Submission for Venture Lab design Thinking class

1. EMPATHY MAP
Pavel Yurevich
FEEL
THINK
SAY
DO

2. VP of Engineering at an LED
lighting company. Personally
selects, interviews, and hires
people to fill the positions within the
company.
STAKEHOLDER

3. SAY
Quotes from a recruiter:
1. “Finding a right person for a job is always challenging.”
2. “A couple of interviews is not enough to know, if the candidate is qualified for the job.”
3. “I am still mentoring [a co-worker], even after a few years with the company.”
4. “When looking through resumes, I am trying to match people with the needs of the company.”
5. “First, I am looking for [candidates] who have taken classes that correspond with our line of work. I
do it because then I can expect them to have the basic knowledge of the subject.”
6. “Second, I pay attention to extracurricular activities and if they have given the candidate an
experience that could be beneficial to the company.”
7. “I quiz people on their knowledge of trivial electrical engineering knowledge, but not many people
were able to give me the right answers. That way, I can find people who really know their stuff.”
8. “During the interviews I am paying attention to the interpersonal skills, so the candidate can fit within
the companies culture.”
9. “I usually have quick turnaround of interns, because they do not fit in.”
10. “The main problem with universities, at least in my own experience, is that they do not prepare
students to real life”
11. “There is a disconnect between reality [of engineering projects] and [highly theoretical] lab
experience.”
12. “At first we were looking to hire technicians for our production line, but there were
no qualified people. Even when we went to [a college] where there is a specific
technician degree, we could not find the right people. We even asked the faculty
if we demand unreasonable things from students, but they said that that their
graduates supposed to know such things.”
13. “I have to have a few interviews prior to the hire, because everybody can
look good on paper.”
14. “I spend a large portion of my time doing company-specific training.”

4. DO
Doing was not observed.

5. FEEL
Stakeholder feels that...
1. ...colleges do not prepare students very well to the real life.
2. ...college grads should fit in the company to work there, otherwise they would leave.
3. …recent grads will need to be trained regardless of their experience level.
4. … even though he is willing to hire recent grads, they may not possess the skills that will benefit the
company.
5. ...interpersonal skills are vital to surviving within the company.

6. THINK
Stakeholder thinks that...
1. ...a good potential employee should possess certain qualities and skills
that can benefit the employer in the future.
2. ...class experience and real life experience are completely different.
3. …extracurricular activities are helpful when looking for a job.
4. ...finding the right person for the job is a difficult thing.
5. ...writing a great resume is not enough to land a good job.

7. Companies need a way to find
employees with both technical and
interpersonal skills that match the
job criteria and company
environment because a good match
will increase the success of the
company and secure long term
employment.
PROBLEM STATEMENT