Before I went independent, I had the experience of being a creative director that got to hire the designers. After the first round of hires I would only hire designers on a contract basis until they’d worked a few projects. The reason being is that a portfolio doesn’t always line up with the designer’s actual ability. One big question to ask on every piece you like: what part did you play in this design? I found that when I asked that question, a lot of potential hires would begin to stop meeting my eyes. It’s common to include something in your portfolio if you had any part in the creation of that piece. I don’t subscribe to this ethically, but I know it’s done. A lot. Most of the time even. The parts of a portfolio I care about are the one where the designer controlled all of it, from the idea to the execution.

What did X design look like before (assuming it’s a redesign of something that already existed)?

I got to the point very quickly where I spend very little time on someone’s portfolio. Look at photographers as an analogy. A great photographer is someone who can still get a good shot when the weather is gross, the lighting is sub-par, or the models are ugly. Almost any photographer can get a decent portfolio. What counts is whether you can do it when it counts. My clients don’t have the budget for three photo shoots over a month’s time to shoot the same thing. It has to be done right, the first time, even if the day isn’t ideal. A designer has to the same way. Can they work within perimeters that are less than ideal? That’s the real question. I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve had complete reign over the work I’m doing. The trick is to do the best work you can with what you can.

Is this someone you’d have a beer with after work?

That’s an important question for me. I work too hard and too long to work with people I don’t like. I’d rather hire a good person than a fantastic designer who is a prima-donna. When things get tense — and they will — I need someone with a sense of humor.

Do they have real-world experience?

I don’t care if someone has been to school. If you’ve been to school and you still take that qualification seriously, then you must have gone to a far different college than me. I don’t hire anyone for their first job, so maybe that makes my needs different. I’ve had enough experience with designers fresh out of art school, I’ll let someone else deal with that.

How do they learn?

The thing about this industry that I love is that you’re always learning. If you can’t learn on your own, then you’re in trouble. The best people I know are self-taught. I’m not saying that were just magically good designers out of the box, and most of them went to school, but these are the people who drink up criticism, read every book they can find, continue to use other designers in peer review, and learn new techniques every week.

Are they smarter than you?

If not, don’t hire them. If they are, you’d better be willing to trust them. Not all the time, but enough that you’re not micro-managing them. If you have to micro-manage someone, you might as well just do it yourself. I took a contract with an agency where the founder and I didn’t always agree. But he always listened to me. And when he could, he took my advice. Sometimes he’d tell me I was living in dream world, but because he always heard me, I’d work harder for him than almost anyone, even if I was doing something I didn’t like.

Pay well.

If you don’t know what to pay, check here, then pay a little more. I don’t say this because I feel all designers are underpaid (teachers are underpaid, we’re doing pretty good), I’m just saying that if you’re hiring for a person that makes you money, respect that. Life is short, do you really want to be known as that company who paid the bare minimum? It’s expensive to live here. If you want a 20 year old who has no bills and calls into work becuase their junker broke down again, that’s fine. But if you want someone who has enough experience to really bring you to the next level, then realize they probably are old enough to have real bills and real expectations.

It’s an ongoing relationship

Are you happy? If not, why? Are they happy? What would they like to do more of? The best companies are the ones where the employee and employer grow together. Sometimes this just can’t work, but other times it’s worth thinking about.

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Part One: How to write a help-wanted ad