Hiring Designers for Growth -Finding a Match
Framing a Design Growth Strategy
Opportunity, and Skill Match, Equitable Hiring Practice
This is about hiring with strategic goals in mind. Hiring for a design team is by far one of the most fun parts and greatest challenges for any designer turned manager. My approach is to look for a match as best I can for where the goals are. See the work I do to set foundational goals before going into the growth phase.
Opportunity
Finding the right pockets of candidates can be a challenge. Post-COVID, we have seen a global job market open and fold again. Job seekers are now being creative with their networking and as we look to source new talent we should be evolving with them. I have found success in networking, and working to find new channels where up and coming designers may be searching.
Some of my best local finds have been
Co-op and internship programs to build awareness and a new graduate pipeline
Slack channels with designers focused in track-areas of design development
Non traditional job boards and career paths - The Mom Project, Tibaja, and a few others have helped build inclusivity and diversity into my hiring process from the start.
Skills Match
A skills matrix can help assess who might be the best fit for the role, and where the role can grow. A matrix of what skills are most valued and needed will align the candidates into appropriate levels within the design organization, and help find the best fit.
Equitable hiring practices
My interpretation of an equitable hiring practice means we strive to give candidates every opportunity possible to show their best work and present their best selves and skills, regardless of what their background is. This means abstracting some of our questions and exercises. Some examples of this in practice:
Not using a whiteboarding example that shows preference over candidates with industry specific experience
Not assuming everyone’s experience is the same when approaching a problem statement
Making some of the design specific questions and exercises based on problems anyone could have i.e. ‘build an app to find a place to eat lunch’
Avoiding making ‘inside jokes’ or references to cultural specific knowledge without explaining it or abstracting the detail
How I am Thanking About Design Team Structure
How to look for Generalists
Structuring your teams and products based on interest, experience, and skill
Product rotations and designer evolution and maturity
Deliverables
Hiring Designer Documentation
Below I will outline some different documents that help the Design Team understand what they are looking for and who is a best fit match, together. These documents can align what the business need is, what we are hiring for as a team, and how we evaluate new design talent.
Hiring Values
Our values and what we look for in a team mate should be documented and specifically agreed on by the team. Hiring values and what we look for as a culture fit are shared.
Skills Matrix
A matrix of skills that we can assess and rank by number to ensure we are meeting high quality standards, and know where skills need to be built up.
Interview Process and Question Formats
A defined and structured list of who meets with what roles, with specific guidance on what we are looking for
Thorough Job Descriptions
Candidates will do best when they know exactly what role they are interviewing for and what is needed to succeed in their role. Defining the role with clarity and matching that to the interview process sets us up for success.