Design hiring is the trickiest

And no, the debate isn’t whether tech hiring is tough or non-tech hiring is tough - all I’m saying is ... design hiring is the trickiest of them all.

Think about it:

• There are only so many keywords to focus on. How do you even begin to filter out the right talent?
• Subjectivity of Aesthetics: Defining what looks good vs what is “really” good. What might look good to a recruiter is not what might appeal to a hiring manager
• Communication Breakdown: What looks good to a hiring manager needs to be translated to the recruiter on the grounds and factors why the design made sense. Tough - hell yeah!
• Every designer has a portfolio, but how do you differentiate between genuinely innovative work and something that’s just flashy or just showed his inclination to one theme/style or is the portfolio screaming love for one sub section - neobrutalism anyone? Today’s trendy designs might be tomorrow’s outdated trash. How do you hire for timeless design skills?
• Technical Skills vs. Artistic Vision: How do you balance or filter on either - the need for technical proficiency with the necessity for artistic vision
• Client-Based Variability: Designers often tailor their work to what the ask was. How do you discern their true skill level when their portfolio is a mixed bag of client/customer whims? + how do you know X's work is not Y inspired or even better.. a rip off?
• Designers are creative people. How do you access real Cultural Fit? This breed needs to be protected and let them be. But then how do you ascertain designers work style gels with your company’s culture?
• Without assignments you cant get to know them or their depth and dimension of work, and assignments (in general) carry a bad rep in that circuit - cause a lot of work is passed off as a screening assignment.

IMHO, design hiring is like assembling a rocket ship with Lego pieces - it’s complex, nuanced, and the stakes are incredibly high. If can either get it right or F UP real bad.