What Are We Hiring For? Yes.

Photo by Roman Melnychuk@chamooomile0 on Unsplash

I have run a fair few interviews in my time. You need to run through the company values, assess the candidate’s technical skills and write up some feedback.

So, when we needed to interview candidates for our team lead, I wanted to do a good job. The day before the interview, I wanted to know what assessment criteria I needed to measure the candidate against.

“Are we looking for skills, potential, or experience?”

Seems like a fair question, right? 

The answer might surprise you.

Measure Against What?

There are a number of problems in tech recruiting. I believe one of these is that we ask technical employees to sit in judgement over candidates without giving them the tools to do so.

It’s a technical problem, because some companies might require an immediate expert, someone who can grow into the role, or just a warm body that vaguely understands what an if statement does.

So, I asked our internal recruiter a key question. “Are we looking for skills, potential, or experience?”

The answer?

“Yes”

That was it. No clarification, no nuance. Just a simple, unblinking “yes”. When I pushed, I got an answer that I didn’t expect.

“You’ll handle it”

Brilliant.

The Hiring Mystery Box

Tech hiring is already a mess, but this answer was next-level. I felt uncertain about showing up to an interview room, asking (and answering) questions without having access to the big picture idea behind the hire.

Does “yes” mean?

Apparently, we want someone who can hit the ground running, who can also learn and grow into the role. They should be able to bring their experience into the company. Basically “yes”.

The idea that we could get a perfect candidate without compromise just isn’t possible for a company that does not pay the best salary.

It’s like asking a restaurant if their food is spicy and getting “yes” as a response. Okay, but how spicy? Mild kick or existential regret?

The Real Problem

The issue here isn’t just the answer, it’s what it reveals about the tech hiring process. It points to problems with the company and for the sake of the interview, I’m the face of the interview.

You Have No Idea What They Want

They’re throwing out job descriptions like darts in the dark. Maybe they’ll hit a perfect candidate, maybe they’ll get a guy who exclusively writes JavaScript with var. Either way, they’re hoping the team will sort it out later, either in the process or during probation.

It takes time to decide what you want from a candidate, and effort in terms of planning.

Lacking a Growth Plan

If they don’t know whether they’re hiring for potential or experience, do they even have a plan for career progression?

It’s easy to write a job description that expects juniors to have 10 years of experience. That is obviously impossible and points to the problem at the heart of tech. We want to grow, but don’t have a plan for doing so.

Chaos

If they don’t even know what they’re assessing, the interview process becomes arbitrary. We had coding challenges, vague questions, and a sprinkle of “ask us questions” where we judge you (but give you no clue about the criteria that we apply). It’s chaos, unfair to candidates and interviewers alike.

The Safe Answer

When the hiring manager told me “yes”, I understood what they meant. Sometimes hiring managers just don’t want to commit. They want to sound open-minded, flexible, and adaptable.

But “yes” is not a real answer. It’s a verbal shrug. It’s a way to dodge responsibility for defining hiring criteria. It’s what you say when you’re desperately hoping nobody asks a follow-up question.

So, when that is what I did, I was disappointed in the response to actually get some more information about the requirements and expectations put upon me.

“Okay, but which is the most important?”

The answer?

“All of them”

At that point, I mentally checked out. I wouldn’t be able to perform well no matter what would happen with this.

What Should They Have Said?

If you’re a hiring manager reading this (and if so, why? I’m a software developer and your colleagues are all hitting me up on LinkedIn right now).

My first super tip is to thinkabout what you actually want before the hiring process begins.

🚀 If you’re hiring for experience, say: “We need someone who can come in and solve problems from day one.”

🌱 If you’re hiring for potential, say: “We care more about problem-solving ability and a willingness to learn.”

🎯 If you’re hiring for skills, say: “You need to be proficient in X, Y, and Z. We don’t expect you to know everything, but you should be able to get up to speed fast.”

Of course, if you don’t know what you want before the job advert is posted, you’ve no real chance with this. 

So, make it happen.

It’s not that hard. Now make it a reality.

Conclusion

If you’re interviewing and you get this kind of answer, take it as a warning sign. You’re in a job where you’re not actually helped to be all you can be, and you’re not in a position where you can present the best impression of either yourself or your company.

Maybe it’s time for you to think about new opportunities, away from your current work environment?