Marc Andreessen – who wrote the first mainstream web browser – has some advice about how to hire the best people you’ve ever worked with.

He has three criteria:

  • drive – “I define drive as self-motivation — people who will walk right through brick walls, on their own power, without having to be asked, to achieve whatever goal is in front of them.”
  • curiosity –  “Anyone who loves what they do is inherently intensely curious about their field, their profession, their craft. They read about it, study it, talk to other people about it… immerse themselves in it, continuously.”
  • ethics – “Pick a topic you know intimately and ask the candidate increasingly esoteric questions until they don’t know the answer.  A candidate who is confident in his own capabilities and ethical — the kind you want — will say “I don’t know” because they know that the rest of the interview will demonstrate their knowledge, and they know that you won’t react well to being bullshitted — because they wouldn’t react well either.”