The hiring process is the intermediary step between teachers' pre-service education and their ongoing professional development journey. It's a critical juncture, and it's important that employers get it right. Within the education sector, the cost of a poor hire can be very high; an underperforming teacher may hinder student learning and undermine student confidence--with associated costs that are not easily measured. As a first step, districts need to define the skills, knowledge, and competencies teachers must possess if they are to successfully create new learning environments. Allowing these criteria to drive the process maximizes the likelihood that they will select the best candidates. Once school districts have identified the selection criteria they will use to evaluate candidates, they need to ensure that all stages of the hiring process--including recruitment and decision-making--are focused on attracting and selecting candidates who will meet those criteria. (Contains 3 endnotes.)