Andrea Hoffer, MS, MBA recently shared something that caught my attention: "You can define your next dream hire in 10 minutes. No, seriously." She went on to point out a painful truth most leaders recognize immediately: hiring managers can spend hours on job ads, resume review, and interviews and still end up with someone who is not the right fit.

As Andrea Hoffer, MS, MBA explained, the reason is not usually a lack of effort. It is that we skip the most critical step: define. We default to skills and experience, and we fail to clarify the attitudes, behaviors, and outcomes that actually drive success in the role.

That single idea is worth expanding because it fixes multiple downstream problems at once: vague job ads, inconsistent interviews, biased decisions, slow hiring cycles, and new hires who "look good" on paper but struggle in reality.

"Stop wasting time on the wrong candidates. Start defining what you really need." - Andrea Hoffer, MS, MBA

The hidden cost of skipping the define step

If you have ever hired someone who interviewed well but underdelivered later, you have already paid the tax for not defining the role clearly enough.

Here is what typically happens when the define step is missing:

The job ad becomes a list of tasks plus an unrealistic wish list.
Recruiters screen for keywords instead of success signals.
Interviews drift into "tell me about yourself" conversations.
Different interviewers look for different things, so the decision is inconsistent.
Onboarding becomes a guessing game because outcomes were never clarified.

Andrea Hoffer, MS, MBA is right to call definition the foundation. The earlier you clarify what success looks like, the less time you waste later trying to interpret resumes or debate gut feelings.

The 10-minute exercise: define before you write

Andrea Hoffer, MS, MBA teased a simple exercise that starts her DREAM Hire Framework. Even without reading the full Substack article, the structure she outlined is clear: identify the question that drives clarity, the competencies that drive performance, the attitudes that separate good from great, and the deal-breaker you will not compromise on.

Below is a practical, blog-ready version you can run in 10 minutes with a timer. If you can spare 10 minutes, you can save 10 hours later.

Minute 0-2: Ask the #1 question before writing the job ad

Andrea Hoffer, MS, MBA mentioned "The #1 question to ask before you write a single word of a job ad." In practice, the best version of this question is outcome-based:

What must this person achieve in the first 90 days for you to call this hire a success?

Why 90 days? Because it forces specificity. "Support the team" is not measurable. "Reduce time-to-fill by 20%" or "Run 12 manager training sessions with 90% completion" is.

Try writing 3-5 outcomes that are:

Observable (you can see it happen)
Measurable (a number, a deadline, a milestone)
Owned (this role is accountable, not "involved")

Example (multi-unit operations): "Within 60 days, implement a consistent interview scorecard across 25 locations and train all GMs to use it."

Minute 2-6: Identify the 3 core competencies that drive success

Andrea Hoffer, MS, MBA called out "the 3 core competencies that actually drive success." This is where many job descriptions go wrong because they list 12 skills and none of them are prioritized.

Pick three competencies that directly create your outcomes. A simple test: if a candidate is strong in these three, do they have a high chance of succeeding even if they are average elsewhere?

Common competency examples (choose your three):

Structured problem solving (turns chaos into a plan)
Stakeholder management (influences managers, franchisees, or cross-functional partners)
Coaching and training (multiplies performance through others)
Execution and follow-through (ships work on time)
Data-driven decision making (uses metrics, not vibes)

Then define what "good" looks like for each competency in your environment.

For example, "execution" in a corporate role might mean managing a project plan. In a multi-unit brand, it might mean rolling out a process across dozens of locations with uneven manager capability.

Minute 6-8: Name the 2 must-have attitudes

Andrea Hoffer, MS, MBA emphasized that managers miss "the 2 must-have attitudes that separate good candidates from great ones." Attitudes matter because they show up when things get hard, when no one is watching, and when the playbook does not fit.

Two high-leverage attitudes for many fast-growing teams are:

Ownership: "I am responsible for outcomes, not just effort."
Learning agility: "I adapt quickly, seek feedback, and change course without ego."

Your two may differ. In a high-volume hiring environment, you might prioritize urgency and resilience. In a regulated environment, you might prioritize precision and integrity.

The key is to describe the attitude behaviorally. Instead of "positive attitude," write "responds to a last-minute schedule change by proposing options and communicating proactively, rather than blaming others."

Minute 8-10: Decide the 1 deal-breaker you will not compromise on

Andrea Hoffer, MS, MBA also noted "the 1 deal-breaker that you should never compromise on." This is the part many teams avoid because it forces uncomfortable clarity.

A deal-breaker is not "missing a nice-to-have skill." It is a non-negotiable that protects your culture, your customers, or your operational reality.

Examples:

Integrity: history of blaming others or misrepresenting results
Reliability: pattern of job hopping without a clear narrative (role-dependent)
Coachability: defensiveness when given direct feedback
People leadership: cannot describe how they improved someone else’s performance

Choose one and write it as a red-flag behavior you will screen for.

Turning definition into a sharper job ad and interview

The reason this 10-minute define step is so powerful is that it immediately converts into hiring assets.

Build a one-page scorecard

Create a scorecard with four sections:

90-day outcomes (3-5)
3 competencies (with definitions)
2 attitudes (with behavioral examples)
1 deal-breaker (with red flags)

This becomes your alignment tool across the hiring manager, recruiter, and interview team.

Write a job ad that sells outcomes, not just tasks

Use your outcomes as the core of the posting:

"In your first 90 days, you will..."
"You will be successful if you can..."

Candidates self-select faster when they can see what winning looks like.

Interview for proof, not polish

For each competency and attitude, write 1-2 questions that force specific examples:

"Tell me about a time you rolled out a process across multiple locations. What broke, and what did you do next?"
"Describe feedback you received that you did not agree with at first. What changed after you reflected on it?"

Then score answers against your definitions. This reduces bias and makes debriefs faster.

Why this works especially well in high-volume and multi-unit hiring

Andrea Hoffer, MS, MBA works with multi-unit brands and hiring systems, and this approach fits that world because scale requires repeatability.

When you define the role clearly, you can:

Train multiple interviewers to evaluate the same signals
Automate parts of screening without losing quality
Improve consistency across locations
Reduce churn by hiring for real success drivers

In other words, definition is not "extra work." It is the work that makes every other step lighter.

A simple challenge: do this before your next open req

Before you open another requisition or ask someone to "refresh the job posting," set a timer for 10 minutes and complete the four-part definition:

90-day success outcomes
Three core competencies
Two must-have attitudes
One non-negotiable deal-breaker

You will feel the shift immediately. Screening gets easier. Interviews get tighter. Decisions get clearer.

This blog post expands on a viral LinkedIn post by Andrea Hoffer, MS, MBA, Franchise Talent Acquisition Consultant | Helping Multi-Unit Brands Scale with AI Hiring Systems & RPO Solutions | Recruitment Automation Architect | Creator of the DREAM Hire Framework™. View the original LinkedIn post →