Harvey CEO explains why he interviews candidates in Google Docs: ‘There are folks that are really good at talking’
In a groundbreaking shift in the hiring landscape, Harvey CEO Winston Weinberg has introduced an innovative approach to interviews by utilizing Google Docs for asynchronous candidate evaluations. This method, which allows candidates to collaborate on written projects in real-time, serves as a litmus test for their ability to communicate and problem-solve effectively—a crucial skill in the fast-paced world of AI and legal tech. Weinberg emphasized that this technique helps distinguish between candidates who excel at verbal presentations and those who can deliver under the pressure of written tasks, stating, “In my experience, this is the best way to separate good interviewers from good operators.” Since the company’s inception in 2022, all recent executive hires have successfully navigated this unique interview process, which has contributed to Harvey’s rapid growth, with over $500 million raised and a valuation of $5 billion.
The shift from traditional in-person interviews to asynchronous formats reflects broader trends in the tech industry, where companies are increasingly seeking to streamline hiring practices and enhance efficiency. Weinberg’s method aligns with the growing emphasis on “talent density,” a term that highlights the importance of building smaller, more skilled teams. As companies like Stripe have moved away from outdated interview techniques, the need for innovative assessments has become more pressing, especially in light of challenges posed by AI cheating tools that threaten the integrity of traditional interviews. By prioritizing asynchronous communication, Harvey aims to foster a work environment that mirrors the collaborative nature of its operations, reducing the need for excessive strategy meetings and enabling a more effective workflow.
This new approach not only addresses the challenges of identifying top talent but also reflects a significant cultural shift in the workplace. Weinberg noted that many candidates excel in interviews yet struggle with practical execution, highlighting a disconnect that can lead to hiring mistakes. By incorporating a writing component into the interview process, Harvey is not only ensuring that candidates possess the necessary skills but also promoting a culture of transparency and accountability. As the tech industry continues to evolve, Harvey’s innovative interviewing strategy may set a precedent for how companies assess potential hires, paving the way for a more effective and efficient hiring process.
Harvey CEO Winston Weinberg said a Google Doc interview was a “very good indicator of how well we’d work together.”
Harvey
Harvey
CEO Winston Weinberg said that the company conducts interviews asynchronously via Google Docs.
“In my experience, this is the best way to separate good interviewers from good operators,” he told Business Insider.
All recent executive hires have passed the Google Doc test, per the company.
Job interviews have transitioned from in-person to Zoom — and now, at least at one AI company, to Google Docs.
Interviewers are finding new and inventive ways to safeguard their candidate tests from online cheating, AI, or some plain old sweet-talking. Winston Weinberg, cofounder and CEO of the AI legal tech startup Harvey, told the ”
Access
” podcast that he uses a shared document.
“Very quick writing samples, doing a written project back and forth, is very, very helpful,” Weinberg said.
Weinberg said that he has interviewed candidates who are good at “presenting things,” but that they “break down” when writing out responses to direct questions.
Going back-and-forth on a problem set in Google Docs is a “very good indicator of how well we’d work together,” he said.
Since its founding in 2022, Harvey has raised over
$500 million
. Lawyers at eight of the 10 highest-grossing US law firms use the platform, and the company was last
valued at $5 billion
.
The company has also grown to about
350 employees
— many of whom have passed the Google Doc test. Harvey used the interview style for all recent executive hires, the company said.
“In my experience, this is the best way to separate good interviewers from good operators,” Weinberg wrote in a statement to Business Insider.
”
Talent density
” is one of the tech industry’s go-to phrases this year, as CEOs seek to make their teams smaller and more efficient. Identifying top talent may require employing some unconventional interview techniques. Stripe abandoned the whiteboard interview for a computer-based test and open-sourced interview questions from its staff, according to the
company’s former CTO
.
AI cheating tools
have also disrupted the tech interview process, leading some tech companies to revert to
in-person interviews
to verify candidates’ truthfulness.
On the podcast, Weinberg said that a hiring problem for non-engineering roles was “folks that are really good at talking and terrible at doing.
“To me, what that’s going to turn into is that they ask for a billion one-on-one strategy questions,” he said.
Weinberg proposed starting the interview process asynchronously, because that’s what most of the company’s work looks like.
“With the reports that I work best with, it’s async,” he said. “Otherwise, we’re going to have 17 strategy meetings to do anything.”
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