Monday, July 26, 2010

Ultimate Hiring

Ultimate Frisbee and Tech Startups: What's the Link? [MBAvoices 07.21.10]

What do Apple, Google, Facebook, Yahoo, and Knewton all have in common?
Brilliant people? Check.
Great places to work? Check.
Cutting-edge technology? Check.
Ultimate Frisbee? Check.
...
Because Ultimate Frisbee resonates with the tech community so strongly, it has even become a way to find the right people for tech startups. The Startupprofessionals.com blog has this to say about selecting an ideal startup co-founder: "Look for diversity in outside activities. Major universities, like Stanford and MIT, are flush with smart people from all cultures, many of whom would bring a whole new energy and creativity to your startup. Certain activities seem to attract the right kind of independent thinkers, like rock climbing and ultimate Frisbee."

The Startuphoodlum.com blog even recommends using a game of Ultimate Frisbee as part of the interview process for selecting the right employees. "I GUARANTEE that after watching an Ultimate Frisbee game for a few hours, I can tell which players are the most successful, ambitious, passionate--it is an amazing way to screen employees." Although Ultimate Frisbee can be useful during the hiring process, most people play the game simply because they love it....

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