The most important and one of the most profound things I’ve learned is how around only ⅓ of how an applicant is evaluated can be reasonably attributed to qualifications. This chunk encompasses unique capabilities, experience, communication skills, and other aspects of an applicant that makes them qualified for a position. To me, this should be much larger because these are the objective indicators on whether or not they should be hired. A person’s skills and abilities are important in determining their level of performance and A-players, as the reading calls them, will show their worth and their capabilities.
However, what remains in the pie is mostly chance or random error. This is the mostly subjective part. While this is important because yeah, an applicant should fit with the company and get along with the recruiter/interviewer, it dominates the objective qualifications. I agree that applicants should have alignment in values or see things in a similar manner. The issue here is that the system breaks down because of personal biases. People naturally like to be around others that are similar to them. Maybe someone gets hired because they’re more charming, good looking, funnier, or even a fan of the same sports team, rather than their actual ability to get the job done.
I picked this particular topic because while presentation is important and getting along with the interviewer is crucial, it is too much of a factor in comparison to qualifications. Flipping that around to be more positive, it is key to nail that first impression, that handshake and eye contact, so that interviewers like you not for what you’ve done and can do, but rather because of you. This is a crucial consideration during the hiring process. It’s why diversity should be valued even more; more viewpoints can mean more objectivity. Sometimes you can get away with being under qualified because it is more important to sell you and your personal brand than your job-related abilities. I want to make sure that I am a great candidate truly because of why I am applying, but I will also know that being myself and being appreciated for who I am is more important, and in this case, more impactful.
2 replies on “Most Important Thing I’ve Learned”
Hi Donovan!
Great post! It was pretty interesting to see what individuals are evaluated in when upon hiring. A 1/3 of the is based on the qualifications and the rest take more into random error. It was very interesting to see that it does affect your chances of getting hire if the person you are being interviewed is set that day. Their mood can take a big play and if the person doesn’t find anything in common with the applicant. Overall, I like how you found this topic important and see how it can affect individuals during a hiring process.
Donovan,
Great post! You are so right, there should be much more that goes into looking at a applicants qualifications for a job, not just 1/3, and not a lot of the other stuff that people consider or random error, etc. If a company wants to find their A-PLayers, they need to invest in taking the time to see and evaluate qualifications of candidates and putting those first when deciding. Qualifications are key in showing what a candidate is capable of doing for a company, and what they can grow to accomplish. Personal biases can definitely be a killer for candidates in interviews, where real qualifications are looked over for unfair reasons, and this is sad. When working in HR for my career, I plan to make sure I don’t fall into such bias traps and give people that deserve a chance to grow with any company I work for.