SlideShare a Scribd company logo
1 of 83
Download to read offline
1
Case Study
Designing a Recruiting Strategy for
Designers in IT
2
Or
How I learned to stop worrying and
actually hire good designers
3
So who am I
• Not a recruiter
• I lead a 30 person product design team
(PRODAQ) at NASDAQ OMX
• But recruited 32 people to my team (2 people
have left in 27 months)
• No agencies or inhouse recruiters involved
4
So who am I
• And I hear from recruiters. A lot.
• About 10+ emails/calls/LinkedIn pings a week
• Worked with a number of recruiters as a job
seeker, as someone involved in the
international design community, and locally in
NYC and DC.
5
Quick disclaimer
• Designers aren’t special snowflakes
• Almost every IT position is competitive
• I’m not here to tell you you’re doing it wrong
• But to help you empathize with designers
6
Today’s talk
• State of design & design jobs today
• How to ask hiring manager better questions
• How to present a job description that qualified
candidates will respond to
• How to comb for passive design candidates who
aren’t trolling the job boards
• How to review a designer’s resume & portfolio
before sending to your hiring manager
• What job attributes often resonate with
designers to close the deal
7
HOW MANY IN THE AUDIENCE
HAVE RECRUITED DESIGNERS?
Current State
8
Good design is good business
Thomas Watson Jr
1974
9
We’ve passed the point where design is
merely the look and feel of things.
10
Designers are the ones best situated to
figure out how a kit of parts can
become something more.
Why Good Design Is Finally A Bottom Line Investment
Fast Company Design, October 2012
11
12
13
WHY NOW?
14
Design is now the differentiator
Specialization
of software,
data, services
Demand for
designers
15
Local flavor
16
Government
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
Join us, and you will be given an
opportunity to help create a dream
technology environment for a new
organization.
In the process, you’ll improve the
lives of millions of Americans.
Maybe you’re just out of college and
you are looking to sharpen your skills.
Or maybe you want a break from
building widgets and want to spend
some time making things that really
matter.
17
Non Profits & Associations
• increased donations
• better involvement
from members and
supporters
• increased visibility and
awareness for their
cause
• improved promotion for
organization events
18
Defense
• Simplified e-learning systems so users
have a more comprehensive
understanding of material
• More applicable, realistic training
simulators to prepare troops hostile
situation.
• More intuitive displays, screens, & control
panels to show what’s most important at
the right time
19
• Design doesn’t need to be flashy to be
necessary or successful
• Users expect perfection
– Both at home and work
• Companies can command a premium for
good design
• Good design is difficult to duplicate
In summary
20
CURRENT STATE
21
Current State: Process
Hiring mgr meets HR,
shares job description
Recruiting team
begins search,
posts & prays
Recruiters
review resumes
Resumes go to
Hiring Manager
22
Current State: Process
Hiring mgr meets HR,
shares job description
Recruiting team
begins search,
posts & prays
Recruiters
review resumes
Resumes go to
Hiring Manager
Niche sites, meetups,
social channels
23
Current State: Process
Hiring mgr meets HR,
shares job description
Recruiting team
begins search,
posts & prays
Recruiters
review resumes
Resumes go to
Hiring Manager
3rd party/agencies blast to
everyone who posted a
resume on the internet
since 1997
24
What’s our mission?
• Get more qualified, diverse candidates
• In less time
• Without costly 3rd party recruiters
• And make offers to the best people
25
So how is this working out?
• An unscientific survey
• But very telling
• 89 responses in 3 days
26
How well do you feel recruiters placing design
positions understand the job for which they are
contacting you?
27
Select the best statement about
the jobs recruiters send you:
28
Select the most frequent reasons
the jobs recruiters send you are
INAPPROPRIATE:
29
On average, estimate how many times A MONTH you
receive correspondence from a recruiter (please
include email, LinkedIn, phone calls, or any other
communication).
30
If you are employed, how did you
discover your current employer?
31
32
SO WHAT ARE THESE DESIGN JOBS?
33
Baseline: Design jobs
UX =
Design
http://www.onwardsearch.com/UX-Career-Guide/UX-Career-Guide-Infographic.pdf
34
Goal: attract more qualified candidates
Hiring mgr meets HR,
shares job description
Recruiting team
begins search,
posts & prays
Recruiters
review resumes
Resumes go to
Hiring Manager
35
Job descriptions
• Hiring manager scours job boards
• Searches for similar job
• Copies/pastes job description
• Changes out a few things (hopefully)
• Sends to recruiting manager
36
Job description red flags
37
Job Description Red Flags
Rock stars, ninjas, unicorns, gurus. Just…no
38
Job Description Red Flags
Tool-based lists
http://www.onwardsearch.com/UX-Career-Guide/UX-Career-Guide-Infographic.pdf
39
Job Description Red Flags
Tool-based lists
http://www.onwardsearch.com/UX-Career-Guide/UX-Career-Guide-Infographic.pdf
40
Sell the vision
41
Sample visions
• Lab49’s user experience designers craft
exceptional experiences that enable our
clients to be smarter and more nimble.
42
Sample visions
• Airbnb is looking for a talented UI designer to
help us visualize the future of
43
Sample visions
• At Etsy, our Product Design team is
responsible for wearing many hats at once:
from high-level product thinking, to
interaction flows and just-enough mockups, all
the way to front-end implementation (html
and css).
44
Effective job descriptions
• Say what you need
• No longer lists of skills & acronyms
• Proactive companies are now using the job
description to reflect company culture
• Nuance, details reflect understanding
• Sell the benefit (not benefits) of working
• Will still get the clueless applicants
45
Where to advertise your openings
Fish where the fish are
46
Goal: Increase the pipeline
Hiring mgr meets HR,
shares job description
Recruiting team
begins search,
posts & prays
Recruiters
review resumes
Resumes go to
Hiring Manager
47
Where to look, where to share
• Major websites: Monster, Dice, LinkedIn
• Niche and/or mass market job sites
• Meetups/events/conferences
• Social channels: amplifying word of mouth
48
PRODAQ & Major Job Sites
• Monster – don’t use (neither does NDAQ)
• Dice – don’t use
• Craigslist – don’t use
• LinkedIn
– posted jobs, no interviews
– Identify passive candidates
– Reach out directly to diverse candidates
49
Niche Design Job Sites
• AuthenticJobs.com
• Coroflot.com
• Behance.net
• Dribbble.com
• CollegeCentral.com
50
Niche Design Job Sites
• Location issues
– Too many international applicants looking for
offsite freelance work
– Too many people from far away looking to
relocate
• Over/under-qualified
• Don’t follow instructions to apply
51
Niche Design Job Sites
• CollegeCentral
– good for entry/mid-level openings
– Resumes are likely out of date – validate with
LinkedIn
– Most people are local
– Better for *finding* candidates, not just posting
52
PRODAQ via College Central
Jan 2012
53
PRODAQ via College Central
Jan 2012
54
PRODAQ via College Central
Jan 2012 Dec 2012 Fall 2013
55
Meetups/Events
• Great to find passive, motivated candidates
• Enables better diversification of candidates
• Requires time outside of office
• Good start to establishing yourself/company
in the design community
• Sponsorships
• 6 hires to Product Design team via events
56
Social Channels
• Product design has strong personal social
presence on Twitter & LinkedIn
• We know our audience
– Fellow designers in community
– Don’t take selves too seriously
– Share activities without confidential info
– Promotes team culture, personality
57
Social Channels
58
Social Channels
59
Social Channels
60
Finding Candidates
• Fish where the fish are
– designers in tech are likely to be found at local,
free events (in addition to big conferences)
– Twitter is the defacto communication channel of
the design community
• Posting jobs to twitter are table stakes
• Use Twitter to show off your design-friendly work
environment
– Many designers aren’t visiting the big job boards;
those needs are met by niche sites
61
Evaluating prospects
How to spot strong and weak candidates in the phone screen
62
Goal: more accurately evaluate candidates
Hiring mgr meets HR,
shares job description
Recruiting team
begins search,
posts & prays
Recruiters
review resumes
Resumes go to
Hiring Manager
63
Prioritize
• Skills, education, experience are soft
foundation
• Very few design gigs are exactly like the other
• Work with hiring manager to understand
what’s really necessary
• Don’t miss out on great candidates because
they aren’t perfect fits to job description: look
at big picture
64
Years of Experience
• 3-5 years of exp sounds nice, but is it
required?
• Why do you need the experience?
– Talking with executives?
– Leading workshops with clients?
– Or you don’t want to explain how to use tools?
• Half of PRODAQ: fewer than 5 years exp
65
Education
• Do you really need an MFA or MS in IxD?
• Many positions are tool-centric: Build this!
• Tool-focused job skills can be self-taught
• Look for humanities degrees too:
– English, Sociology, Architecture, Psychology
• PRODAQ: 5 MFAs, 2 MBAs, 1 MSci
66
• The designer from a defense contractor
applying to a non-profit (fine)
• The information architect who wants to move
exclusively to user experience (fine)
• The freelancer who wants full time (fine)
• Someone with little mobile exp working on
mobile apps (risk)
You have to reconcile:
67
• I never hired on the basis of
– Financial experience
– Enterprise experience
– 3-5 years prototyping experience
– Experience with Agile development methodology
– Working with offshore development teams
PRODAQ
68
Designer resume red flags
69
Designer resume red flags
• No portfolio or link to website
• Tool & Skill focused
• Little or no description of role
• Little or no emphasis on results
• Little or no expansion on process
70
Designer resume red flags
• No portfolio or link to website
– Probe deeper if you see:
• Template based site (wix, squarespace)
• Wordpress themes
– Are there other resources/examples?
• Dribbble
• Behance
• Github
– Links to job/site don’t provide enough info
71
Designer resume red flags
• Little or no description of role on project
– Team involvement or solo?
– When did the person join the project?
– When did the person leave the project?
– Responsible for anything or in support role?
– How did they work with development teams?
Stakeholders? Customers?
72
Designer resume red flags
• Little or no emphasis on results
• Does the candidate mention any net
outcomes of their work?
• Subscriptions
• Revenue
• Support tickets
• Conversions
• Traffic
• How do they measure success?
73
Designer resume red flags
• Little or no emphasis on process
– Just show/describe the end result?
– Early-process tasks or artifacts:
• Interviewing, Competitive analysis, Heuristic evaluation
– Later tasks: Usability testing, Analytics & metrics
• Big red flag: calling UX a step in a process
– “Next we did the UX, then the visual design”
74
Designer resume red flags
WTF?
75
6 seconds? GO!
• Portfolio or URL first—Does it exist?
• Involvement (lead, consultant, etc)
• Results / effectiveness of work
• Skills & Tools
76
In the interview
Help the hiring manager with these tips for identifying the best
77
Goal: Make offers to best people
Hiring mgr meets HR,
shares job description
Recruiting team
begins search,
posts & prays
Recruiters
review resumes
Resumes go to
Hiring Manager
78
Useful interview tactics
• Don’t just walk through page by page of
portfolio or website; ask for the design
process & candidate’s involvement
79
Useful interview tactics
• Suggest a design exercise: hiring manager
provides persona, scenario, and simple
constraints to sketch
80
Useful interview tactics
• Don’t ask for favorite websites, you’ll just hear
apple.com
81
82
Wrap Up
Goals
• Get more qualified, diverse
candidates
• In less time
• Without costly 3rd party
recruiters
• And make offers to the best
people
Outcomes
• Attract better candidates via
more appropriate job
descriptions
• Through more channels
than just big job sites
• And how to evaluate the
candidates to hire the best
of the bunch
83
THANK YOU!
Chris Avore
NASDAQ OMX
Chris.avore@nasdaqomx.com
Twitter: @erova

More Related Content

What's hot

GHC slides for dare to disrupt the numbers
GHC slides for dare to disrupt the numbersGHC slides for dare to disrupt the numbers
GHC slides for dare to disrupt the numbersAliza Carpio
 
The Many Faces of Operations (Crystal Philcox at DesignOps Summit 2017)
The Many Faces of Operations (Crystal Philcox at DesignOps Summit 2017)The Many Faces of Operations (Crystal Philcox at DesignOps Summit 2017)
The Many Faces of Operations (Crystal Philcox at DesignOps Summit 2017)Rosenfeld Media
 
DesignOps Handbook Condensed
DesignOps Handbook CondensedDesignOps Handbook Condensed
DesignOps Handbook CondensedPeter Weibrecht
 
Amplify: Design Operation's Core Mission to Amplify the Value of Design Practice
Amplify: Design Operation's Core Mission to Amplify the Value of Design PracticeAmplify: Design Operation's Core Mission to Amplify the Value of Design Practice
Amplify: Design Operation's Core Mission to Amplify the Value of Design PracticeDave Malouf
 
Leveling Up Design Leadership
Leveling Up Design LeadershipLeveling Up Design Leadership
Leveling Up Design LeadershipChris Avore
 
Website Redesign: Are you planning to succeed or succeeding to fail? It all s...
Website Redesign: Are you planning to succeed or succeeding to fail? It all s...Website Redesign: Are you planning to succeed or succeeding to fail? It all s...
Website Redesign: Are you planning to succeed or succeeding to fail? It all s...DesignHammer
 
KM'ing Your Content - Best Practices for Effective Content Strategy and Manag...
KM'ing Your Content - Best Practices for Effective Content Strategy and Manag...KM'ing Your Content - Best Practices for Effective Content Strategy and Manag...
KM'ing Your Content - Best Practices for Effective Content Strategy and Manag...Enterprise Knowledge
 
Lean Product Development
Lean Product DevelopmentLean Product Development
Lean Product DevelopmentAndy Kaiser ™
 
Better Together - Design Thinking, Agile e Lean Startup
Better Together - Design Thinking, Agile e Lean StartupBetter Together - Design Thinking, Agile e Lean Startup
Better Together - Design Thinking, Agile e Lean StartupCaique Oliveira
 
Adversarial to Harmonious: Building the Developer/UX Connection
Adversarial to Harmonious: Building the Developer/UX ConnectionAdversarial to Harmonious: Building the Developer/UX Connection
Adversarial to Harmonious: Building the Developer/UX ConnectionUXPA International
 
Design Thinking vs. Lean Startup: Friends or Foes?
Design Thinking vs. Lean Startup: Friends or Foes?Design Thinking vs. Lean Startup: Friends or Foes?
Design Thinking vs. Lean Startup: Friends or Foes?Tathagat Varma
 
Operating in Context (Leisa Reichelt at DesignOps Summit 2018)
Operating in Context (Leisa Reichelt at DesignOps Summit 2018)Operating in Context (Leisa Reichelt at DesignOps Summit 2018)
Operating in Context (Leisa Reichelt at DesignOps Summit 2018)Rosenfeld Media
 
Efficient Teams Do Not Happen. They are Designed. It's called DesignOps
Efficient Teams Do Not Happen. They are Designed. It's called DesignOpsEfficient Teams Do Not Happen. They are Designed. It's called DesignOps
Efficient Teams Do Not Happen. They are Designed. It's called DesignOpsUXDXConf
 
Understanding Product Design Workshop - Presentation at LBS (Heart Atelier)
Understanding Product Design Workshop - Presentation at LBS (Heart Atelier)Understanding Product Design Workshop - Presentation at LBS (Heart Atelier)
Understanding Product Design Workshop - Presentation at LBS (Heart Atelier)Eduardo Wydler
 
Managing Design Leadership
Managing Design LeadershipManaging Design Leadership
Managing Design LeadershipChris Avore
 
Design Thinking for KM Strategy & Roadmapping
Design Thinking for KM Strategy & RoadmappingDesign Thinking for KM Strategy & Roadmapping
Design Thinking for KM Strategy & RoadmappingEnterprise Knowledge
 
Technical Writing Outsourcing in an Agile Environment
Technical Writing Outsourcing in an Agile EnvironmentTechnical Writing Outsourcing in an Agile Environment
Technical Writing Outsourcing in an Agile EnvironmentSaiff Solutions, Inc.
 
Spreading Design Thinking in Organizations
Spreading Design Thinking in OrganizationsSpreading Design Thinking in Organizations
Spreading Design Thinking in Organizationsuxpin
 

What's hot (20)

GHC slides for dare to disrupt the numbers
GHC slides for dare to disrupt the numbersGHC slides for dare to disrupt the numbers
GHC slides for dare to disrupt the numbers
 
The Many Faces of Operations (Crystal Philcox at DesignOps Summit 2017)
The Many Faces of Operations (Crystal Philcox at DesignOps Summit 2017)The Many Faces of Operations (Crystal Philcox at DesignOps Summit 2017)
The Many Faces of Operations (Crystal Philcox at DesignOps Summit 2017)
 
DesignOps Handbook Condensed
DesignOps Handbook CondensedDesignOps Handbook Condensed
DesignOps Handbook Condensed
 
Amplify: Design Operation's Core Mission to Amplify the Value of Design Practice
Amplify: Design Operation's Core Mission to Amplify the Value of Design PracticeAmplify: Design Operation's Core Mission to Amplify the Value of Design Practice
Amplify: Design Operation's Core Mission to Amplify the Value of Design Practice
 
Leveling Up Design Leadership
Leveling Up Design LeadershipLeveling Up Design Leadership
Leveling Up Design Leadership
 
Website Redesign: Are you planning to succeed or succeeding to fail? It all s...
Website Redesign: Are you planning to succeed or succeeding to fail? It all s...Website Redesign: Are you planning to succeed or succeeding to fail? It all s...
Website Redesign: Are you planning to succeed or succeeding to fail? It all s...
 
KM'ing Your Content - Best Practices for Effective Content Strategy and Manag...
KM'ing Your Content - Best Practices for Effective Content Strategy and Manag...KM'ing Your Content - Best Practices for Effective Content Strategy and Manag...
KM'ing Your Content - Best Practices for Effective Content Strategy and Manag...
 
Lean Product Development
Lean Product DevelopmentLean Product Development
Lean Product Development
 
Better Together - Design Thinking, Agile e Lean Startup
Better Together - Design Thinking, Agile e Lean StartupBetter Together - Design Thinking, Agile e Lean Startup
Better Together - Design Thinking, Agile e Lean Startup
 
Adversarial to Harmonious: Building the Developer/UX Connection
Adversarial to Harmonious: Building the Developer/UX ConnectionAdversarial to Harmonious: Building the Developer/UX Connection
Adversarial to Harmonious: Building the Developer/UX Connection
 
Design Thinking vs. Lean Startup: Friends or Foes?
Design Thinking vs. Lean Startup: Friends or Foes?Design Thinking vs. Lean Startup: Friends or Foes?
Design Thinking vs. Lean Startup: Friends or Foes?
 
Operating in Context (Leisa Reichelt at DesignOps Summit 2018)
Operating in Context (Leisa Reichelt at DesignOps Summit 2018)Operating in Context (Leisa Reichelt at DesignOps Summit 2018)
Operating in Context (Leisa Reichelt at DesignOps Summit 2018)
 
Efficient Teams Do Not Happen. They are Designed. It's called DesignOps
Efficient Teams Do Not Happen. They are Designed. It's called DesignOpsEfficient Teams Do Not Happen. They are Designed. It's called DesignOps
Efficient Teams Do Not Happen. They are Designed. It's called DesignOps
 
Discovery Phase: Planing Your Web Project
Discovery Phase: Planing Your Web ProjectDiscovery Phase: Planing Your Web Project
Discovery Phase: Planing Your Web Project
 
Understanding Product Design Workshop - Presentation at LBS (Heart Atelier)
Understanding Product Design Workshop - Presentation at LBS (Heart Atelier)Understanding Product Design Workshop - Presentation at LBS (Heart Atelier)
Understanding Product Design Workshop - Presentation at LBS (Heart Atelier)
 
Managing Design Leadership
Managing Design LeadershipManaging Design Leadership
Managing Design Leadership
 
Design Thinking for KM Strategy & Roadmapping
Design Thinking for KM Strategy & RoadmappingDesign Thinking for KM Strategy & Roadmapping
Design Thinking for KM Strategy & Roadmapping
 
Technical Writing Outsourcing in an Agile Environment
Technical Writing Outsourcing in an Agile EnvironmentTechnical Writing Outsourcing in an Agile Environment
Technical Writing Outsourcing in an Agile Environment
 
What is Design Thinking?
What is Design Thinking?What is Design Thinking?
What is Design Thinking?
 
Spreading Design Thinking in Organizations
Spreading Design Thinking in OrganizationsSpreading Design Thinking in Organizations
Spreading Design Thinking in Organizations
 

Viewers also liked

Recruitment and HR in though times
Recruitment and HR in though timesRecruitment and HR in though times
Recruitment and HR in though timesJeroen Spierings
 
HR VLZ Session on Campus Hiring Ecosystem - Staying Relevant
HR VLZ Session on Campus Hiring Ecosystem - Staying RelevantHR VLZ Session on Campus Hiring Ecosystem - Staying Relevant
HR VLZ Session on Campus Hiring Ecosystem - Staying RelevantHR VLZ
 
Campus Hiring Made Easy
Campus Hiring Made Easy Campus Hiring Made Easy
Campus Hiring Made Easy Youth4work.com
 
Back to School: The ABCs of Campus Recruiting Metrics
Back to School: The ABCs of Campus Recruiting MetricsBack to School: The ABCs of Campus Recruiting Metrics
Back to School: The ABCs of Campus Recruiting MetricsCielo
 
Managing the Sales Force
Managing the Sales ForceManaging the Sales Force
Managing the Sales ForceSumit Pradhan
 
Presentation | Successful Strategy Implementation
Presentation | Successful Strategy ImplementationPresentation | Successful Strategy Implementation
Presentation | Successful Strategy ImplementationDr. Arnoud van der Maas
 
Recruiting Metrics - Strategic and Tactical KPIs for Talent Acquisition
Recruiting Metrics - Strategic and Tactical KPIs for Talent AcquisitionRecruiting Metrics - Strategic and Tactical KPIs for Talent Acquisition
Recruiting Metrics - Strategic and Tactical KPIs for Talent AcquisitionMaia Josebachvili
 
Strategic HR Management
Strategic HR ManagementStrategic HR Management
Strategic HR ManagementCreativeHRM
 
Recruitment And Selection
Recruitment And SelectionRecruitment And Selection
Recruitment And Selectionharshalsk
 
HR Strategy: What is it? Why do we need it?
HR Strategy: What is it? Why do we need it?HR Strategy: What is it? Why do we need it?
HR Strategy: What is it? Why do we need it?CreativeHRM
 
RECRUITMENT AND SELECTION
RECRUITMENT AND SELECTIONRECRUITMENT AND SELECTION
RECRUITMENT AND SELECTIONAIMS Education
 
Design in Tech Report 2017
Design in Tech Report 2017Design in Tech Report 2017
Design in Tech Report 2017John Maeda
 

Viewers also liked (12)

Recruitment and HR in though times
Recruitment and HR in though timesRecruitment and HR in though times
Recruitment and HR in though times
 
HR VLZ Session on Campus Hiring Ecosystem - Staying Relevant
HR VLZ Session on Campus Hiring Ecosystem - Staying RelevantHR VLZ Session on Campus Hiring Ecosystem - Staying Relevant
HR VLZ Session on Campus Hiring Ecosystem - Staying Relevant
 
Campus Hiring Made Easy
Campus Hiring Made Easy Campus Hiring Made Easy
Campus Hiring Made Easy
 
Back to School: The ABCs of Campus Recruiting Metrics
Back to School: The ABCs of Campus Recruiting MetricsBack to School: The ABCs of Campus Recruiting Metrics
Back to School: The ABCs of Campus Recruiting Metrics
 
Managing the Sales Force
Managing the Sales ForceManaging the Sales Force
Managing the Sales Force
 
Presentation | Successful Strategy Implementation
Presentation | Successful Strategy ImplementationPresentation | Successful Strategy Implementation
Presentation | Successful Strategy Implementation
 
Recruiting Metrics - Strategic and Tactical KPIs for Talent Acquisition
Recruiting Metrics - Strategic and Tactical KPIs for Talent AcquisitionRecruiting Metrics - Strategic and Tactical KPIs for Talent Acquisition
Recruiting Metrics - Strategic and Tactical KPIs for Talent Acquisition
 
Strategic HR Management
Strategic HR ManagementStrategic HR Management
Strategic HR Management
 
Recruitment And Selection
Recruitment And SelectionRecruitment And Selection
Recruitment And Selection
 
HR Strategy: What is it? Why do we need it?
HR Strategy: What is it? Why do we need it?HR Strategy: What is it? Why do we need it?
HR Strategy: What is it? Why do we need it?
 
RECRUITMENT AND SELECTION
RECRUITMENT AND SELECTIONRECRUITMENT AND SELECTION
RECRUITMENT AND SELECTION
 
Design in Tech Report 2017
Design in Tech Report 2017Design in Tech Report 2017
Design in Tech Report 2017
 

Similar to Designing a Recruiting Strategy for Hiring Designers

Recruiting Technical Talent for Early Stage Startups
Recruiting Technical Talent for Early Stage StartupsRecruiting Technical Talent for Early Stage Startups
Recruiting Technical Talent for Early Stage StartupsPoornima Vijayashanker
 
Be the Captain of Your Career
Be the Captain of Your Career Be the Captain of Your Career
Be the Captain of Your Career Jack Molisani
 
Costanoa Expert Series: What Business Leaders Should Know About Design- Order 4
Costanoa Expert Series: What Business Leaders Should Know About Design- Order 4Costanoa Expert Series: What Business Leaders Should Know About Design- Order 4
Costanoa Expert Series: What Business Leaders Should Know About Design- Order 4Costanoa Ventures
 
Hiring the best at Opower
Hiring the best at OpowerHiring the best at Opower
Hiring the best at OpowerRoderick Morris
 
Digiday Career Fair May 20th, 2016
Digiday Career Fair May 20th, 2016Digiday Career Fair May 20th, 2016
Digiday Career Fair May 20th, 2016Digiday
 
Developer career - I've become senior, what's next?
Developer career - I've become senior, what's next?Developer career - I've become senior, what's next?
Developer career - I've become senior, what's next?Michał Gruca
 
Finding a CTO and other technical talents (for Startups) - Interactive Cologn...
Finding a CTO and other technical talents (for Startups) - Interactive Cologn...Finding a CTO and other technical talents (for Startups) - Interactive Cologn...
Finding a CTO and other technical talents (for Startups) - Interactive Cologn...Nils Zündorf
 
A project management approach to the job search
A project management approach to the job searchA project management approach to the job search
A project management approach to the job searchGene Waldenmaier
 
A project management approach to the job search
A project management approach to the job searchA project management approach to the job search
A project management approach to the job searchGene Waldenmaier
 
Hiring toolbox for startups
Hiring toolbox for startupsHiring toolbox for startups
Hiring toolbox for startupsMatej Matolin
 
Recruitment in the digital age - how to get a job!
Recruitment in the digital age - how to get a job!Recruitment in the digital age - how to get a job!
Recruitment in the digital age - how to get a job!Faye Walshe
 
Top 4 Marketing Must-Haves for IT and Engineering Staffing Firms in 2014
Top 4 Marketing Must-Haves for IT and Engineering Staffing Firms in 2014Top 4 Marketing Must-Haves for IT and Engineering Staffing Firms in 2014
Top 4 Marketing Must-Haves for IT and Engineering Staffing Firms in 2014ClearEdge Marketing
 
Advanced resume writing
Advanced resume writingAdvanced resume writing
Advanced resume writingAngela Siefer
 
Advanced resume writing
Advanced resume writingAdvanced resume writing
Advanced resume writingAngela Siefer
 

Similar to Designing a Recruiting Strategy for Hiring Designers (20)

Recruiting Technical Talent for Early Stage Startups
Recruiting Technical Talent for Early Stage StartupsRecruiting Technical Talent for Early Stage Startups
Recruiting Technical Talent for Early Stage Startups
 
Be the Captain of Your Career
Be the Captain of Your Career Be the Captain of Your Career
Be the Captain of Your Career
 
Pump up your talent pipeline
Pump up your talent pipelinePump up your talent pipeline
Pump up your talent pipeline
 
#READY TO WORK
#READY TO WORK#READY TO WORK
#READY TO WORK
 
Costanoa Expert Series: What Business Leaders Should Know About Design- Order 4
Costanoa Expert Series: What Business Leaders Should Know About Design- Order 4Costanoa Expert Series: What Business Leaders Should Know About Design- Order 4
Costanoa Expert Series: What Business Leaders Should Know About Design- Order 4
 
Tips and trick on hiring
Tips and trick on hiringTips and trick on hiring
Tips and trick on hiring
 
Hiring the best at Opower
Hiring the best at OpowerHiring the best at Opower
Hiring the best at Opower
 
Digiday Career Fair May 20th, 2016
Digiday Career Fair May 20th, 2016Digiday Career Fair May 20th, 2016
Digiday Career Fair May 20th, 2016
 
Developer career - I've become senior, what's next?
Developer career - I've become senior, what's next?Developer career - I've become senior, what's next?
Developer career - I've become senior, what's next?
 
Finding a CTO and other technical talents (for Startups) - Interactive Cologn...
Finding a CTO and other technical talents (for Startups) - Interactive Cologn...Finding a CTO and other technical talents (for Startups) - Interactive Cologn...
Finding a CTO and other technical talents (for Startups) - Interactive Cologn...
 
Developer career
Developer careerDeveloper career
Developer career
 
A project management approach to the job search
A project management approach to the job searchA project management approach to the job search
A project management approach to the job search
 
A project management approach to the job search
A project management approach to the job searchA project management approach to the job search
A project management approach to the job search
 
Hiring toolbox for startups
Hiring toolbox for startupsHiring toolbox for startups
Hiring toolbox for startups
 
Lecture 30
Lecture 30Lecture 30
Lecture 30
 
Workshop - Create a Stellar LinkedIn Profile
Workshop - Create a Stellar LinkedIn Profile Workshop - Create a Stellar LinkedIn Profile
Workshop - Create a Stellar LinkedIn Profile
 
Recruitment in the digital age - how to get a job!
Recruitment in the digital age - how to get a job!Recruitment in the digital age - how to get a job!
Recruitment in the digital age - how to get a job!
 
Top 4 Marketing Must-Haves for IT and Engineering Staffing Firms in 2014
Top 4 Marketing Must-Haves for IT and Engineering Staffing Firms in 2014Top 4 Marketing Must-Haves for IT and Engineering Staffing Firms in 2014
Top 4 Marketing Must-Haves for IT and Engineering Staffing Firms in 2014
 
Advanced resume writing
Advanced resume writingAdvanced resume writing
Advanced resume writing
 
Advanced resume writing
Advanced resume writingAdvanced resume writing
Advanced resume writing
 

More from Chris Avore

Are You and Your Organization Ready for Design Transformation?
Are You and Your Organization Ready for Design Transformation?Are You and Your Organization Ready for Design Transformation?
Are You and Your Organization Ready for Design Transformation?Chris Avore
 
Interaction19: Future of Design Leadership
Interaction19: Future of Design Leadership Interaction19: Future of Design Leadership
Interaction19: Future of Design Leadership Chris Avore
 
Design Upstream: Strategic Design in Complex Connected Markets
Design Upstream: Strategic Design in Complex Connected MarketsDesign Upstream: Strategic Design in Complex Connected Markets
Design Upstream: Strategic Design in Complex Connected MarketsChris Avore
 
InVision presents Design+ Vancouver
InVision presents Design+ VancouverInVision presents Design+ Vancouver
InVision presents Design+ VancouverChris Avore
 
Design at Scale: Enabling Systems Thinking to Design for a Complex Future
Design at Scale: Enabling Systems Thinking to Design for a Complex FutureDesign at Scale: Enabling Systems Thinking to Design for a Complex Future
Design at Scale: Enabling Systems Thinking to Design for a Complex FutureChris Avore
 
Designing a Culture of Design
Designing a Culture of DesignDesigning a Culture of Design
Designing a Culture of DesignChris Avore
 
NASDAQ OMX Product Design Portfolio
NASDAQ OMX Product Design PortfolioNASDAQ OMX Product Design Portfolio
NASDAQ OMX Product Design PortfolioChris Avore
 
Under(standing) the Influence: UPA Boston 2012
Under(standing) the Influence: UPA Boston 2012Under(standing) the Influence: UPA Boston 2012
Under(standing) the Influence: UPA Boston 2012Chris Avore
 
Design Strategy: Aligning Business Goals and User Needs
Design Strategy: Aligning Business Goals and User NeedsDesign Strategy: Aligning Business Goals and User Needs
Design Strategy: Aligning Business Goals and User NeedsChris Avore
 
User-Centered Interaction Design
User-Centered Interaction DesignUser-Centered Interaction Design
User-Centered Interaction DesignChris Avore
 

More from Chris Avore (10)

Are You and Your Organization Ready for Design Transformation?
Are You and Your Organization Ready for Design Transformation?Are You and Your Organization Ready for Design Transformation?
Are You and Your Organization Ready for Design Transformation?
 
Interaction19: Future of Design Leadership
Interaction19: Future of Design Leadership Interaction19: Future of Design Leadership
Interaction19: Future of Design Leadership
 
Design Upstream: Strategic Design in Complex Connected Markets
Design Upstream: Strategic Design in Complex Connected MarketsDesign Upstream: Strategic Design in Complex Connected Markets
Design Upstream: Strategic Design in Complex Connected Markets
 
InVision presents Design+ Vancouver
InVision presents Design+ VancouverInVision presents Design+ Vancouver
InVision presents Design+ Vancouver
 
Design at Scale: Enabling Systems Thinking to Design for a Complex Future
Design at Scale: Enabling Systems Thinking to Design for a Complex FutureDesign at Scale: Enabling Systems Thinking to Design for a Complex Future
Design at Scale: Enabling Systems Thinking to Design for a Complex Future
 
Designing a Culture of Design
Designing a Culture of DesignDesigning a Culture of Design
Designing a Culture of Design
 
NASDAQ OMX Product Design Portfolio
NASDAQ OMX Product Design PortfolioNASDAQ OMX Product Design Portfolio
NASDAQ OMX Product Design Portfolio
 
Under(standing) the Influence: UPA Boston 2012
Under(standing) the Influence: UPA Boston 2012Under(standing) the Influence: UPA Boston 2012
Under(standing) the Influence: UPA Boston 2012
 
Design Strategy: Aligning Business Goals and User Needs
Design Strategy: Aligning Business Goals and User NeedsDesign Strategy: Aligning Business Goals and User Needs
Design Strategy: Aligning Business Goals and User Needs
 
User-Centered Interaction Design
User-Centered Interaction DesignUser-Centered Interaction Design
User-Centered Interaction Design
 

Designing a Recruiting Strategy for Hiring Designers

  • 1. 1 Case Study Designing a Recruiting Strategy for Designers in IT
  • 2. 2 Or How I learned to stop worrying and actually hire good designers
  • 3. 3 So who am I • Not a recruiter • I lead a 30 person product design team (PRODAQ) at NASDAQ OMX • But recruited 32 people to my team (2 people have left in 27 months) • No agencies or inhouse recruiters involved
  • 4. 4 So who am I • And I hear from recruiters. A lot. • About 10+ emails/calls/LinkedIn pings a week • Worked with a number of recruiters as a job seeker, as someone involved in the international design community, and locally in NYC and DC.
  • 5. 5 Quick disclaimer • Designers aren’t special snowflakes • Almost every IT position is competitive • I’m not here to tell you you’re doing it wrong • But to help you empathize with designers
  • 6. 6 Today’s talk • State of design & design jobs today • How to ask hiring manager better questions • How to present a job description that qualified candidates will respond to • How to comb for passive design candidates who aren’t trolling the job boards • How to review a designer’s resume & portfolio before sending to your hiring manager • What job attributes often resonate with designers to close the deal
  • 7. 7 HOW MANY IN THE AUDIENCE HAVE RECRUITED DESIGNERS? Current State
  • 8. 8 Good design is good business Thomas Watson Jr 1974
  • 9. 9 We’ve passed the point where design is merely the look and feel of things.
  • 10. 10 Designers are the ones best situated to figure out how a kit of parts can become something more. Why Good Design Is Finally A Bottom Line Investment Fast Company Design, October 2012
  • 11. 11
  • 12. 12
  • 14. 14 Design is now the differentiator Specialization of software, data, services Demand for designers
  • 16. 16 Government Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Join us, and you will be given an opportunity to help create a dream technology environment for a new organization. In the process, you’ll improve the lives of millions of Americans. Maybe you’re just out of college and you are looking to sharpen your skills. Or maybe you want a break from building widgets and want to spend some time making things that really matter.
  • 17. 17 Non Profits & Associations • increased donations • better involvement from members and supporters • increased visibility and awareness for their cause • improved promotion for organization events
  • 18. 18 Defense • Simplified e-learning systems so users have a more comprehensive understanding of material • More applicable, realistic training simulators to prepare troops hostile situation. • More intuitive displays, screens, & control panels to show what’s most important at the right time
  • 19. 19 • Design doesn’t need to be flashy to be necessary or successful • Users expect perfection – Both at home and work • Companies can command a premium for good design • Good design is difficult to duplicate In summary
  • 21. 21 Current State: Process Hiring mgr meets HR, shares job description Recruiting team begins search, posts & prays Recruiters review resumes Resumes go to Hiring Manager
  • 22. 22 Current State: Process Hiring mgr meets HR, shares job description Recruiting team begins search, posts & prays Recruiters review resumes Resumes go to Hiring Manager Niche sites, meetups, social channels
  • 23. 23 Current State: Process Hiring mgr meets HR, shares job description Recruiting team begins search, posts & prays Recruiters review resumes Resumes go to Hiring Manager 3rd party/agencies blast to everyone who posted a resume on the internet since 1997
  • 24. 24 What’s our mission? • Get more qualified, diverse candidates • In less time • Without costly 3rd party recruiters • And make offers to the best people
  • 25. 25 So how is this working out? • An unscientific survey • But very telling • 89 responses in 3 days
  • 26. 26 How well do you feel recruiters placing design positions understand the job for which they are contacting you?
  • 27. 27 Select the best statement about the jobs recruiters send you:
  • 28. 28 Select the most frequent reasons the jobs recruiters send you are INAPPROPRIATE:
  • 29. 29 On average, estimate how many times A MONTH you receive correspondence from a recruiter (please include email, LinkedIn, phone calls, or any other communication).
  • 30. 30 If you are employed, how did you discover your current employer?
  • 31. 31
  • 32. 32 SO WHAT ARE THESE DESIGN JOBS?
  • 33. 33 Baseline: Design jobs UX = Design http://www.onwardsearch.com/UX-Career-Guide/UX-Career-Guide-Infographic.pdf
  • 34. 34 Goal: attract more qualified candidates Hiring mgr meets HR, shares job description Recruiting team begins search, posts & prays Recruiters review resumes Resumes go to Hiring Manager
  • 35. 35 Job descriptions • Hiring manager scours job boards • Searches for similar job • Copies/pastes job description • Changes out a few things (hopefully) • Sends to recruiting manager
  • 37. 37 Job Description Red Flags Rock stars, ninjas, unicorns, gurus. Just…no
  • 38. 38 Job Description Red Flags Tool-based lists http://www.onwardsearch.com/UX-Career-Guide/UX-Career-Guide-Infographic.pdf
  • 39. 39 Job Description Red Flags Tool-based lists http://www.onwardsearch.com/UX-Career-Guide/UX-Career-Guide-Infographic.pdf
  • 41. 41 Sample visions • Lab49’s user experience designers craft exceptional experiences that enable our clients to be smarter and more nimble.
  • 42. 42 Sample visions • Airbnb is looking for a talented UI designer to help us visualize the future of
  • 43. 43 Sample visions • At Etsy, our Product Design team is responsible for wearing many hats at once: from high-level product thinking, to interaction flows and just-enough mockups, all the way to front-end implementation (html and css).
  • 44. 44 Effective job descriptions • Say what you need • No longer lists of skills & acronyms • Proactive companies are now using the job description to reflect company culture • Nuance, details reflect understanding • Sell the benefit (not benefits) of working • Will still get the clueless applicants
  • 45. 45 Where to advertise your openings Fish where the fish are
  • 46. 46 Goal: Increase the pipeline Hiring mgr meets HR, shares job description Recruiting team begins search, posts & prays Recruiters review resumes Resumes go to Hiring Manager
  • 47. 47 Where to look, where to share • Major websites: Monster, Dice, LinkedIn • Niche and/or mass market job sites • Meetups/events/conferences • Social channels: amplifying word of mouth
  • 48. 48 PRODAQ & Major Job Sites • Monster – don’t use (neither does NDAQ) • Dice – don’t use • Craigslist – don’t use • LinkedIn – posted jobs, no interviews – Identify passive candidates – Reach out directly to diverse candidates
  • 49. 49 Niche Design Job Sites • AuthenticJobs.com • Coroflot.com • Behance.net • Dribbble.com • CollegeCentral.com
  • 50. 50 Niche Design Job Sites • Location issues – Too many international applicants looking for offsite freelance work – Too many people from far away looking to relocate • Over/under-qualified • Don’t follow instructions to apply
  • 51. 51 Niche Design Job Sites • CollegeCentral – good for entry/mid-level openings – Resumes are likely out of date – validate with LinkedIn – Most people are local – Better for *finding* candidates, not just posting
  • 52. 52 PRODAQ via College Central Jan 2012
  • 53. 53 PRODAQ via College Central Jan 2012
  • 54. 54 PRODAQ via College Central Jan 2012 Dec 2012 Fall 2013
  • 55. 55 Meetups/Events • Great to find passive, motivated candidates • Enables better diversification of candidates • Requires time outside of office • Good start to establishing yourself/company in the design community • Sponsorships • 6 hires to Product Design team via events
  • 56. 56 Social Channels • Product design has strong personal social presence on Twitter & LinkedIn • We know our audience – Fellow designers in community – Don’t take selves too seriously – Share activities without confidential info – Promotes team culture, personality
  • 60. 60 Finding Candidates • Fish where the fish are – designers in tech are likely to be found at local, free events (in addition to big conferences) – Twitter is the defacto communication channel of the design community • Posting jobs to twitter are table stakes • Use Twitter to show off your design-friendly work environment – Many designers aren’t visiting the big job boards; those needs are met by niche sites
  • 61. 61 Evaluating prospects How to spot strong and weak candidates in the phone screen
  • 62. 62 Goal: more accurately evaluate candidates Hiring mgr meets HR, shares job description Recruiting team begins search, posts & prays Recruiters review resumes Resumes go to Hiring Manager
  • 63. 63 Prioritize • Skills, education, experience are soft foundation • Very few design gigs are exactly like the other • Work with hiring manager to understand what’s really necessary • Don’t miss out on great candidates because they aren’t perfect fits to job description: look at big picture
  • 64. 64 Years of Experience • 3-5 years of exp sounds nice, but is it required? • Why do you need the experience? – Talking with executives? – Leading workshops with clients? – Or you don’t want to explain how to use tools? • Half of PRODAQ: fewer than 5 years exp
  • 65. 65 Education • Do you really need an MFA or MS in IxD? • Many positions are tool-centric: Build this! • Tool-focused job skills can be self-taught • Look for humanities degrees too: – English, Sociology, Architecture, Psychology • PRODAQ: 5 MFAs, 2 MBAs, 1 MSci
  • 66. 66 • The designer from a defense contractor applying to a non-profit (fine) • The information architect who wants to move exclusively to user experience (fine) • The freelancer who wants full time (fine) • Someone with little mobile exp working on mobile apps (risk) You have to reconcile:
  • 67. 67 • I never hired on the basis of – Financial experience – Enterprise experience – 3-5 years prototyping experience – Experience with Agile development methodology – Working with offshore development teams PRODAQ
  • 69. 69 Designer resume red flags • No portfolio or link to website • Tool & Skill focused • Little or no description of role • Little or no emphasis on results • Little or no expansion on process
  • 70. 70 Designer resume red flags • No portfolio or link to website – Probe deeper if you see: • Template based site (wix, squarespace) • Wordpress themes – Are there other resources/examples? • Dribbble • Behance • Github – Links to job/site don’t provide enough info
  • 71. 71 Designer resume red flags • Little or no description of role on project – Team involvement or solo? – When did the person join the project? – When did the person leave the project? – Responsible for anything or in support role? – How did they work with development teams? Stakeholders? Customers?
  • 72. 72 Designer resume red flags • Little or no emphasis on results • Does the candidate mention any net outcomes of their work? • Subscriptions • Revenue • Support tickets • Conversions • Traffic • How do they measure success?
  • 73. 73 Designer resume red flags • Little or no emphasis on process – Just show/describe the end result? – Early-process tasks or artifacts: • Interviewing, Competitive analysis, Heuristic evaluation – Later tasks: Usability testing, Analytics & metrics • Big red flag: calling UX a step in a process – “Next we did the UX, then the visual design”
  • 75. 75 6 seconds? GO! • Portfolio or URL first—Does it exist? • Involvement (lead, consultant, etc) • Results / effectiveness of work • Skills & Tools
  • 76. 76 In the interview Help the hiring manager with these tips for identifying the best
  • 77. 77 Goal: Make offers to best people Hiring mgr meets HR, shares job description Recruiting team begins search, posts & prays Recruiters review resumes Resumes go to Hiring Manager
  • 78. 78 Useful interview tactics • Don’t just walk through page by page of portfolio or website; ask for the design process & candidate’s involvement
  • 79. 79 Useful interview tactics • Suggest a design exercise: hiring manager provides persona, scenario, and simple constraints to sketch
  • 80. 80 Useful interview tactics • Don’t ask for favorite websites, you’ll just hear apple.com
  • 81. 81
  • 82. 82 Wrap Up Goals • Get more qualified, diverse candidates • In less time • Without costly 3rd party recruiters • And make offers to the best people Outcomes • Attract better candidates via more appropriate job descriptions • Through more channels than just big job sites • And how to evaluate the candidates to hire the best of the bunch
  • 83. 83 THANK YOU! Chris Avore NASDAQ OMX Chris.avore@nasdaqomx.com Twitter: @erova