In short
Split every requirement into two columns: what must be true on day one, and what can be learned after joining. Every item you move into the learnable column widens the pool; every item you keep on day one narrows it deliberately. A day-one list longer than about three items usually means the role has not been decided, or two roles have been merged into one.
Key facts
- The test for day one
- What goes wrong in month one without it
- The test for learnable
- Who would teach it, and roughly how long
- Common warning sign
- A day-one list of eight requirements
- Effect of the split
- It sets the size of the pool before any searching
Why the split is the whole decision
Requirements lists are usually written by adding: everyone contributes what they would like, and nobody removes anything. The result describes an ideal colleague rather than the role, and it quietly makes the pool very small.
Sorting the same list into day-one and learnable does not lose anything. It just forces a decision about which items you are prepared to pay for in search time, and which you are prepared to teach.
Running the split
List everything first
Do not filter while collecting. Take the requirements from everyone who will interview.
Put each item in one column
Day one, or learnable. No third column — 'ideally' is how a wish list rebuilds itself.
Justify each day-one item
Write what breaks in the first month without it. If nothing does, it is learnable.
Name a teacher for each learnable item
A person and a rough timeframe. An item nobody has capacity to teach is not learnable in practice.
Re-read the day-one list
If it has more than about three items, ask whether this is one role or two.
Which column does it usually belong in?
A starting point to argue with. Your constraints decide the answer, not this table.
| Requirement | Usually | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Depth in the core technical discipline | Day one | It is the reason for the hire |
| Your specific product domain | Learnable | Usually a quarter with a good teacher |
| Your exact framework or toolchain | Learnable | Transfers quickly for strong engineers |
| Working without process or scaffolding | Day one | Hard to teach while you are also shipping |
| Regulatory or safety practice | Depends | Sometimes genuinely non-negotiable |
| Sector experience | Depends | Ask what specifically transfers from it |
Illustrative guidance, not a rule. The point is to make the argument explicit.
What the split gives you
- A shorter, defensible requirements list the whole panel has agreed.
- A clear brief for anyone searching on your behalf.
- A fair basis for comparing candidates from different backgrounds.
- An onboarding plan, because the learnable column is the first ninety days.
- An early warning if the role is really two roles.
Common questions
- Is this just lowering the bar?
- No. The day-one bar gets higher and clearer because it is short and justified. What changes is that you stop screening on things a capable person would pick up anyway.
- What if a stakeholder insists everything is essential?
- Ask what breaks in month one without each item. The question is not rhetorical — some items survive it, and those are your real must-haves.
- Does this apply to senior hires?
- Yes, though the day-one column shifts towards judgement and ownership rather than specific tools. Seniority in a small team is mostly about decisions someone can make without you.
Turn this into a brief
Answer six short sections and you have a technical hiring brief you can share internally or send straight to us.
Open the hiring brief builderAny percentages or figures shown in this article are illustrative examples used to explain the model. They are not quoted rates, market benchmarks or salary data.