Hiring - finding out what you're really looking for

I've spoken to a few people recently about hiring. They were in an initial stage where they've said to me that they needed to find someone for a tech position. And in each case when I've asked for detail about the profile needed, it turned out that the person was not that clear on what they exactly needed. Everyone who has done hiring has been in this situation. You know you need someone and think you know what you need, but as soon as you start looking, you start to realize that you're really not sure.

Obviously it would be best to know before you start talking to candidates. For many hiring managers, though, it seems that they start by browsing ads posted by other companies to make a profile. And then the process of interviewing people is the way that they figure out what they are actually looking for.

One easy and obvious way to get a handle on this is to do the job yourself for a little while. Of course this depends on the job and company, but if you can, you'll clearly get the best sense of what's needed. This of course happens naturally in small, growing companies, but isn't always an option.

Another thing to do is focus on creating a good practical test for the job. For technical positions this is a necessity. And I believe that the best practical test simulates real work as opposed to theoretical problems or logic puzzles. So when you put together the test for what the candidate needs to know, you should be reviewing real work problems and tasks.

These are two things that have worked well for me. I also try to keep in mind that when you don't really know what you're looking for, not only can you make negative impressions on candidates, but - worst of all - you may not realize it when you find the right person.