Michelle Brown

Status as a self-fulfilling prophecy: Most high status people also think they are high quality. They assume everyone wants to know them, so they actively reach out, building big networks, further increasing status. But people not convinced of their quality don't network as much

A job description (JD) is the first thing that hiring managers create when they begin hiring for a new role. JDs clearly have value. But if you have been in the industry for a while, you know that most JDs are in practice useless for you & the interview panel to figure out what skills & traits truly matter for this *particular role* and how you should make trade-offs as you evaluate multiple plausible candidates for the role. How can you do this better? How can you get more rigorous in your hiring process? My answer: Before you create the JD, create your MSN list for the role. M = Must have S = Should have N = Nice to have The MSN list is a simple & powerful format for hiring managers to create clarity on what they are looking for when hiring for a given role. It cuts through the noise of typical JDs & forces you to focus on what really matters for *this* role. Here’s the format of the MSN list: Must have: • ... ... • ... ... • ... ... Should have: • ... ... • ... ... • ... ... Nice to have: • ... ... • ... ... • ... ... (told ya, simple!) The rules are also simple: 1) Max 3 bullets each for M/S/N 2) Each bullet must be an atomic attribute 3) You can evaluate each bullet in the hiring process (resume, interviews, reference checks) Here’s a real example for a specific senior PM role. Must have: • Strong product sense • Highly influential communication • Can work well with a highly empowered eng team Should have: • Domain experience with mobile apps • Able to create new xfn processes • Founded/started things Nice to have: • Worked on a top 50 app • PM management skills • Strong analytical sense Note: You should list attributes that are specific to *this particular role*. There are a number of table stakes you’d look for in *any* role. Those can usually be skipped here. For example: since you look for High Agency & Integrity in every single hire, you need not list such attributes in the MSN list. Tips on using MSN lists: - First create the MSN—then write the external JD - If this is for a critical role on your team / in the org, get feedback on the MSN list from your manager and make adjustments -Discuss & share the MSN list with your recruiting partner (in my experience, recruiters absolutely love this type of clarity on what you are looking for) - When you create the interview panel, assign up to 2 specific M's / S's / N's for each interviewer and let them know so they have clarity on what they will be evaluating For example: “Bob, you will be evaluating M:Product Sense and S:Mobile App Experience” “Alice, you will be evaluating M:Influential communication and S:XFN abilities” - Remind the interview panel about the attributes in the MSN list at every Candidate Review Meeting for this role so you can have a more rigorous conversation about whether or not the candidate meets the bar I’ve used MSN lists for many PM roles & they’ve helped create greater clarity & objectivity at multiple stages: candidate sourcing, early evaluation, candidate review & decision. As you create your MSN list, remember that each of the items you list under M / S / N must be specific, such that you can evaluate it with high confidence in your interview process, reference checks, or via a strong understanding of the candidate's background (i.e. not just their resume/LinkedIn profile). So if typical JDs aren’t creating the clarity you need, give the MSN list a try. Simple and super-powerful.

A common trait I’ve observed in people who consistently create successful products is that they are terrible at making excuses.

In fundraising, appeals to feeling tend to work better than appeals to logic. The heart is closer to the wallet than the brain.