One of the most exciting aspects of building a high-performing team is recruiting the people for it. There’s nothing better than finding that really talented person who wants to come work with you.

As you think about doing this recruiting and finding the right people, first you must understand how to create role descriptions based on the team’s skill needs. Next, you should think about hiring from nontraditional sources, based on skill sets rather than experience. Last, when you’re hiring somebody, don’t just think about the role you’re hiring them into—think one role ahead so those people have headroom to grow when they join your team.

Experience-based vs. skill-based job descriptions

Experience-based role descriptions might sound like, “The individual must have five years of experience on a small business credit union underwriting team working at a small, Middle Atlantic community bank with multiple branches.” That’s a really specific description, and there probably are relatively few people who meet those requirements. By writing a description that way, you’ve shrunk the recruiting base in which you can find somebody. And by the way, those experiences might not be relevant to the skills the team needs.

Instead, write skill-based job descriptions. Think about what initiatives you’re pursuing and what skills the person must have to have to work on those projects. For example, “The individual must have the ability to perform complex financial analysis and combine those results with judgment to make effective decisions.” You’ve just dramatically opened up the pool of applicants you can pursue vs. that very narrow experience-based job description.

Those skill-based job descriptions open the applicant pool. That approach will enable you to hire new people more quickly. You’re also likely to get some new perspectives from those folks on the work that you do vs. getting somebody with deep experience who is going to come in and say, “Well, that’s the way we’ve always done it, so we should keep doing it that way.”

Hiring from nontraditional sources

Next, in terms of hiring, once you have that skill-based job description, think differently in terms of where you go to find people. Different perspectives and experiences are going to bring new ideas into your organization. They may also bring new skills to the team that you might not have or might not realize you don’t have. The team may value those new experiences and new skills more than you ever thought.

Additionally, by looking at nontraditional sources, you’ll probably have less competition for that great talent. Instead of recruiting from Harvard Business School, where every organization in the world is trying to hire those graduates, perhaps look at different schools where you have less competition.

Maybe try and pick off the top two people at Podunk University’s business school. By looking at nontraditional sources, you have less competition, and those candidates might be much more eager to work for you.

Hiring for their next role

Last, when you hire this person, don’t just hire for the role that you want them to fill. You have to give them room to grow into. People want to be excited and challenged. They want the opportunity to build their skills, which builds their personal marketability.

People enjoy the challenge of overcoming obstacles. When you hire them, make sure they can do 70% of the role you’re hiring them for; they’re going to need to learn 30%.

When you hire somebody who has 100% of the skills required for the role you’re bringing them into, that’s a safe bet for you as a recruiter and as a leader. But think about it from that individual’s perspective. If they can come in and do all elements of that job on Day One, it’s going to get pretty boring pretty quickly. There’s a flight risk. They come into that role and say, “I’ve got it all figured out.” After about six months, when they start asking what’s next, and you tell them, “Just keep doing what you’re doing,” they’re going to become disenfranchised and frustrated. They’ll likely start looking for more challenging opportunities.

When you’re thinking about role progression for people when you bring them in, you need to ensure there’s a path of future role possibilities for them. Most people, especially those who are going to gravitate toward the high-performing team you’re trying to build, are looking at that career path and thinking about how they can grow. That’s a very strong source of personal motivation for them. Make sure you provide them with those opportunities.

To get the most out of your recruiting efforts, think about skill-based vs. experience-based role descriptions. Look in nontraditional places for people who have those skills. When you hire them, think about their growth path ahead and make sure they’ve got room to grow and develop as individuals.

Published Jan. 28, 2026, in The thoughtLEADERS Brief on LinkedIn.