In typical 37signals fashion, the wisdom in these pages is edgy yet

Hire great writers
If you are trying to decide among a few people to fill a position, hire the
best writer. It doesn't matter if that person is a marketer, salesperson,
designer, programmer, or whatever; their writing skills will pay off.
That's because being a good writer is about more than writing. Clear
writing is a sign of clear thinking. Great writers know how to communicate.
They make things easy to understand. They can put themselves in someone
else's shoes. They know what to omit. And those are qualities you want in
any candidate.
Writing is making a comeback all over our society. Look at how much
people e-mail and text-message now rather than talk on the phone. Look at
how much communication happens via instant messaging and blogging.
Writing is today's currency for good ideas.

---

The best are everywhere
It's crazy not to hire the best people just because they live far away.
Especially now that there's so much technology out there making it easier to
bring everyone together online.
Our headquarters are in Chicago, but more than half of our team lives
elsewhere. We've got people in Spain, Canada, Idaho, Oklahoma, and
elsewhere. Had we limited our search only to people in Chicago, we would
have missed out on half of the great people we have.
To make sure your remote team stays in touch, have at least a few hours a
day of real-time overlap. Working in time zones where there's no workday
overlap at all is tough. If you face that situation, someone might need to
shift hours a bit so they start a little later or earlier in the day, so you're
available at the same time. You don't need eight hours of overlap, though.
(Actually, we've found it preferable to not have complete overlap--you get
more alone time that way.) Two to four hours of overlap should be plenty.
Also, meet in person once in a while. You should see each other at least
every few months. We make sure our whole team gets together a few times
a year. These are great times to review progress, discuss what's going right
or wrong, plan for the future, and get reacquainted with one another on a
personal level.
Geography just doesn't matter anymore. Hire the best talent, regardless of
where it is.

---

---