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Transcript

How to Hire the Right People—Backed by Behavioral Data · The Science of Leading

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  Hey everyone, welcome back to The Science of Leading.
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  I'm Claire Monroe-and yep, I've got the one and only Edwin Carrington
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  here with me again.
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  Edwin, how's it going?
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  Doing well,
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  Claire.
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  Always happy to be here-especially when the topic is something as foundational
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  as hiring.
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  I mean... it's the engine behind everything,
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  right?
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  Whether people realize it or not.
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  Totally.
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  And today, we're getting into why hiring is kinda broken.
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  Like-no joke-I remember when I first started job hunting?
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  I'd scroll through these ads and it was just...
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  a mess of buzzwords.
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  "Self-starter," "team player," "fast-paced environment"-I had no idea
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  what any of it meant.
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  It was like...
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  okay, but what do you actually want me to do?
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  Ha,
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  you're definitely not alone.
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  A lot of job descriptions are just...
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  uninspired.
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  They're written to screen people out-not bring the right ones in.
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  And
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  that's a problem.
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  If your ad sounds like every other ad,
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  you'll attract the same type of candidate as everyone else.
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  But the best people?
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  They're looking for something with clarity-something that actually shows
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  them what success looks like in your company.
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  Okay,
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  so what does that look like?
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  Like, how do you actually write a job description that doesn't make people's
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  eyes glaze over?
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  It starts with being specific.
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  Skip the vague requirements-focus on actual outcomes.
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  So instead of saying,
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  "must have three years of project management experience," you say something
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  like, "you'll lead the rollout of our new onboarding system across three
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  departments in your first 90 days."That tells a high performer exactly
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  what they'll be doing-and why it matters.
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  Oh,
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  that's way more motivating.
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  And honestly-I love the idea of testing it with your own team.
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  Like, "Would you have applied if you saw this?" That's such a reality
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  check.
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  I feel like so many companies just...
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  skip that part?
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  Exactly.
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  And language matters too.
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  If your team is high-energy, say that.
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  If you're collaborative, don't be shy about it.
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  The goal isn't to appeal to everyone-it's to attract the kind of person
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  who'll thrive in your environment...
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  and quietly filter out the ones who wouldn't.
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  So it's not about casting
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  the biggest net-it's more like being a magnet.
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  A really specific magnet.
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  Honestly,
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  I wish someone had told me that earlier in my career.
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  Would've saved me a lot of weird interviews.
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  It's a shift for sure-but
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  it's one that pays off.
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  When you get the job description right,
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  you lay the foundation for everything that follows-screening,
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  interviews, onboarding.
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  It all builds from there.
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  Okay-so let's say you've nailed the job ad.
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  People are applying.
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  What now?
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  Because from what I've seen...
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  it usually turns into this giant stack of resumes,
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  and that's where companies get stuck.
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  Right.
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  The resume pile is where things often go sideways.
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  Resumes tell you what
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  someone's done-but not how they did it... or whether they'll actually succeed
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  in your company.
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  That's where structured screening-and behavioral assessments-come
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  in.
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  They help you see underneath the surface.
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  Okay wait-so is this like...
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  those personality tests?
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  Or more like "solve this real-world challenge" kind of stuff?
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  Bit of both.
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  Tools
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  like OAD's assessments give you data on how someone thinks-how they handle
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  stress, how they fit into your culture.
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  But you can also add role-based
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  challenges.
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  Like, if you're hiring a customer success manager,
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  throw them a tricky scenario: an upset client,
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  maybe.
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  See how they'd handle it.
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  It's all about predicting how they'll actually
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  perform-not just checking boxes.
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  And I guess this is where bias sneaks
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  in, right?
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  Like, if you're just picking the resume that looks the fanciest...
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  you might miss someone who's actually a better fit.
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  Exactly.
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  Gut feeling?
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  Not a great strategy.
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  That's why structured tools are so valuable.
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  They give you consistent data.
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  You're not just going off who has the "shiny" credentials-you're looking
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  for actual alignment.
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  And honestly,
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  sometimes the person with the perfect resume?
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  They tank the behavioral assessment.
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  That's a sign worth paying attention to.
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  Okay but-have you actually seen
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  that happen?
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  Like, someone who seems amazing on paper but just...
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  totally misses the mark?
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  Oh yeah-too many times.
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  There was this one candidate
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  with every credential you could ask for.
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  But once we ran a scenario assessment,
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  it became clear they really struggled with ambiguity and collaboration.
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  The
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  data helped us dodge a mis-hire.
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  And that's the key-it's not about cutting people out...
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  it's about finding the ones who'll actually thrive.
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  That's such a good
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  reminder.
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  It's not just about narrowing the list-it's about actually learning
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  something
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  about who these people are.
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  Like we said in that other episode-behavioral
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  fit is huge.
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  It can totally shift team dynamics.
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  Exactly.
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  And when you pair that behavioral insight with structured screening?
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  You're
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  not guessing anymore.
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  You're making real, informed decisions.
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  Alright-so you've got your shortlist.
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  Now comes the interview...
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  which is, like, where a lot of companies still just go,
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  "Sooo... tell me about yourself."And I get it-but that doesn't really tell
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  you much, does it?
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  Nope.
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  Not much at all.
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  Most interviews stay too surface-level.
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  If you want to
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  understand someone's potential,
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  ask questions that dig into how they think-how they adapt.
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  Like, "Tell me about a time you failed-what happened,
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  what did you learn?" Or give them a real-life challenge they might face
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  in month one.
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  That's where you see resilience... curiosity... how they actually
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  operate.
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  Ooh-do you have a favorite question you always ask?
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  Or one that really made a difference for a team?
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  There's one I come back
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  to a lot:"Tell me about a time you had to challenge a decision you disagreed
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  with-what did you do, and how did it turn out?"That one?
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  It shows you how someone handles conflict,
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  how they collaborate...
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  and it can really shape a team.
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  We hired someone after that question who
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  brought in a whole new level of trust and openness.
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  It actually changed how the team worked together.
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  Wow,
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  that's...
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  that's powerful.
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  And it's not just the questions,
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  right?
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  It's like-the whole vibe.
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  How you follow up, whether candidates feel respected...
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  all that stuff.
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  Absolutely.
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  Every touchpoint matters.
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  Clear communication,
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  timely feedback-those things show candidates that you value them.
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  Even
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  if they're not the right fit today,
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  they should walk away thinking,
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  "I'd love to work there someday." That's how you build long-term talent
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  pipelines.
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  And honestly?
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  That's how you earn a rep that top performers pay attention to.
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  So if
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  you're a leader listening-seriously,
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  go revisit your interview process.
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  Drop the canned questions.
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  Get real.
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  Be human.
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  Because the way you treat candidates?
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  That's your brand.
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  Well said.
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  And I'd just add this:Hiring isn't a checklist-it's a strategic move
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  that shapes your team, your culture...
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  everything.
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  Invest in getting it right,
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  and you'll see the impact for years to come.
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  Couldn't agree more.
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  And hey-if
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  you want to see how this all works in practice,
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  check out o-a-d-dot-a-i.
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  You can try their tools for free.
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  And they can can seriously transform the way you hire and build your
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  team.
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  Thanks as always, Claire.
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  Always good to dig in together.
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  Likewise.
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  And thanks to everyone listening-we'll catch you in the next one.
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  Bye for now!