In the final chapter of Lou Adler’s 4th edition of Hire with Your Head, Lou writes: “The paradigm-shifting of not declaring hiring success until the first-year anniversary date rather than the start date is the game-changer…” In addition to this being an accurate use of the term paradigm shift, it is an appropriate description of the approach to hiring Adler has advocated for 25 years.I’ve known, been trained by, and worked with Lou Adler since the early days of the first edition. Twenty-two years ago, thinking one day about interviews I was about to conduct. I started considering the questions I was going to ask when two things happened. First, I realized it wasn’t the questions I was going to ask that were important, it would be the answers. Second, I saw an announcement for the cassette tape version of Hire with Your Head. It completely changed my approach to interviewing and led to training 1000’s of managers in hiring. It included working on some of the specific performance-based hiring projects described in the 4th edition. I’ve developed performance profiles, structured interview guides, and trained managers in law enforcement, entertainment, agriculture, sales, accounting, security, manufacturing, housing, and more. I introduced the value of Lou’s concepts from the candidate perspective to 100’s of college students.Hire with Your Head is the “bible” for improving recruiting and hiring. In that sense, some of the core concepts have remained, perhaps with some 2021 updates. These include performance profiles, key interview questions (and structured interview guides), “having vs. doing,” fact-finding, closing techniques, and rules like “wait 30 minutes” and “no 2’s.” Some of the details behind these core elements, like different approaches to creating a performance profile, are basically unchanged.Some other elements have undergone significant upgrading, like the Quality of Talent Hire Scorecard. Some other elements have been brought into much greater prominence since the first edition. One example of this is a major focus on bias and diversity issues – and the strong argument for how performance-based hiring directly addresses these concerns, both practically and legally. This is critical because just recently, I saw a post from a major HR source on the importance of “first impressions,” something that must be resisted according to Lou. The “30% Solution,” introduced in that format in the 3rd edition gets – because it’s deserved – greater emphasis.Because I did a lot of work with Lou – and with my clients – on writing creative ads (or online posts), I was just a bit disappointed that the attention to this was not eliminated but reduced. I found “outrageous ads” one of the factors that provoked new thinking among recruiters and hiring managers.There are many other points I could make about this latest edition of Hire with Your Head – all positive because the fundamentals of this “bible” on hiring remain more solid and perhaps more important than ever among the challenges of today’s workforce. But I’ll close this with something I think makes the presentation of the 4th edition better – and the best of the four. The book contains excellent, clear visuals of the many key points – every one a powerful addition that brings these points to life.Lou Adler’s Hire with Your Head is essential, must apply, guidance for every recruiter, HR professional, and hiring manager!