To stand out in this job market, think like a porcupine.
Hiring leaders are on a “spike” kick, dropping the term on podcasts and social-media posts. These recruiters aim for employees who lead in one skill, rather than those who are well-rounded. Shopify’s Tobi Lütke and Coinbase’s Brian Armstrong have agreed with the theory of spikiness.
The underlying idea isn’t new; VC and author Richard Koch has been writing about having a “20% spike” since 2005. It’s taken on new relevance, though, thanks to a tough job market and AI’s blurring of job titles.
Candidates need to stand out. They’ll need a spike.
What is a spike?
Want a job at Meta? You have to “do one thing really well.”
That’s what Mark Zuckerberg said in 2024, before the recent wave of spike-mania emerged. “They’ve probably gained experience in the art of learning something and taking it to an excellent level,” he told Emily Chang.
For many job applicants, a “spike” is a skill that you can use in the workplace. Maybe you’re exceptional at coding or memo-writing; maybe you’re a top-tier salesperson.
It doesn’t need to be a workplace skill, though. Zuckerberg said that he’s looking for an ability to go deep, no matter the subject. Ramp co-CEO Eric Glyman said in July that he hired Minecraft developers who had built side businesses around the game when they were younger.
“You’re trying to look for some evidence of a spike, or some level of exceptional drive,” Glyman said.
For others, spikiness means hiring for specific strengths, not lack of weaknesses. Andreessen Horowitz cofounder Ben Horowitz imparted this lesson in 2010. “Hiring for lack of weakness just means that you’ll optimize for pleasantness,” he wrote.
The message has clearly stuck around. In March, A16z Perennial’s chief investment officer, Michel Del Buono, said that the hiring strategy was the biggest lesson he learned from Horowitz and Marc Andreessen.
Brian Halligan fell prey to this trap. While running HubSpot, he said in February that he’d often hire the candidate who averaged the highest score — as in, the candidate with the fewest weaknesses. Then, he changed his approach.
“We went with the spikier people,” he said. “Our hit rate at HubSpot has improved.”
The approach could change the way you interview. Sierra, the AI company cofounder by OpenAI chairman Bret Taylor, released a guide to the “AI-native interview” in February. The new focus narrows in on that oh-so-desired trait.
“We’re hiring for strengths, not just an absence of weakness,” Sierra’s blog post reads. “This approach gives us much richer signal about a candidate’s spikes and gaps.”
How do I find my spike?
Some people know their spike from day one. Others need to search for it.
Tech career coach Kyle Elliott told Business Insider that candidates can look to performance reviews and manager feedback when looking to identify their own spike.
“You can even conduct a ‘mini 360’ to seek out insights from those who know you best,” he said. “Ask for specific examples, which you can then include on your résumé and speak to during interviews.”
Need some inspiration? Margaret Buj, a principal recruiter at Mixmax, told Business Insider some examples of spikes: technical experience, sales performance, or “founder-like ownership.”
“From a recruiter’s perspective, I do think this matters,” she said. The candidates who stand out often have “one or two clear areas where they are unusually strong.”
Buj warned against mistaking a personal preference for an expertise. She also advised against the “generic” terms that everyone uses: strategic, collaborative, analytical, and results-driven.
“The key is to make the spike visible through evidence, not adjectives,” she said.
