The dissertation examines elementary school principals' experiences of getting hired for their current position. The participating principals self-reported leadership skillsets. Next, they were asked to what degree they felt they possessed and were able to display the skillset. The results give readers, and future researchers, a glimpse of what skills were able to be displayed during the current hiring model, and what skills were not. The intent of the research is to examine the principal's perspective of the current hiring process, and to provide data which will add perspective, insight, and guidance to reform into the current model. Principals' perspectives of school districts' hiring processes have been absent in the existing research literature. The research focuses on current principals serving elementary schools throughout California. For the purposes of this dissertation, the term 'principal candidates' will be used to describe an individual applying for the position of principal within a school district. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]