7 Best-Selling Hiring Books Millions Love

Recommended by Alexis Ohanian, Alexis Ohanian Sr., and Matteo Franceschetti—trusted voices in Hiring Books with proven success

Alexis Ohanian
Alexis Ohanian Sr.
Matteo Franceschetti
Updated on June 27, 2025
We may earn commissions for purchases made via this page

There's something special about books that both critics and crowds love, especially in the world of Hiring. Hiring remains one of the most crucial yet complex challenges organizations face today, with proven strategies in high demand. These seven best-selling Hiring books have stood the test of time, offering frameworks and insights that many leaders have relied on to build strong, effective teams.

Among the experts championing these works are Alexis Ohanian Sr., co-founder of Reddit and seasoned venture capitalist, who praises "Who" for its scalable hiring methods. Matteo Franceschetti, CEO of Eight Sleep, credits the same book for shaping his approach to repeatable hiring success. Meanwhile, Alexis Ohanian, also co-founder of Reddit and Initialized Capital partner, supports these books for their practical value in hiring.

While these popular books provide proven frameworks, readers seeking content tailored to their specific Hiring needs might consider creating a personalized Hiring book that combines these validated approaches, offering a unique blend of expert knowledge and individual focus.

Best for scalable hiring processes
Alexis Ohanian Sr., co-founder of Reddit and seasoned venture capitalist, endorses this book with a simple yet powerful "Great book!" His experience in scaling companies aligns well with the book's practical hiring methods that have helped countless leaders avoid costly mistakes. For those navigating the complexities of talent acquisition, his recommendation carries weight, emphasizing how the book's structured approach can transform your hiring process. Similarly, Matteo Franceschetti, CEO at Eight Sleep, credits the book for shaping his scalable hiring process, underscoring its relevance for leaders aiming to build effective teams.
AO

Recommended by Alexis Ohanian Sr.

Co-Founder of Reddit, Venture Capitalist

Great book! (from X)

Who book cover

by Geoff Smart, Randy Street··You?

What happens when decades of experience in management assessment meet the challenge of hiring? Geoff Smart, CEO of ghSMART, and Randy Street have created a method based on extensive research, including over 1,300 hours of interviews with billionaires and CEOs. You learn to sidestep typical hiring pitfalls by defining clear outcomes, sourcing top-tier candidates, and conducting interviews that truly distinguish A Players from others. Whether you're leading a Fortune 500 company or filling a critical role in a small business, this book provides a structured approach to make hiring decisions that directly impact your organization's success.

New York Times Bestseller
View on Amazon
Best for behavioral hiring insights
What makes this book distinctive in the hiring field is its focus on practical "people reading" strategies that help you predict which candidates will succeed in your organization. Its proven appeal is evident in more than 40,000 copies sold and translations into eight languages, underscoring its global relevance. The authors, led by Dr. Pierre Mornell, offer 45 simple but effective methods to observe behavior and forecast workplace performance, addressing a critical need to hire smarter and reduce costly mistakes. This guide is tailored for anyone involved in hiring who wants to move beyond conventional interview questions to more insightful candidate evaluation.
2003·226 pages·Hiring, Recruitment, Talent Assessment, Behavioral Analysis, Interviewing Techniques

Unlike most hiring books that focus on traditional interview tactics, Pierre Mornell and Regan Dunnick present 45 straightforward strategies centered on "people reading"—observing candidates' behaviors to forecast their workplace fit and potential. Drawing on Mornell’s extensive experience in human resource development, the book teaches you how to identify winners and losers before costly hiring mistakes occur. You'll find practical techniques scattered throughout, such as how to interpret subtle cues and assess personality traits that reveal long-term performance. If you're responsible for hiring and want to sharpen your ability to predict candidate success beyond resumes and rehearsed answers, this book offers clear, tested methods to improve your decisions.

Translated into eight languages
Over 40,000 copies sold
View on Amazon
Best for personal hiring plans
This personalized AI book about hiring mastery is created based on your unique hiring challenges, experience, and goals. Using AI, it aligns expert-validated hiring methods with your specific needs, focusing on what matters most to you. By tailoring content to your background and interests, it helps you learn smarter hiring approaches without sifting through unrelated information. This custom book ensures your learning journey addresses exactly the hiring hurdles you want to overcome.
2025·50-300 pages·Hiring, Hiring Fundamentals, Candidate Evaluation, Interview Techniques, Talent Acquisition

This tailored book explores battle-tested hiring methods designed to match your unique challenges and goals. It covers essential topics such as candidate evaluation, interview techniques, and retention, all tailored to your background and interests. By focusing on proven knowledge that millions find valuable, it reveals how to build smarter hiring processes suited specifically to your organization’s needs. The personalized content ensures you engage deeply with hiring practices most relevant to your situation, fostering a practical and insightful learning experience. This tailored approach helps you unlock smarter hiring decisions by concentrating on what truly matters to your recruitment success.

Tailored Guide
Candidate Evaluation
1,000+ Happy Readers
Best for small business hiring
This book stands out in the hiring category for its focus on helping companies without specialized recruiting teams find top talent using their existing marketing and networking channels. Eric Herrenkohl draws on his consulting experience across more than 50 industries, including partnerships with major firms like Bank of America, to offer practical guidance tailored to small and medium-sized businesses. You’ll discover specific strategies for identifying and attracting A-players who can elevate your team’s performance and support sustainable growth. Its approach offers a fresh perspective for managers and owners looking to strengthen their hiring without expanding resources.
2010·240 pages·Hiring, Recruiting, Talent Acquisition, Employee Selection, Networking

Unlike most hiring books that focus solely on recruiting tactics, Eric Herrenkohl’s approach leverages existing marketing and networking efforts to identify top talent, making it especially useful for smaller businesses without dedicated recruiting teams. You’ll learn where to find A-player candidates and how to ask the right questions to ensure quality hires that drive growth. Herrenkohl supports his guidance with current examples from industries ranging from finance to retail, providing actionable insights grounded in real company practices. This book benefits business owners, executives, and HR professionals aiming to elevate their teams without expanding their recruiting departments.

View on Amazon
Best for systematic hiring frameworks
Match offers a structured, practical methodology for hiring the right person every time, a challenge many organizations struggle to solve. Dan Erling, drawing from his experience with over a thousand companies, presents a systematic process that spans from defining job requirements to onboarding new hires. This approach transforms hiring from a hit-or-miss endeavor into a reliable, mission-aligned function, making it especially valuable for companies aiming to strengthen their teams with the right talent consistently.
2010·240 pages·Hiring, Recruitment, Interviewing, Onboarding, Salary Negotiation

The counterintuitive approach that changed Dan Erling's perspective on recruitment drives this book. Drawing from his extensive experience advising over a thousand companies, Erling lays out a step-by-step hiring process that challenges the acceptance of mediocre results as normal. You’ll learn how to craft precise job descriptions, conduct structured interviews, and navigate salary negotiations—all underscored by practical tools and real-life stories. This methodical framework benefits hiring managers and HR professionals seeking consistency and clarity in selecting candidates who truly fit their organization’s mission.

View on Amazon
Best for recruitment research professionals
Recruiting Employees by Alison E. Barber offers a thoughtful exploration of recruitment through the lens of individual and organizational perspectives, addressing the multifaceted nature of hiring beyond common practices. The book’s methodical breakdown into stages of recruitment and its consideration of organizational outcomes provide a framework that benefits HR professionals and organizational scholars alike. It addresses persistent questions about how recruitment impacts both candidates and companies, making it a valuable resource for anyone looking to understand the deeper mechanics of hiring processes in organizational contexts.
1998·184 pages·Recruiting, Hiring, Organizational Science, Applicant Generation, Job Choice

Alison E. Barber challenges the conventional wisdom that recruitment is a simple, linear process by breaking it down into three distinct stages: generating applicants, maintaining their status, and influencing job choice. Drawing from organizational science, she explores how each stage affects not only candidate experience but also broader organizational outcomes, offering nuanced insights rather than generic hiring tips. You’ll gain an understanding of recruitment source effects, reactions to interviews, and alternative research frameworks that question traditional assumptions. This book suits HR professionals, organizational leaders, and scholars seeking a deeper, evidence-based perspective on how recruitment shapes both individuals and companies.

View on Amazon
Best for rapid hiring plans
This AI-created book on hiring acceleration is crafted based on your recruitment experience, skill level, and specific goals. You share what aspects of hiring you want to focus on—whether it's speeding up interviews or improving candidate evaluation—and the book matches your background and ambitions. It offers a clear path through the hiring process tailored just for you, avoiding unnecessary information and emphasizing what will help you succeed quickly in building your team.
2025·50-300 pages·Hiring, Hiring Fundamentals, Candidate Screening, Job Description, Interview Techniques

This tailored book explores practical techniques to accelerate your hiring process within 30 days, focusing on actions that directly address your unique recruitment goals. It covers essential topics from crafting effective job descriptions to efficiently screening candidates, all tailored to your background and current hiring challenges. By concentrating on what matters most to you, this book enables a focused learning journey that draws on widely recognized hiring knowledge while adapting to your specific needs. The personalized content reveals how to streamline recruitment steps and make confident decisions quickly, ensuring you build the right team for your organization. This targeted approach helps you grasp critical hiring concepts without overwhelming you with irrelevant information.

Tailored Content
Recruitment Acceleration
1,000+ Happy Readers
Best for retention and culture strategies
Hiring and Keeping the Best People offers a focused look at the complex challenges organizations face when building and maintaining an effective workforce. Published by Harvard Business Review Press, this book distills practical advice on recruiting the right employees, fostering a supportive culture, and tackling employee turnover head-on. It’s designed to assist managers and HR professionals who need clear frameworks and tools to improve their talent strategies. Its proven appeal lies in its straightforward approach to hiring and retention, making it a valuable asset for those aiming to strengthen their team’s long-term success.
Hiring and Keeping the Best People book cover

by Harvard Business Review·You?

2003·192 pages·Hiring, Retention, Recruiting, Employee Engagement, Workplace Culture

After analyzing numerous organizational case studies, Harvard Business Review developed this guide to address the persistent challenges in attracting and retaining top talent. You’ll find clear insights into recruiting strategies, building a culture that supports employee engagement, and practical methods to reduce turnover, including how to prevent burnout. The book’s chapters provide managers and HR professionals with tools to evaluate and improve their hiring processes and retention plans effectively. Whether you're leading a small team or managing a large workforce, the book offers grounded approaches to enhance your organization’s talent management.

Published by Harvard Business Review Press
View on Amazon
Best for academic hiring specialists
This book stands out in the hiring field by offering a systematic, step-by-step manual tailored specifically for academic institutions. It addresses the complexities of faculty and administrative searches, focusing on aligning hires with departmental and institutional goals while emphasizing diversity and inclusion. With practical tools such as sample forms, timelines, and checklists, it equips search committees to manage their responsibilities alongside existing workloads. Its framework extends beyond selection to include onboarding and retention strategies, making it a valuable resource for ensuring successful academic hires and institutional sustainability.
2005·112 pages·Hiring, Recruitment, Academic Search, Committee Management, Inclusion

Lauren A. Vicker and Harriette J. Royer offer a pragmatic guide that challenges the assumption that academic hiring is intuitive based solely on personal experience. Their manual breaks down the entire search process into a clear, ten-step approach, emphasizing alignment with institutional goals and inclusion. You’ll learn how to structure committees effectively, draft precise position descriptions, and navigate candidate evaluation with an eye toward diversity and legal considerations. The book particularly benefits faculty and administrators newly tasked with search responsibilities, providing tools like sample forms and checklists that make complex processes manageable and transparent.

View on Amazon

Proven Hiring Strategies, Personalized

Get proven popular methods without generic advice that misses your needs.

Tailored hiring insights
Faster decision making
Better candidate fit

Validated by top experts and thousands of hiring professionals

Hiring Mastery Blueprint
30-Day Hiring Accelerator
Strategic Hiring Foundations
Success Blueprint Secrets

Conclusion

These seven books collectively highlight key themes: clear, repeatable hiring processes; the importance of behavioral insights; and the need to balance recruitment with retention and culture. If you prefer proven methods grounded in research and practical experience, start with "Who" and "Match" for structured hiring frameworks. For those focused on employee retention and culture, "Hiring and Keeping the Best People" offers valuable strategies.

For recruiters and HR professionals interested in research-driven recruitment science, "Recruiting Employees" provides depth and nuance, while academic leaders will find tailored guidance in "The Complete Academic Search Manual." Small business owners looking for approachable, actionable advice should explore "How to Hire A-Players."

Alternatively, you can create a personalized Hiring book to combine proven methods with your unique needs. These widely-adopted approaches have helped many readers succeed, offering you a roadmap to better hiring decisions today.

Frequently Asked Questions

I'm overwhelmed by choice – which book should I start with?

Start with "Who," highly recommended by Alexis Ohanian Sr. and Matteo Franceschetti for its clear, scalable hiring process. It lays a solid foundation before exploring more specialized topics like retention or academic hiring.

Are these books too advanced for someone new to Hiring?

Not at all. Books like "How to Hire A-Players" offer practical advice suited for business owners without recruiting teams. Others, such as "Match," guide you step-by-step through structured hiring methods.

What's the best order to read these books?

Begin with broad frameworks like "Who" and "Match," then branch into specific areas such as behavioral insights with "45 Effective Ways for Hiring Smart!" and retention strategies with "Hiring and Keeping the Best People."

Do I really need to read all of these, or can I just pick one?

You can pick based on your needs. For example, if retention is your focus, prioritize "Hiring and Keeping the Best People." Each book offers distinct value; reading more broadens your perspective.

Which book gives the most actionable advice I can use right away?

"45 Effective Ways for Hiring Smart!" provides straightforward, practical strategies to predict candidate success, making it ideal for immediate application in interviews and evaluations.

Can personalized Hiring books complement these popular titles?

Yes! While these expert books provide proven methods, personalized Hiring books tailor insights to your situation, combining popular strategies with your specific goals. Learn more here.

📚 Love this book list?

Help fellow book lovers discover great books, share this curated list with others!