Hire for Capability not Experience

Advice for fellow Hiring Managers: Hire for the generalized capability, not the specialized experience: If you need someone who can shovel dirt, hire someone who can shovel. Hard. Stop.

When you get too specific in your jobposting you turn away amazing candidates - particularly those in groups that are known to self-select out when they don't meet all requirements.

If you're thinking: "But, I need someone who has experience with dirt... dry dirt, wet dirt, compacted dirt, gravel dirt, ornamental dirt..." then why are you hiring a shoveler? Get yourself a Dirt Specialist. You're either trying to get away with a 2-for-1 role (which never works out well... Dirt Specialists don't want to shovel, and Dirt Shovelers just want to shovel), or you're not really hiring the Right Person for the Right Job (see EOS by Gino Wickman.)

Otherwise, you're unknowingly eliminating the best kind of candidates: One who has core skills, but is also looking to learn, adapt, and grow - and, moreover, will bring a diverse and fresh perspective to your team.

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FAQs for a Software Engineering Hiring Manager

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