In determining to whom to grant an interview during a hiring process, we’ve got it all wrong. And while it would be easy to turn our wrath toward the flaws of using the curriculum vitae, cover letter, and reference letters to assess talent — of which there are many — we should instead flip the metric. It’s not about the information contained in the aforementioned, but rather the interpretation of this information. Drawing conclusions about a person’s competence and contributions based solely on a list of workplaces, experiences, and guarded opinions from referees, lead to a gross waste of talent, especially from underrepresented demographics. We can do better than rely on these weak predictors of success.
The path forward is clear to us. Start by keeping the standards you set for your talent acquisition high — even impossibly high — and then change how you interpret a candidate’s information. This requires turning information into data. Specifically, data that speaks to talent: one’s individual talents and demonstrated impact. This is where TruFit Talent comes in.
Organizations hire TruFit to assess prospective, new, or existing talent — professionals who are not only capable of performing in the role, but who can make a significant impact on the organization. By ensuring an organization’s high standards are maintained, TruFit provides the data that gives organizations the confidence to act, whether it confirms what was suspected in a traditional set of materials, or whether inviting to the table untapped talent who normally wouldn’t get the chance to compete.
Reliance on weak predictors of competence and contributions lead to a gross waste of talent. This logic applies not only to recruitment and hiring, but to admissions processes (who will succeed at the organization), team development (growing a diverse team for strategic impact), and teachers and students (providing unique feedback for growth). TruFit can catalyze the efforts of your organization in these arenas as well.