The Stranger Test for Your Work

If you can't explain your work simply, you might not understand it.

We had a VP of Operations search in a great spot. Then the client added a new person to the hiring panel, and we were back to square one.

My first reaction was frustration. New voice, new opinions, more explaining, more re-alignment. We’d have to walk this person through everything we’d already covered with the rest of the panel.

Then I realized something: this wasn’t a setback. It was a gift.

A Fresh Set of Eyes Forces You to Get Sharper

Re-explaining a search from scratch is annoying. But it also makes you defend your thinking out loud, to someone who wasn’t in the room for any of the earlier conversations.

That’s exactly what happened here. Instead of scheduling another alignment call, we built one scorecard: every candidate, their status, and clear notes on where things stood. That single document did the work a meeting would have. It forced us to get specific on the criteria, and any confusion on the panel surfaced right there on the page instead of in a room later.

The search didn’t slow down. It got more attention than it had in weeks.

If You Can’t Explain It Simply, You Might Not Understand It

Here’s the bigger lesson underneath all of this.

Sometimes you’re working hard on something, but if you can’t explain it in a simple email or a quick status update, you probably don’t understand it as well as you think you do.

Your work should be so buttoned up that you could explain it to a stranger walking by.

That’s the bar. Not “I know what I’m doing.” Can you say it out loud, in plain language, and have it make sense to someone with zero context?

Solving Problems Is the Job. Explaining Them Is Half of It.

Work hard on your problems. A problem isn’t an obstacle — it’s an opportunity to show your work.

You weren’t hired to avoid problems. You were hired to solve them. And the people who get really good at their jobs aren’t just good at solving problems, they’re good at explaining the solution to someone else.

That’s what companies pay Ramp Talent for. Not because they can’t hire on their own. They hire us because they want a professional handling something that matters, and professionals show their work.

Same Rule Applies on Both Sides of the Table

If you’re a hiring manager, get really good at hiring the best people.

If you’re a candidate, get really good at interviewing and picking the right company.

Simple. Not easy.