Starting our second week of SEED applications, we now have 23 Established Staff applicants
and 12 Recent Hire applications. Applications are due 17 June. The announcement to Sun’s
managers of interns just went out this morning so we may get more Recent Hire applications
soon. I have gotten lots of email with questions. I try not to just send the traditional
RTFM response to the large number who ask questions already answered at length
by the FAQ or the application form. I also end up writing quite a few emails to those
who apply anyway even though they are not eligible. I try to make these as prompt and respectful
as possible – those folks may be potential applicants in future years. We usually have over
double the number of applicants than we can accept – that is, we don’t have to lower standards
to make a quota.
One of the challenges of running this program is managing the selection criteria. Since we
started in 2001, we have run two Sun Sigma (6 Sigma) projects associated with SEED, including
one mostly on selection criteria. We have the following caveat emptor in the Selection Criteria section of SEED’s “Participant Selection Process”-
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The goal is not perfection but improvement: the best we can do right now. We don’t know what the absolute success factors are because each person and their experience are different. The program staff regularly gather data on program participants to understand success factors better.
One area we have struggled with from the beginning is getting the right balance between the
criteria for the two SEED groups. All SEED participants have to meet the four basic
requirements:
- All Participants are in Engineering.
- Only regular Sun employees may participate.
- Superior performance ratings are preferred.
- Manager support is required.
In addition to these basics, the Established Staff group has both a minimum service
requirement (2 years) and a minimum seniority requirement (Principal grade level). The
Recent Hire group has a maximum service requirement (2 years) and no seniority requirement.
For the Recent Hires, we have an executive Selection Committee that reviews SEED application materials for the following. Applicants are not expected to excel in all areas or meet all criteria.
- Academic Performance
- Demonstrated Leadership
- Demonstrated Technical Excellence
- Enthusiasm shown in the Program Application
- Demonstrated Creative Ability (inc. Patents)
- Work History
- Ability to Communicate
- Publications
Once someone has been a regular employee long enough to have gotten an annual performance
review, selection is somewhat easier because their management has already given a formal
evaluation. We can use the manager’s rating as a baseline for discussion.
These selection criteria are based on an extensive demographic study we did in one of our Sigma
projects plus tweaking we have done over the years to try to get the best mix. We want
our criteria to be fair and reasonable and to identify a group of Engineering staff who will
grow and support SEED’s priorities:
- Value, satisfaction, and retention
- Build Sun’s Engineering community
- Work to balance the diversity of Participants (geographic, demographic, & professional)
I know we are doing something right because we usually get 90% or higher satisfaction
ratings on quarterly reports. I don’t know which is more inspiring – the passion of the
SEED participants to learn and improve or the passion of the SEED executive mentors to help
people behind them on the career path.
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