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Game-Changing Hiring: Data, Culture, and the Science of Fit · 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'm here with the one and only Edwin Carrington.
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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 good to be here-especially when we're diving into something this
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  important and misunderstood: hiring.
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  Yeah,
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  totally.
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  I mean, it's one of those things that-like-it keeps coming up,
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  right?
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  Companies still lean on résumés and gut feeling,
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  even though... we know experience alone doesn't really predict whether
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  someone's gonna thrive.
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  So... why are we still stuck in that loop?
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  It's a fair question.
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  I think part of it is just-habit.
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  You know, there's a comfort in scanning a CV,
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  doing a quick chat, and thinking,
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  "Yeah, they seem solid." But gut instinct?
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  That's a pretty weak predictor of success.
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  Most traditional interviews barely scratch the surface.
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  They miss the big stuff-adaptability,
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  motivation, real cultural alignment.
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  And that's where it usually unravels.
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  Ugh,
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  yeah-I've seen that go wrong.
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  I worked at this startup once-crazy fast pace,
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  tons of pressure-and we hired this guy who looked amazing on paper.
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  Like, stacked résumé, nailed the interview,
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  the whole thing.
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  But a month in?
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  Total flop.
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  Couldn't roll with the chaos, didn't click with the team... just kinda...
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  fizzled.
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  And I remember thinking, "Wait,
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  how did we miss that?"That's actually a classic case.
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  On-paper credentials don't show how someone handles setbacks-or whether
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  their drive matches your team's.
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  It's the hidden stuff that really matters.
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  That's why we've talked before about digging deeper.
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  Asking, not just, "Can they do the job?" but,
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  "How do they show up when it gets hard?"Right.
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  So it's not that experience doesn't count-it's just... not the whole story.
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  And if all you're doing is skimming the surface,
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  you're missing the parts that actually tell you whether someone's gonna
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  stick-or just kinda hang around and bounce.
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  Exactly.
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  That's where a lot of hiring goes off-track.
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  It's not about guessing-it's about building a process that pulls back
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  the curtain.
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  Something repeatable.
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  Reliable.
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  That gives you real insight-not just a vibe.
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  Okay so... let's get into how
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  you do that.
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  One shift I love is using behavioral assessments.
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  Like, with OAD for example-you're not just looking at someone's job history.
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  You're seeing how they think, what drives them,
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  how they deal with stress.
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  It's not replacing interviews-it's just... adding a whole extra layer of
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  clarity.
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  Absolutely.
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  And when you pair that with real-world challenges?
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  Even better.
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  Instead of asking, "Are you good at solving problems?"-you give them
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  one.
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  Something that mirrors the role.
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  It's way more telling.
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  Yeahhh, totally.
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  I've seen companies use those,
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  like, job simulations-and it's night and day.
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  Edwin, do you have a favorite kind of challenge that just-shows you who
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  someone really is?
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  Sure.
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  One of the simplest ones is just: give them the job.
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  Or at least, a slice of it.
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  For sales-it might be a quick mock pitch.
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  For tech-an actual code problem.
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  For managers-a team conflict scenario.
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  And the magic isn't just in what they do-it's how they tackle it.
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  Do they ask smart questions?
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  Do they think through it clearly?
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  That tells you a lot more than a polished CV ever could.
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  And it saves
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  so much time.
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  I mean, I've watched companies spend,
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  like, four rounds interviewing someone... only to realize at the very end,
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  "Oh-they're not a fit." If you use smart screening early,
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  and throw in a challenge?
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  You weed out the mismatches way faster.
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  Exactly.
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  It's not just about speed-it's about fairness,
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  too.
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  When you use data-backed tools instead of going with your gut,
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  you reduce bias.
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  And when you combine all that-assessments,
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  structured interviews, real-world tasks-you get a much sharper picture
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  of who's really a match for your team.
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  Totally.
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  We've talked about this in past episodes-how structured interviews,
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  assessments... all that can really level the playing field.
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  It's not about hiring your "favorite"-it's about hiring someone who's
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  built for your world.
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  Exactly.
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  And when you get it right-you're not just filling seats.
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  You're building a team that lasts.
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  Alright,
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  let's talk about culture fit-because "fit" gets tossed around so much,
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  and sometimes it's just...
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  shallow.
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  Like, how do you actually figure out if someone really aligns with your
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  company before you bring them in?
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  Great question.
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  Real culture fit-it's not about,
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  "Would I grab coffee with them?" It's: Do they share your values?
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  Do they work the way your team works?
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  First, get clear on what your culture actually is.
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  What do you reward?
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  What's non-negotiable?
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  Then, you bake that into your process.
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  Behavioral interviews, team-based tasks-even peer interviews.
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  It's all about seeing them in context.
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  And onboarding?
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  That's a big one too.
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  It's how you help people really land and start adding value.
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  Yeah,
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  that makes so much sense.
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  I've read about places like Zappos and Netflix-how they go hard on culture.
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  Zappos even offers new hires money to quit if it's not the right fit,
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  which sounds... wild.
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  But also?
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  Kind of brilliant.
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  Like, let's make sure this works before it gets messy.
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  Exactly.
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  And part of that is thinking ahead.
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  Don't just hire reactively-build a talent pipeline.
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  Keep in touch with people you admire,
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  stay active in your network, show up at events.
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  That way, when you do have an open role,
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  you're not starting from zero.
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  And onboarding-oh man.
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  That's the step so many companies kind of... phone in.
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  But it's what turns a "good hire" into someone who sticks.
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  When you take onboarding seriously,
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  you boost engagement, lower turnover,
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  and just-make people feel like they belong.
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  Exactly.
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  And the numbers back that up.
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  Structured onboarding leads to stronger performance and better retention.
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  It's not just, "Here's your laptop." It's setting expectations,
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  building trust, and reinforcing what your culture's really about.
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  So to
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  wrap things up... if you want hiring to be a strength-not a stress-you've
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  gotta go deeper.
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  Use real data.
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  Focus on actual job skills.
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  Build your bench early.
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  And please-please-invest in onboarding.
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  It's not always easy, but man,
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  it's worth it.
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  Couldn't have said it better,
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  Claire.
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  And for anyone listening-remember,
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  hiring's not a guess.
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  It's a science.
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  And the more intentional you are,
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  the stronger your team will be.
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  Thanks so much for joining us today.
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  Edwin, always a pleasure.
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  And to all of you tuning in-we'll be back soon with more on building
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  smarter teams and better workplaces.
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  Take care!
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  Thank you, Claire.
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  Goodbye everyone-and hey, if you're curious how tools like OAD can help
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  you hire smarter and faster, head over to o-a-d-dot-a-i to test it out
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  for free.
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  Until next time.