Hire People Different From You

While perusing some of the Joel on Software discussions, I saw the pointer to “Mini-me” syndrome…a major hiring risk for companies. Heather discusses her concerns:

• Recruiting from certain schools can prevent you from hiring the best — because that recruiting limits your intake of candidates. It tightens your screen before you've even gotten to resume review. This is a USA-attitude. For those of you in Europe, and other places where school could actually mean something, take a look at the comments from this What's the Value of Education to You?.
• If you hire similar people, you're more likely to end up with group-think.
• Focusing on where people came from doesn't help you assess how they could get the job done.
• If the manager hasn't written a good job description, the requirements for the job are unclear — and the manager is more likely to hire someone just like him or herself.

Sometimes, the best person for the job is just like you — but not often. Make sure you define the requirements for the job, not just the pedigree.