One of our early decisions was not to hire specialists, but generalists–we call them athletes, because they can play every position. These jacks-of-all-trades types are the best kind of early employee you can have at a start-up. They may not be the best at any one particular skill, but they have lots of good skills that can be applicable all over the company, and they are very adaptive.

Athletes are employees who think and act like founders because they’re not so locked into one individual role that they lose track of the wider needs of the company. And in the early stages of a company when your needs are changing almost daily, you want employees who are not only flexible, but enjoy changes in their day-to-day jobs.

Here are a few tips we’ve learned about finding and hiring athletes:

1. Take it easy on the job qualifications.

Entrepreneurs love to create dream lists of qualifications. But if you hire an athlete, he or she is going to be able to pick up the skills you need along the way.

2. Focus on pet projects.

Athletes are always making things; they can’t help themselves

3. Think medium term.

The easiest mistake to make is hiring only for short term needs….The other mistake is to hire for the long term.

4. Look for former entrepreneurs.

Specifically, people who have founded companies and failed….Entrepreneurs who have failed are really hungry to succeed.

5. Beware of big company types.

They are usually very good at what they do and have impressive credentials, but they are often the least athletic you’ll meet because big companies inherently force people to specialize.

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