Most hiring managers make the same mistake: they look for someone who can do “the job” without understanding which specific parts of the job actually matter.
You post a job description that’s a laundry list of everything the role could possibly touch. Then you interview candidates for all of it. Then you hire someone who’s mediocre at everything instead of exceptional at the three things that will actually determine success.
When you over-specify requirements, two things happen:
- Good candidates see the list and self-select out because they don’t check every box
- Recruiting screens out strong people before they ever reach you
It’s a classic hiring manager mistake. You’re not looking for a plumber. You’re looking for a “kitchen plumber who also does bathrooms, HVAC, and light electrical.” That person doesn’t exist—and if they did, they’d be mediocre at all of it.
The Fix: Identify Your Critical Three
Before you write a job description, answer this: What are the three things this person absolutely must be great at to succeed? Not “nice to have,” but must have.
Then hire for those three things ruthlessly. Everything else is trainable, learnable, or handleable.
Example: You’re hiring a PM and your job description says strategy, stakeholder management, analytics, roadmap planning, user research, technical understanding, and Jira.
But in reality they need to be great at: (1) saying no without making enemies, (2) translating customer problems into requirements, and (3) making decisions with incomplete data.
Everything else is noise.
Structuring the Job Description
Split your requirements into required and preferred. Put your Critical Three in required. Put everything else in preferred.
Unless you need an actual rocket scientist, look for 50% of what you need and 50% talent, drive, and ability to close the gap. Someone short on skills but high on purpose and motivation can be trained. Someone who checks every box but coasts will stay mediocre forever.
Be clear about long-term expectations with candidates. The bar to get hired is X, but the goal over time is Y. If they pass X, great—as long as they know Y is where they’re headed.
Handling Hiring Pressure
Hiring managers face pressure from two directions, and both will push you toward bad decisions.
Recruiting wants speed. Recruiters are measured on candidates hired and average fill time. A good recruiter focuses on getting you the right candidate; others just want the seat filled. You taking forever to decide isn’t helping their numbers.
Your response: You’re looking for candidates with staying power. Longer retention means less churn, which means less pressure on recruiting over time. You’re doing them a favor by being selective.
The business wants bodies. Once leadership decides you need more people, they wanted them yesterday. Any delay in hiring is a delay in execution.
Your response: You’re looking for the right candidates, not the first candidates. Hiring the wrong people risks delivery quality and long-term business outcomes. Also, explore whether contractors can bridge the gap. They’re faster to hire, easier to onboard, and lower risk if they don’t work out.
The Bottom Line
Hiring isn’t about finding someone who checks every box. It’s about finding someone exceptional at what actually matters and has the drive to figure out the rest.
Do the work upfront: identify your Critical Three, resist the pressure to hire fast, and stop writing job descriptions that scare off good candidates.
The managers who build great teams aren’t the ones who hire the most people. They’re the ones who hire the right people—even when it takes longer.
See you next week!
-Frank
