordan Burton brings 17 years of expertise in executive assessment and interview training, helping top VC/PE investors and high-growth startups hire the best of the best. He has trained over 3,000 executives and investors on hiring strategies and interview techniques. As the head of business development at Talgo, he manages relationships with industry leaders like Sequoia Capital, TH Lee, Insight Partners, Twilio, and Scale AI, as well as over 50 venture-backed startups. Previously, he was a Partner at leadership advisory firm ghSMART, a consultant at Bain & Company, and earned his MBA from Harvard Business School.

In this episode, Jason and Jordan discuss:

• Creating a comfortable interview environment to encourage open sharing
• Strategies for young professionals to avoid hiring mistakes
• Approaching candidates with an open and curious mindset for objective evaluations
• Benefits and risks of informal assessment techniques like lunch with employees
• Prioritizing an exceptional candidate experience to attract top talent

Key Takeaways: 

• A mindset of curiosity and openness transforms interviews into genuine conversations, allowing candidates to showcase their true potential without the constraints of premature judgments.
• Evaluating only role-relevant experiences ensures fairness in candidate assessments, making post-interview decisions more objective and data-driven.
• Crafting an exceptional candidate experience—through rapport, coordination, and clear communication—becomes a competitive advantage in attracting top talent.
• The ability to recognize the right talent fit is a skill honed through practice, coaching, and a willingness to hire individuals who may surpass one's own expertise.
• Long-term business success is built on talent development, not just individual competence, emphasizing the need for clear expectations, proactive hiring, and strategic redeployment of struggling employees.

“If you want to differentiate, have an outsized impact, and build an organization that achieves more than anyone expected, view yourself primarily as a talent builder and developer—that’s the job. When I hear the life stories of those who prioritize hiring exceptional talent, developing, coaching, and grooming great people, their careers are spectacular. They realize it’s not about them. They are comfortable hiring people better than themselves, and they are the ones who end up in the most important, high-impact roles.”

 - Jordan Burton

Connect with Jordan Burton:

Website: https://www.talgo.io/ 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jordanwburton/ 

Connect with Steve and Jason:

LinkedIn: Jason or Steve

Website: Rewire, Inc.: Transformed Thinking 

Email: [email protected]

Show notes by: Angelo Paul Tagama

Audio production by Turnkey Podcast Productions. You're the expert. Your podcast will prove it.