Deep Dive: Hiring for the Long Game

Mark Putnam

So Liv, let’s just say it out loud—hiring in higher ed IT is one of those headaches that never really goes away. You hear the same refrains at every CIO roundtable: “We can’t compete with salaries in tech,” or “The talent just isn’t out there anymore.” But I want to challenge that. Is the real problem a lack of good candidates… or is it the way we keep doing the same broken thing over and over?

Olivia Carter

Honestly, I think you’re right—it’s not just the talent pool, it’s our own approach. I sat on a university search committee a few months ago. We had about 60 résumés for one mid-level position. On paper, plenty of people looked “qualified.” But once we actually dug into who they were, what they brought, none of them fit what the team actually needed. It was eye-opening. And the default reaction from the committee? “Well, maybe we can poach someone from another campus” or “Let’s see if someone from industry wants to jump.” It’s this reflex. But it’s broken.

Mark Putnam

Exactly. We chase this idea that the perfect mid-career candidate exists out there somewhere, already trained, already seasoned, just waiting for us, for our salary range. But the reality is, the more we chase that illusion, the worse the churn gets. We hire people who don’t stick, who cost too much, or who never truly align with the mission. And then we recycle the same names, the same stories, and wonder why nothing changes.

Olivia Carter

And the ripple effect inside the organization is brutal. People see it. They notice when the only way to move up is to leave and come back with a different title. That undermines loyalty. It tells staff, “We don’t actually invest in our own.” Why would anyone commit to the mission or the culture if advancement never seems real?

Mark Putnam

Right, it’s not just a hiring failure—it’s a leadership failure. If people don’t see growth paths around them, they treat the job like a stepping stone, not a career. And then managers complain about turnover, as if it’s some mysterious market force, when it’s really the culture they created.

Olivia Carter

Yeah, that’s what frustrates me most. It’s not that people are unwilling to grow, or that the institution can’t attract good entry-level talent. It’s that we’re so addicted to the idea of buying experience off the shelf that we forget we can build it ourselves. And when you forget that, you stop building pipelines, you stop developing people, and you end up demoralizing the very staff who might have been your best leaders in the long run.

Mark Putnam

Yeah, and the harsh reality—one that nobody really wants to say out loud—is that salaries in higher ed just won’t match industry. Period. The budgets don’t work that way. So if you think you’re going to outbid Silicon Valley or even the local healthcare system for top technical talent, you’re playing a game you’ll lose every single time.

Olivia Carter

And even if, somehow, you do land one of those folks—those “hired guns” from the outside—they’re not here to stay. They’ll jump the moment another company dangles a slightly bigger paycheck, sometimes for as little as ten or fifteen thousand more. It’s incredibly predictable. You think you’ve solved a problem by overpaying for experience, but what you’ve really done is rent a résumé for a year or two.

Mark Putnam

Right, and it gets worse because of how fast the technology itself shifts. With cloud platforms, the technical landscape resets every two or three years. You might think you’re buying expertise, but by the time you finally hire that person, onboard them, and let them get comfortable, the skill set you were so desperate for is already outdated. It’s like chasing the horizon—you never actually catch it.

Olivia Carter

And in the meantime, those high-priced hires do real damage inside the team. Salary compression sets in—suddenly, the new person is making twenty percent more than the people who have been loyal for years, carrying the load, and holding the institutional memory. That’s toxic for morale. It tells your best people that loyalty is a sucker’s bet, and it creates resentment that lingers even after the new hire moves on.

Mark Putnam

Exactly. Plug-and-play hiring feels like the quick fix—find someone who can supposedly solve the problem on day one—but what it actually creates is instability. You get churn, you lose trust, and you never build the long-term depth your team needs. And the deeper mistake is forgetting what really keeps people in higher ed. It isn’t the paycheck. It’s the culture. It’s knowing the institution, understanding its quirks, having mentors, and believing your work contributes to something bigger.

Olivia Carter

Exactly. If you want loyal, mission-driven teams, you don’t buy them ready-made off LinkedIn. That’s not how universities work, and it’s not how community works. Loyalty and commitment are built, not bought—and the sooner leaders realize that, the stronger their teams will become.

Olivia Carter

So let’s talk about what actually works—building a pipeline, creating real promotion paths. I remember you once told me, Mark: if you can’t name two people who could step up for every senior job you manage, then you’ve failed at your real job as a leader. That line stuck with me. It reframed the whole idea of leadership. Because the real measure isn’t whether you can manage the work today—it’s whether you’ve prepared others to lead tomorrow.

Mark Putnam

Yeah, and I’ll stand by that every time. Institutional memory, continuity, trust—those things don’t appear by chance. They come from preparing people inside your team for what’s next. And that doesn’t happen accidentally. It takes deliberate investment. You have to treat every mid- or senior-level vacancy as an opportunity to grow someone from within, not just an excuse to shop résumés.

Olivia Carter

I saw that in action recently. There was this staff member—technical, steady, smart, but never in the spotlight. When a manager left suddenly, she was asked to step in as the interim. And honestly, nobody was sure what would happen. But within weeks, she just… owned it. She grew in ways no one expected. Leadership instincts came out, she set direction, and the team rallied behind her. It turned out she’d been ready all along, but no one had given her the shot.

Mark Putnam

That’s exactly the model. You appoint an interim, give them real responsibility, and see how they handle it. It’s not favoritism, and it’s not guesswork—it’s succession planning. You’re testing for capacity in a way no interview or résumé can ever capture. And you don’t just hand them the job and walk away; you provide guidance, guardrails, and feedback so they’re supported as they stretch into the role. Organizations that grow their own talent end up with deeper benches, higher morale, and stronger teams that last. Because when people see that advancement is possible, they invest themselves more fully in the mission. When they don’t, they just clock in and clock out. Building the pipeline isn’t optional—it’s the essence of leadership.

Olivia Carter

Alright, for folks wondering, “what does good hiring actually look like?”

Mark Putnam

I keep coming back to five rules. Rule one: Always promote from within. Every time there’s a vacancy, it’s a chance for someone already in your organization to grow. That’s how you create loyalty and build teams that stick together.

Olivia Carter

Rule two: Only hire entry-level, and hire for competencies—not a laundry list of skills. Skills get outdated. Competencies last. You can train almost anyone on new tech, but you can’t teach them to be curious, reliable, or a team player if the wiring’s just not there.

Mark Putnam

Rule three: Interview wide, hire fast when you find the right fit. I’ve seen too many committees drag the process out, chasing “consensus” or paperwork. You’ll lose the best folks, and you’ll send the message that you don’t know how to spot talent when it’s right in front of you.

Olivia Carter

Rule four’s a big one for me—train for skills, not for character. Grow people by challenging them, don’t just hand them a manual or stick them in a webinar. Stretch assignments, when they’re supported, are the real classroom.

Mark Putnam

And rule five: Act quickly if it’s not working. Use the probation period with intent—when there’s no fit, move on with dignity, don’t wait and hope. That clarity is as fair to your existing team as it is to new hires.

Olivia Carter

Okay, so—let’s zoom in on those competencies. Forget certs, forget the alphabet soup after someone’s name. The five things that matter: communication, accountability, willingness to learn, team orientation, and humility. That’s it. Those are the difference-makers in higher ed IT right now.

Mark Putnam

Let’s go through them. Communication—can they explain something complex in plain language? Ask: “Tell me about a time you had to break down a technical problem for a non-technical person.” Or, “What’s the clearest written thing you’ve created, and how’d you make sure it was understood?” If someone drifts, meanders, or can’t connect, it’s a red flag.

Olivia Carter

Accountability—watch for people who own outcomes instead of making excuses. Ask, “Describe a time something went wrong, and how you handled it.” Or, “Have you ever missed a deadline? What happened next?” The best hires tell you up front what they learned, not just how they succeeded.

Mark Putnam

Willingness to learn—this is about curiosity, honestly. Tech changes fast. Ask: “What’s something new you’ve picked up recently, just because you wanted to?” Or, “Describe a time you had to learn quickly, with no training.” Look for people who teach themselves hard things or stick with learning when it’s not easy.

Olivia Carter

Team orientation. Lone wolves usually flame out. Ask, “What role do you usually fill when your team’s under pressure?” or, “Tell me about a time you worked with someone you didn’t get along with—what did you do?” People who value good teamwork always have stories about support and compromise.

Mark Putnam

And finally, humility. Can they admit mistakes, credit others, and change their minds when they learn? Try: “Tell me about a mistake and what you learned,” or “What’s something you’ve changed your mind about recently?” In higher ed IT, no one person has all the answers—humility isn’t optional. No stack of certifications can make up for a lack of curiosity or humility. If you don’t see those, keep looking.

Olivia Carter

Mark, let’s get into training. What do you see as the biggest problem with how IT staff development is usually handled in higher ed?

Mark Putnam

The core issue is that technical skills fade, but character and competencies endure. Too often, leaders forget that. They chase certifications or stack up one-off workshops, thinking that’s building capacity. It isn’t. The strongest teams I’ve seen make a real, measurable investment—at minimum, about four percent of their budgets go into staff development. But here’s the truth: the best growth doesn’t come from webinars or endless classes. It happens in the work itself, in stretch assignments that push someone just beyond where they’re comfortable.

Olivia Carter

Totally agree. And honestly, I think a lot of managers think they’re being kind when they protect staff from “scary” projects. They’ll say, “Oh, she’s not ready for that yet,” or, “He’d be overwhelmed if we gave him that responsibility.” But what they’re really doing is stunting that person’s growth. People don’t become leaders by watching slides about cloud migration—they grow when they’re thrown into the middle of it and have to figure things out with support around them. Those are the moments that accelerate development ten times faster than sitting through “Intro to Cloud 101.”

Mark Putnam

Exactly. Growth comes from tension, from being asked to do something you’re not sure you can do, and then realizing you actually can. That’s where confidence is built. And the manager’s job isn’t to shield people from that tension; it’s to act as the guardrails. You give support, you keep an eye out for mistakes before they spiral, you provide feedback in real time. But you don’t rob people of the chance to stretch. Because here’s the thing: you can’t teach humility, accountability, or communication in a classroom. Those are either present or not. But you can absolutely forge technical skill, judgment, and confidence in the crucible of real work. And if you’re not giving your staff those chances, you’re not training them—you’re holding them back.

Olivia Carter

One last thing—sometimes it just doesn’t work. Like, someone looks great on paper, even in interviews, and then after a few months it’s clear: not a fit. There’s no shame in that, but you have to act before the damage spreads to the team, right?

Mark Putnam

Exactly. That’s why the probationary period exists—so you can move on fast, but also treat people with respect and dignity when you do. The real work for managers isn’t just finding talent, it’s cultivating the right culture, setting the tone for accountability, and constantly preparing the ground for the next succession. That’s your legacy, not just the processes you follow.

Olivia Carter

I’ll say it again: If you can’t name two people ready for your next open role, your most important hiring work is just beginning. That’s the challenge—and the opportunity—of leading in higher ed IT. Build the pipeline, don’t just rent the talent. Mark, always grateful to pick your brain. And thanks to everyone listening for sticking with us on this one!

Mark Putnam

Thank you, Liv. These are hard topics, but they matter. Let’s keep pushing for institutions that invest in people, not just technology. We’ll be back next time with more—from all of us here, thanks for joining, and goodbye!

Olivia Carter

Take care, Mark! And bye everyone, see you next episode.