We get requests for all kinds of skills but a new one is emerging as the most requested. And it’s rarely in the job description.

It’s taste and discernment. The implication is somewhere near a Gen Z vibe check though people don't use those words exactly.

The noisier and more same it all gets (ads, AI, inbound, information, white wall coffee shops with neon signs taking over the globe...) the more roles seem to have specific ideas for fit around taste/sensibilities/discernment.

This is outside of particular skills or aesthetics. It's a style element that feels new and a little amorphous across all kinds of jobs. It is absolutely subjective. And it's also real.

A few years ago we used to call a version of this idea "modern". The question would be "do they have modern ideas about development, design, culture....?". Modern was code to imply up to date and even more so a natural curiosity for learning and embrace of change.

It's not an age thing. Or even a specific personality. It's this sense that someone has a refinement about the way they make decisions and a pulse on things in a way that used to be reserved more for pure high end design/product roles.

I see this as stemming from the attention economy we're in and don't see it slowing down anytime soon. With AI taking over more of the task-doing, a lot of what's left is about the direction-deciding. And success there is ultimately a reflection of discernment.