How we can use the hiring process to bring out the best in people
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0:00 - 0:02A traditional job interview
-
0:02 - 0:06is basically a one-sided,
high pressure interrogation, -
0:06 - 0:08almost guaranteed to create
-
0:08 - 0:10significant psychological strain.
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0:10 - 0:13Ironically, such stressful procedures
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0:13 - 0:16can totally obscure
a person's true potential -
0:16 - 0:18causing us to overlook a lot of people
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0:18 - 0:20who could be great employees.
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0:20 - 0:23We need a different way
to interview and screen candidates. -
0:23 - 0:26One that will reveal
hidden potential and talent. -
0:26 - 0:28[The Way We Work]
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0:29 - 0:31[Made possible with
the support of Dropbox] -
0:31 - 0:33Twelve years ago, I founded CY,
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0:33 - 0:34an outsource call center
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0:34 - 0:37staffed and managed entirely by underdogs.
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0:37 - 0:40More than half
of our hundreds of employees -
0:40 - 0:42are severely disabled.
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0:42 - 0:45Others come from other
disadvantaged populations -
0:45 - 0:46or just suffer from anxiety,
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0:46 - 0:48low self-esteem and lack of confidence.
-
0:48 - 0:51The problem I needed to solve
when we started out was -
0:51 - 0:54that traditional
interviewing and screening, -
0:54 - 0:56especially for entry-level positions,
-
0:56 - 0:58are totally biased towards people
-
0:58 - 1:01who function well under intense stress.
-
1:01 - 1:05Now, if you're screening
for Navy SEALS, I totally get it, -
1:05 - 1:08but the capacity to function under duress
-
1:08 - 1:13is totally irrelevant
if the actual job is stocking shelves -
1:13 - 1:17or folding T-shirts,
unless of course it's Black Friday. -
1:17 - 1:19Clara is a classic example.
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1:19 - 1:20We met in CY's early days
-
1:20 - 1:23while she was waiting
for her job interview. -
1:23 - 1:26Clara was 25 years old,
had cerebral palsy -
1:26 - 1:27and used a walker.
-
1:27 - 1:29She seemed quite nervous,
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1:29 - 1:32but she was likable,
intelligent and talkative. -
1:32 - 1:35And yet just a short while later,
-
1:35 - 1:37her interviewer told me
that she had totally failed, -
1:37 - 1:40that she couldn't string
two words together. -
1:40 - 1:42The screening philosophy
-
1:42 - 1:47of "let's pick our employees
by viewing them at their worst," -
1:47 - 1:49not only overlooks disabled people
-
1:49 - 1:53but anyone whose shine
is diminished under harsh pressure. -
1:53 - 1:55We developed the reverse screening process
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1:55 - 1:57to find potential.
-
1:57 - 1:58And as the name implies,
-
1:58 - 2:01we go about things
practically the opposite way -
2:01 - 2:03traditional approaches do.
-
2:03 - 2:07In a nutshell, if you want to assess
a candidate's true potential, -
2:07 - 2:11see how they function
at their best, not their worst, -
2:11 - 2:14which for most of us
is when we're calm and relaxed, -
2:14 - 2:15not stressed and anxious.
-
2:15 - 2:19So build screening procedures
specifically tailored -
2:19 - 2:20to help candidates feel
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2:20 - 2:23as emotionally comfortable as possible.
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2:23 - 2:25Three examples how you can achieve that.
-
2:25 - 2:28Lower anxiety and insecurity.
-
2:28 - 2:31Start out by losing
the whole interrogation vibe. -
2:31 - 2:34Rather, interviewers should
view themselves as hosts, -
2:35 - 2:37be friendly and welcoming.
-
2:37 - 2:39Choose an environment that's conducive
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2:39 - 2:41to putting a candidate at ease,
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2:41 - 2:44like making your interview room
look like a living room. -
2:44 - 2:46People are most confident
discussing things -
2:46 - 2:49about which they are
knowledgeable and passionate. -
2:49 - 2:52So we ask candidates
to fill out a short questionnaire -
2:52 - 2:53about their hobbies,
-
2:53 - 2:55and we start out the interview
by discussing those -
2:55 - 2:58so that candidates could bring forth
their verbal skills, -
2:58 - 3:00strengths and personality.
-
3:00 - 3:03Assess skills in everyday life situations
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3:03 - 3:05with which the candidates are familiar.
-
3:05 - 3:09For instance, sales positions
require the ability to use persuasion. -
3:09 - 3:11So ask the candidate to role play
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3:11 - 3:13how they would persuade a neighbor
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3:13 - 3:15to pay an extra maintenance fee
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3:15 - 3:17for the renovations of their lobby.
-
3:17 - 3:20Looking for tough,
full-throttle negotiations? -
3:20 - 3:22Ask the candidate to describe
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3:22 - 3:24how they would persuade a teenager
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3:24 - 3:27to not look at their phone
during a family dinner. -
3:28 - 3:30Help them move beyond the stuck points
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3:30 - 3:33to see how they adapt and learn.
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3:33 - 3:35In the reverse screening process,
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3:35 - 3:37we offer candidates three lifelines.
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3:37 - 3:39We call it "Who Wants to Be an Employee?"
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3:39 - 3:41If the candidate asks for a hint,
-
3:41 - 3:44the interviewer will model
a few correct arguments -
3:44 - 3:47and ask the candidate
to role play the scenario -
3:47 - 3:51to see how convincingly
they absorb and convey those points. -
3:52 - 3:55Finding people's true potential
makes for happier, -
3:55 - 4:00more diverse, and more successful
companies and employees. -
4:00 - 4:02Remember Clara? We hired her.
-
4:02 - 4:04She gradually improved
-
4:04 - 4:06until she hit her targets
of calls per hour, -
4:06 - 4:09and then she kept on getting better.
-
4:09 - 4:11And nowadays Clara gives talks
-
4:11 - 4:15about how many years ago
no one, including herself, -
4:15 - 4:17believed she had any potential at all.
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4:17 - 4:20A job is so much more than a paycheck,
-
4:20 - 4:23especially for marginalized populations.
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4:23 - 4:27By finding and hiring
those you might otherwise overlook, -
4:27 - 4:29you will not only
benefit your own company, -
4:29 - 4:32you will literally
transform people's lives. -
4:32 - 4:36The opportunity to win
with underdogs is all around you. -
4:36 - 4:38Make sure to grab it.
- Title:
- How we can use the hiring process to bring out the best in people
- Speaker:
- Gil Winch
- Description:
-
Traditional job interviews are stressful interrogations that can often exclude marginalized populations. Here's how psychologist and entrepreneur Gil Winch says we can rethink hiring, training and onboarding to allow people to show their true potential.
- Video Language:
- English
- Team:
- closed TED
- Project:
- TEDTalks
- Duration:
- 04:37
Erin Gregory approved English subtitles for How we can use the hiring process to bring out the best in people | ||
Erin Gregory edited English subtitles for How we can use the hiring process to bring out the best in people | ||
Ivana Korom accepted English subtitles for How we can use the hiring process to bring out the best in people | ||
Ivana Korom edited English subtitles for How we can use the hiring process to bring out the best in people | ||
Ivana Korom edited English subtitles for How we can use the hiring process to bring out the best in people | ||
Erin Gregory edited English subtitles for How we can use the hiring process to bring out the best in people |