Why Hiring is Hard: Our Schools

We’re hiring at 33Vincent. If you’ve ever gone through a hiring process, you know that it is extremely hard to end up with a great fit. There are so many variables (skills, culture, experience, etc), it takes so much effort and time, and appearances are often far from reality. The simple answer for why this happens is that people are complicated. But there’s more: our schools are not producing people that are ready to work in the modern world.

I have had some version of the same conversation with someone in a dozen industries. A good friend of mine is a corporate lawyer and they won’t let him use Evernote because of potential breaches of sensitive information. Doctors schedule C-sections weeks in advance to “avoid complications.” Uber is banned in cities despite the obvious benefits to the overall transportation experience as well as the drop in drunk driving incidents. The list goes on, and it all boils down to fear. It’s better not to embrace technology than to look foolish or be blamed for something should it go wrong. It’s better to cut a woman open in a controlled setting than let her do what her body was built to do. It’s better to stick with the system you know than embrace the new guys changing everything.

Our schools are no different. As the world of work changes, our schools are being left behind. This is talked about a lot in certain circles, but I’m seeing the issue in a new light as we try to hire. The number one quality we look for is what we call the “Google-it” skill. Here’s what it is: when you don’t how to do something, you Google it before you ask anyone. Sounds simple, right? You’d be shocked how rare it is. The reason people don’t do it is because we’ve been taught to ask permission for everything, for our entire lives. We get in line, we sit in rows all day long, we raise our hands and ask if we can go to the bathroom. I could be describing either a third grade classroom or a corporate office full of cubicles, and that’s not a coincidence. 

As these “sit down and do as you’re told” jobs disintegrate into software, there are fewer and fewer places for the people who are not willing to figure things out on their own, to be curious enough to learn more than their job description requires, to try something new.

If you want job security in the future, don’t listen to the parents who say you should get a “real job” with a big company. That may be the right thing for you to do for other reasons, but it shouldn’t be for safety. Instead, start with figuring things out on your own and following your interests into the rabbit holes they take you. Dig with diligence and you’ll come out the other side armed and ready for a meaningful, productive life.

Here are a few resources to start:

• The 37 Best Website To Learn Something New - A few of my favorites or ones on my list to check out are Future Learn, Coursera, Lynda.com, & Skillshare
• Seth Godin talk - he’s on point on most things, most of all education
• End of Jobs book - a great take on how work is changing and how to adapt