Your Hiring Process Sucks

That’s OK. So Does Everyone Else’s.

One of the things I have always been interested in is the hiring process. I have been on both sides of the table for numerous interviews. I think software engineering interviews are the most interesting (I might be biased). Let’s take a look at some trends I have noticed in the technical hiring world:

1. Job descriptions and requirements not matching reality, i.e. 5 years experience in a technology that has existed for 2.
2. Trying to hire people to work on something new where the tech stack might not even be decided yet
3. Trying to predict the future by looking at the past

Let’s talk about number 3. That one is probably not as recognizable as a trend. This is actually where I think your process sucks.

We do this all the time. As humans, we are always looking to find patterns and trends that let us understand how our actions affect the future. Hiring is no different. We try to spot trends in past behaviors in order to determine future success.

I think we should do it differently. I think the hiring process should be a process to maximize future success. The past is actually pretty irrelevant, or at least it should be.

If you want to guarantee a successful future, design it.

Instead of designing a hiring process based on past results, look to the future. Design your successful hire.

How do you ask?

I think it is actually quite simple.

1. Figure out what problem you are hiring someone to solve.
2. Find someone who wants to solve that same problem
3. Give them the necessary resources to figure out how to solve the problem

Figure Out What Problem you are Hiring Someone to Solve.

Explain why you want to solve the problem. Help me see why it is a problem worth solving.

It is important that this is done carefully and individually. Don’t tell me that your problem is software development. Tell me that you are working on an ETL pipeline that is processing data. Tell me your tech stack that you are currently using. Tell me the problem you currently have with the tech stack you are using. Tell me about your overall goals. Explain why you want to solve the problem. Help me see why it is a problem worth solving.

Find Someone Who Wants to Solve that Same Problem

If you put a team together of people who want to solve a single problem, that problem will get solved. It is as simple as that. If you have a well-defined problem (step 1) and a group of people who want to solve that problem, it will eventually get solved.

Give Them the Necessary Resources to Figure Out How To Solve the Problem

This step affects the timing of the problem-solving. The internet is a bottomless source of knowledge. If you give people internet access, they will eventually figure out how to solve the problem. That is the bare minimum required to guarantee a solved problem.

Everybody wants to learn.

If you want a problem solved sooner, provide better resources. There are tons of courses focused on specific things. Figure out what your team needs to learn and bring it to them. Everybody wants to learn. If you have them learn to support their solving of a difficult problem, they will learn a lot faster. It is really easy to learn something when you care about it.

This has a second, slightly more hidden part as well. Pay them enough that they do not have to worry about money. Any time spent worrying about their future is time that they will not spend trying to help you solve your problem. I am also not saying that they will be actively working at all times of the day.

Give them freedom. Trust them to do what is needed to solve the problem. If they need time off, give them time off. If they need help, help them. If you want them to be able to help you solve your problem, make sure that theirs are solved in turn. That is how we can maximize the value created.

Warning: Do Not Fall Victim to Bias

I should add a caveat here, though. It is important to realize that everyone learns in different ways. Don’t discount someone who doesn’t learn the same way you do. If they are trying to learn but are unable to with the current resources, figure out something that works for them. Don’t try to force them to learn differently.

That will not be successful. At least, it will not be maximally successful. Learn to work with the people you have. Everyone is a specialist in their own life. They bring unique ideas to the table by the nature of their experiences. Everyone needs to feel comfortable sharing their ideas.

Everyone is a specialist in their own life.

We have a tendency to think that the way we know to do something is the only way. This is not true. We have to be comfortable admitting that. I will be the first to admit that I am making all of this up as I go along based on the knowledge and experience I have acquired. I am pushing through with my ideas because I believe in them.

That said, I am willing to drop them if the data shows me I am wrong. If you can prove to me sufficiently that I am wrong, I can accept that. But your reason better not be that “that just isn’t how it is done”. If you think that anything is the best it can possibly be, you are wrong. That just isn’t a realistic view of time. Everything can be improved and will be over time.

Designing for the future is the key to avoiding bias. We can make small incremental changes and things will get better slowly. Or, we can look at the actual data. That’s when you can skip the slow process.

I don’t like slow. I like to look at data and figure out what trends we are currently in and either breaking them or creating new ones. I see where the future is trending. I am deciding to live it now.

Stop focusing on the way things have been done. Look instead for how they should be done and do that. I offer you my blueprint to successful hires based on hundreds of interviews experienced.

I am also offering my services as a consultant, free of charge. I want to help people figure out the best way to solve their problems. Sign up for my mailing list to receive updates on my consulting journey or to request my help in solving some problem you have.