Tom Scott, giving advice to startups about how to hire designers:
The worst thing for a designer is join a company under the premise they are going to invest in craft and never get serious about it. This results in the designer getting stuck in an average company, making it harder for them to move into a top-tier design-led company afterwards.
The TL;DR is if you’re serious about hiring great talent, put your money where your mouth is, create the right environment and get serious about design like you do with product, eng, marketing etc.
While the post is aimed at startup employers, it’s good for designers to understand the advice they’re being given.