The interview process is extensive. I interview anybody who will play a leadership role within information systems. The candidate also interviews with their prospective boss, their peers and others who they will be working with whether in information systems or a business partner. My interviewing team then follows up and discusses the strengths and weaknesses of the candidate and compares them with other candidates. We also look at how that person can be successful in their new role, how they will fit in with the personalities on their team and their customers. Based on that feedback, we make a decision. It is an expensive process, but it keeps our turnover under five percent, which is pretty much unheard of in the IT field. Our competitors' turnover is much higher. It's an investment of time, but our commitment to it and our low turnover sells well with candidates.

Who was the first person you ever hired? What company were you working for and in what capacity?

It was in the 1980s at Prime Computer, and I was in my first management position. His name was Jack. He was a systems analyst. I ended up firing him. Back then, I wasn't given any training on interviewing skills, so I ended up looking for someone like me because I didn't know any better. Today, I try to hire people with strengths in areas where I am weak to cover my bases. Some people think it's riskier to hire somebody who is better [than you] in a certain area, but I have had great success in doing so.

Is hiring instinctive or can you teach people how to make good hires? Do you believe that you're an instinctive hiring manager or that you've gotten better over the years through experience and training?

There's certainly an element of hiring that's instinctive. You have to get a feel for the person and be able to relate, connect and empathize with them. I think you can teach people a certain element of that, but you also have to have a certain aptitude for it. You might be able to determine the smartest guy for the job or the best person on paper, but the question is will that person connect with the people and culture of your organization? Sometimes only your gut will give you the right answer.

I definitely believe I've gotten better at hiring over the years. It's something you practice. You learn how to probe and get a sense of a candidate's strengths and weaknesses. You also learn from your mistakes.

Marshall's biggest hiring mistake and worst interview >>

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