Date
Dec 28, 2024
Category
Hiring
Reading Time
5 Min
Why My Team Chooses Their Own Interns and Colleagues
As Creative Services Manager, I've discovered something powerful about building high-performing design teams: the best hiring decisions happen when experienced designers have real input on who joins their ranks and who they'll invest their time mentoring.
From Assignment to Choice
Early in my leadership journey, I made all hiring decisions and assigned mentoring relationships. But as my team tackled increasingly complex government projects—from AI-powered exhibitions to multicultural health research—I realized my designers understood what they needed in both colleagues and mentees better than I could predict.
So I shifted from making assignments to facilitating choices, and the transformation in team dynamics has been remarkable.
Full-Timers Choose Their Mentees
When hiring interns, I let my experienced designers choose who they want to mentor. This isn't just about preference—it's about creating genuine investment in someone's growth and success.
Think about it: when you're assigned a mentee, you'll do your professional duty. But when you choose someone whose potential excites you, whose learning style matches your teaching approach, whose curiosity aligns with your expertise—that's when real mentorship magic happens.
My designers ask different questions during intern interviews than I would: "How do you handle being completely lost in your first week?" "What kind of feedback helps you learn fastest?" "How comfortable are you with constant iteration and critique?" They're evaluating not just skills, but learning compatibility.
The accountability aspect is crucial. When designers choose their mentees, they become invested in that person's success. Poor performance reflects on their judgment, so they take the selection seriously. Great performance becomes a shared victory.
Team Evaluation for Full-Time Hires
For permanent positions, the entire team—including interns—participates in open evaluation after my initial vibe check. I encourage honest critique about whether candidates can handle our unique challenges: government stakeholder management, multicultural user research, overnight design pivots based on user feedback.
My team knows what it takes to thrive in our environment because they live it daily. They ask the questions that reveal true fit: How do you defend design decisions to skeptical stakeholders? What's your experience with culturally sensitive research? How do you stay resilient when projects completely change direction?
I share everything about our work reality except salary details. This transparency helps candidates understand exactly what they're signing up for while ensuring my team feels genuinely invested in the hiring decision.
Building Ownership Through Choice
This approach has created something powerful: a culture where everyone takes ownership of team success. Experienced designers feel invested in their mentees' growth because they chose them. New hires feel welcomed because they've been evaluated and accepted by the people they'll work alongside daily.
Most importantly, it's transformed mentorship from obligation to opportunity. When designers choose their mentees, they become advocates, coaches, and champions rather than just supervisors checking boxes.
The Results: Accountability and Excellence
The outcomes speak for themselves. Mentoring relationships are stronger because they're based on mutual choice and genuine interest. Team cohesion improves because everyone participates in shaping our culture. Standards remain high because people are accountable for their choices.
When a designer's chosen mentee struggles, they work harder to help them succeed—because it reflects on their judgment. When someone excels, the mentor shares in that achievement. This creates a positive cycle of investment and growth.
Trust Creates Investment
Some leaders fear giving teams this much input in hiring and mentoring decisions. But I've found the opposite: when you trust experienced people to make choices about their work relationships, they rise to the occasion. They become more thoughtful evaluators, more invested mentors, and stronger team advocates.
This reflects my broader leadership philosophy: work alongside your team, not above them. The same collaborative approach that drives our project breakthroughs also drives our team building success.
For Teams and Leaders
If you're a designer participating in hiring decisions, remember: you're choosing someone who'll share your daily challenges or whose growth you'll be responsible for. Ask questions that matter for your real work environment and mentoring style. If you're a leader considering this approach, start with trust. Your experienced team members know what they need in both colleagues and mentees. Give them the power to choose these relationships, and watch how it transforms accountability, mentorship, and team culture. The best teams choose each other. My job is facilitating those choices and trusting the investment that follows.
