We are back in hiring mode. But we are also changing the way we think about hiring.

Traditionally, companies write a short description of of the job followed by a list of the essential knowledge and skills. Potential employees don't get a lot of details about what is expected of them until the interview and post-hiring phase.

It is also difficult to tell if there is a match between the company's mission and culture and the potential employee. For instance, you may be told that a company is in the top 100 employers category. But what does that really mean? It certainly doesn't mean everyone will be happy working there, it just means that the people working there are happy according to some rating criteria.

Our Newest Approach

So we've modified our approach to share more information from the get go. I think this is going to make the process better. Instead of check lists of skills and knowledge, you can look at what is expected and see if you think you would have the ability and desire to perform that role.

The Mission – We tell you what it is. Everything else flows from the mission; so If you don't mesh with our mission, we definitely aren't a good match. Let's not waste time.

Our Culture– We are still learning to define our culture. I thought it would be easy, but it is not. Ultimately culture is defined largely by our values. Picking the most important ones is the hard part. You don't compromise on values, ever… or they are not values.

Desired Outcomes – What exactly we want you to do and the expectations defined as outcomes; not tasks. If we hire you, can you accomplish these outcomes; that is the real test.

Required Talents – Talents by our definition are part of the person. It is very difficult to change a person's talents… it is far easier to build on existing talents. These are the talents we think you need to achieve the desired outcomes.

Skill and Knowledge – These are still useful, it is just that matching on the first four items is more important. Skill and knowledge are learn-able so some shortcoming here are acceptable as long as the rest is strong.

Conclusion

There are no tricks to hiring. There are no tricks to applying for a job and interviewing.

The point is not to trick each other. It never works out.

The point is to get a good match between us and an employee.

That is how you build long-term relationships; and ultimately, that is what we are about.