This post is copy and paste from Shaan Puri’s post

This post is all about the in’s and out’s of how I approached finding my operator for the fund and why it’s so important.

Blush, use these frameworks and strategies to find your own operator or reverse engineer it to land your dream gig….

Why do i care about this? Because when you have a good operator, it feels like magic. You wake up and every day the business is getting better. All the stuff you hated to do or sucked at doing – this person is actually good at.

I want that with my fund. I’ll still be the main person taking pitches and deciding what companies to invest in – but an operator can help with all of the other stuff:

• Sourcing deals
• Vetting / Research / Diligence
• Closing / all the paperwork of investing
• Creating content to build the brand

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Here are my three rules for getting great operators:

1. Be really clear about what i want
2. Make sure incentives are aligned
3. And the most important rule…. Do something really great – because great people want to work on great projects. If your project is lame, it’s really hard to attract a great operator.

Hiring an operator takes time. You have to write the job posting, spread the word, look through 100+ resumes, do 15+ phone screens, do reference checks etc…

To get the ball rolling, i had to write the job post and go to Twitter. Most people go to job boards like indeed.com or whatever, and they post the most generic job descriptions.

It’s crazy! Companies should think of job postings like guys think about Tinder. You don’t want to look like every-other-guy. You want to be hot and witty and charming and have 3 pictures that show your different sides (shirtless, with friends, and doing some adventurous hobby or cooking).

So I put out this tweet storm​

The first line needs to be a hook / tease. I want you to be interested (putting up the bat signal? About what? What does that mean?)

The second line is about YOU (not me). 9 out of 10 people would start talking about themselves. Instead, I am trying to catch the eye of someone who wants to be a startup investor someday.

Lastly is the promise: “I’m going to give a shot to someone who’s hungry and wants to learn by doing”

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This is all about credibility. I have to brag a little (raised a few million bucks) and then again back to YOU. What do YOU get out of this? (learn the investing process from A to Z)

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​Again – what do YOU get? More detail this time. You get 4 years of experience in 1 year (sweet), and you get a piece of my carry and no salary (trying to be ultra clear about $$).

Also – it’s not too good to be true. You have to give something back. You give your nights/weekends to hustle for the fund.

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OK this is *chefs kiss* if I do say so myself.. Most job posts lead with “you must have X years of experience”. I go the other way. I try to describe a lifestyle or a personality trait first. When people read this, it resonates in a way that “7 years of experience and a bachelors degree” doesn’t.

I spent a lot of time coming up with variations of phrases / ways to say these tweets. This shit looks casual – but behind the curtain, I sweat these details .. and then try to make it look casual & off the cuff.

OK why say this?

​Well, I am offering $0 salary. So normally, that would put you at the back of the line. My only asset is that someone here is going to get real, tangible experience & responsibility.

So I’m trying to give them a framework. Make them want to be a driver (or at least riding shotgun). Rather than a backseat passenger or in the trunk, just along for the ride (jobs at bigger firms).

Also – by speaking in unique ways, and offering these frameworks – I’m selling myself too as someone interesting to work with. Someone you can learn from.

You know how they say: “people don’t leave jobs, they leave managers” – it’s the same thing in reverse. People don’t join jobs, they join leaders

This is my version of “values” .

​Company values are usually boring as hell. I tried to phrase mine in a way that’s catchy/interesting – and everyone applying will know what I care about. For the right person, this is music to their ears.

For the wrong person (someone who is very traditional, structured, regimented), this job posting should repel them. I want my job post to turn off at least 30% of people who read it, and for 30% they should feel like this is their life’s calling.

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OK my last piece of job posting judo – I call out who I want to apply. An outsider, the underdog.

And I tag a friend who has a good following, which increases the likelihood that she’ll RT and cast a wider net for me!

The result?

200+ DMs, and even some creative applications..I’ll share my top 4 favorite ways people applied:

1. The person who sent their spotify playlist & used song titles to make their case…
2. Person who venmo’d me 2 cents
3. The person who made a website for the fund
4. The person who did a full notion doc on why i should hire them

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Once i make the hire, i’ll go overboard with onboarding:

I LOVE going overboard during the onboard. I remember when I got a job, I was excited, but for the company it seemed like just another day. They’d hand me my badge, tell me where to sit, and I kind of figured it out from there.

At my last company, I created custom packets for every new hire. I stole this from my basketball coach in high school.

​When we came back for our senior year, he handed each of us a big envelope and said – open this when you get home.

I opened it up and it was “my hopes and dreams for your senior year on varsity” – and it laid out what my role on the team is. What my stats can be. What areas I will get better in. etc.. I was blown away. I felt like this guy really cared about me and understood me and wanted what’s best for me.

So I do that for people I work with too.

Here’s an example of one I made for someone who came to work for me at Bebo (click here to get it)

​When someone joins my team, I want them to have clarity on their role, and excitement that they aren’t coming to just some job.

​This is a special place with special people doing special things.

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I use a 3-Week trial

​Interviews are basically a competition to see who can sound better, not do the actual job!

​That’s why i always try to use a 3-week trial for anyone i hire. Basically, we both agree that it makes sense to see how 3 weeks go before committing long-term. This helps us both figure out if we like working together – i call it the “3-week trial” (clever, huh?)

​Hopefully this helps you think a little differently about how to find an operator for that biz you’re running or reverse engineer it to get the opportunity you’ve been waiting for

-Shaan Puri