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Beyond the Resume: How to Hire People Who Actually Stick · The Science of Leading

• 0:00
  Alright, Edwin-let's get into it.
• 0:01
  I swear, every company's out here saying they want the "right fit," but
• 0:05
  then their job descriptions are just...
• 0:07
  I don't know, lists of random skills and buzzwords.
• 0:10
  Why is that?
• 0:11
  Like, why do job descriptions completely miss the mark when it comes
• 0:13
  to hiring people who actually stick around and,
• 0:16
  you know, thrive?
• 0:16
  Yeah-great question,
• 0:19
  Claire.
• 0:19
  The thing is, most job descriptions...
• 0:22
  they're just checklists.
• 0:23
  They tell you what someone should be able to do,
• 0:26
  but not who they are or how they'll behave once they're in the role.
• 0:30
  And here's the real issue-success isn't just about technical ability.
• 0:34
  It's about mindset.
• 0:36
  Adaptability.
• 0:37
  Whether someone's values actually match your company culture.
• 0:40
  If you're only hiring based on what's on paper,
• 0:43
  you're missing the human part of it.
• 0:43
  Right-so,
• 0:46
  it's not just like, "Can you code in Python?" or "Do you have five years
• 0:50
  of sales experience?" It's more like,
• 0:52
  "How do you react when you get tough feedback?" or "What actually drives
• 0:56
  you when things get messy?"Exactly.
• 0:58
  That's where something like the OAD assessment really helps.
• 1:02
  It looks beyond the surface-into someone's mindset,
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  how they deal with pressure, how they communicate,
• 1:09
  whether they're more collaborative or prefer to fly solo.
• 1:12
  It's not about replacing the interview,
• 1:14
  but it gives you a real foundation to build from.
• 1:17
  Something objective.
• 1:17
  I love that.
• 1:20
  And I remember we touched on this before-how these behavioral tools can
• 1:24
  pick up things you'd never catch in a standard interview.
• 1:27
  But Edwin-do you have a story?
• 1:29
  Like, a moment when redefining the "ideal candidate" actually changed
• 1:33
  the outcome?
• 1:33
  Yeah, I do.
• 1:35
  A few years back, I worked with this tech startup-they had a big retention
• 1:39
  problem.
• 1:39
  People would come in, stay six months,
• 1:41
  and...
• 1:42
  leave.
• 1:42
  Over and over.
• 1:44
  They were hiring based on skills alone.
• 1:46
  When we helped them redefine what success really looked like-things like
• 1:51
  being okay with uncertainty, being mission-driven,
• 1:54
  being eager to learn-they started using behavioral data to screen for
• 1:58
  those traits.
• 1:59
  Within a year?
• 2:00
  Turnover cut in half.
• 2:01
  The team gelled.
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  Performance improved.
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  It wasn't magic...
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  it was just clarity.
• 2:07
  Knowing who they actually needed-not just what needed to get done.
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  That's
• 2:12
  so good.
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  It's like-you're hiring for who they'll become,
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  not just who they are now.
• 2:17
  You're building something that lasts...
• 2:19
  not just plugging a hole.
• 2:19
  Exactly.
• 2:21
  And when everyone-from leadership to hiring managers-is aligned on what
• 2:26
  "ideal" actually means...
• 2:27
  the whole thing runs smoother.
• 2:29
  Less second-guessing.
• 2:30
  Fewer bad fits.
• 2:32
  And the culture?
• 2:33
  It gets stronger with every hire.
• 2:33
  Okay,
• 2:35
  so-let's say you've nailed your ideal candidate.
• 2:38
  The next part is actually getting them to apply,
• 2:41
  right?
• 2:42
  I keep hearing this term "employer brand," but what does that even mean
• 2:45
  anymore?
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  In simple terms?
• 2:47
  It's your reputation as an employer.
• 2:50
  What people say about working for you when you're not in the room.
• 2:54
  In today's job market, top talent wants more than just a paycheck.
• 2:58
  They want meaning, growth, and a place where they actually feel like
• 3:02
  they belong.
• 3:03
  If your brand communicates that...
• 3:06
  you'll naturally attract the people who already align with what you're
• 3:09
  about.
• 3:09
  So-it's not about, like, free snacks and ping-pong tables in the
• 3:13
  break room?
• 3:14
  It's more like-"Here's why this work matters.
• 3:16
  Here's how we treat people."Exactly.
• 3:19
  And it starts with your job post,
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  sure, but it goes way beyond that.
• 3:23
  The whole process-from how easy it is to apply,
• 3:26
  to how you run the interviews,
• 3:27
  to how quickly you follow up-it all adds up.
• 3:30
  If your process feels slow or robotic?
• 3:33
  The best candidates won't wait around.
• 3:35
  But if it's clear, respectful,
• 3:37
  and gives them a real sense of your culture...
• 3:40
  you start standing out.
• 3:40
  Yeah, that makes sense.
• 3:43
  But like-do you have an example?
• 3:44
  Of a company that actually turned their whole hiring vibe around?
• 3:44
  I do.
• 3:49
  Mid-sized company, great product,
• 3:51
  but their candidate experience?
• 3:53
  Pretty forgettable.
• 3:54
  We worked together to rebuild it-faster feedback,
• 3:57
  more personal interviews, clearer communication.
• 4:00
  They even started involving current team members in the process so candidates
• 4:05
  got a feel for who they'd be working with.
• 4:07
  The result?
• 4:08
  Their employee referral rate doubled.
• 4:10
  People wanted to bring friends in-because they were proud of the process.
• 4:15
  Even folks who didn't get hired said great things.
• 4:15
  Wow.
• 4:18
  So the process itself becomes part of the brand.
• 4:21
  And if people feel good about it-even if they don't get the job-they're
• 4:24
  still gonna talk about it.
• 4:25
  That's how you build momentum,
• 4:27
  right?
• 4:27
  Absolutely.
• 4:28
  Every interaction is a chance to reinforce what you stand for.
• 4:32
  And when you streamline things-cut out the unnecessary steps,
• 4:37
  be upfront about what to expect-you're not just moving faster...
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  you're showing respect.
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  And that's rare.
• 4:44
  Which makes it powerful.
• 4:44
  Totally.
• 4:46
  I mean, we talked about this in that episode on speeding up hiring.
• 4:50
  It's not about skipping steps-it's about making each one actually count.
• 4:50
  Exactly.
• 4:54
  You're not just filling roles...
• 4:56
  you're building a reputation.
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  And that reputation attracts people who belong.
• 4:57
  Alright-so we've covered
• 5:02
  defining the ideal person, building a brand that draws them in...
• 5:05
  now let's get into it: how do you actually make better hiring decisions?
• 5:10
  Like, beyond what's on a CV-what really works?
• 5:10
  The key is shifting from
• 5:14
  gut instinct...
• 5:15
  to data.
• 5:16
  A resume tells you what someone's done-but it doesn't tell you how they'll
• 5:21
  show up in your team.
• 5:22
  That's where behavioral and cognitive tools like the OAD survey make
• 5:27
  a huge difference.
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  You're measuring resilience, problem-solving,
• 5:31
  team fit-not just job titles and timelines.
• 5:34
  It's about predicting real-world behavior.
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  And interviews...
• 5:38
  I feel like people still ask stuff like "What's your greatest weakness?"
• 5:42
  which-come on.
• 5:43
  So, how do you actually get at those deeper qualities?
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  You need structured
• 5:47
  interviews.
• 5:48
  Ask the same key questions for each candidate-ones that reveal patterns.
• 5:52
  Like: "Tell me about a time you had to adapt to unexpected change at
• 5:57
  work.
• 5:57
  What did you do?" That tells you more about mindset than a thousand bullet
• 6:02
  points ever could.
• 6:02
  Yeah, that's so much better than "Tell me about yourself..."
• 6:07
  And I guess when you layer that on top of assessment data,
• 6:10
  you get a really clear picture,
• 6:11
  huh?
• 6:11
  Exactly.
• 6:12
  I worked with a company that was struggling with bad hires-people looked
• 6:16
  great on paper but flopped in the role.
• 6:18
  Once they brought in behavioral assessments and cleaned up their interview
• 6:23
  structure, their mis-hire rate got cut in half.
• 6:25
  And the cost of a bad hire?
• 6:28
  It's not just salary-it's time,
• 6:30
  culture hits, frustration.
• 6:32
  One stat puts it at over seventeen grand per mis-hire.
• 6:36
  That's a lot of pain for a poor decision.
• 6:36
  Whoa-yeah,
• 6:39
  it's not just the money.
• 6:40
  It's the drama, the stress, the domino effect.
• 6:43
  It throws everything off.
• 6:43
  Exactly.
• 6:45
  But when you use the right tools and take a data-informed approach...
• 6:49
  you hire with intention.
• 6:51
  You're not guessing.
• 6:52
  You're building a team that fits-not just functionally,
• 6:55
  but culturally.
• 6:56
  And that's what drives real results.
• 6:56
  I love that.
• 6:59
  It's like-we've come full circle.
• 7:01
  Hiring isn't about just filling a seat.
• 7:04
  It's about shaping the future of your company...
• 7:06
  one smart choice at a time.
• 7:06
  Well said,
• 7:08
  Claire.
• 7:09
  And for everyone listening-just remember,
• 7:11
  every step you take to improve your hiring process pays off.
• 7:14
  It might take some effort up front...
• 7:16
  but it's so worth it in the long run.
• 7:16
  Alright-that's it for today's episode.
• 7:20
  Edwin, as always, thanks for dropping the wisdom.
• 7:23
  And hey-if any of you listening want to see how this actually works in
• 7:26
  practice, you can try it for free at o-a-d-dot-a-i.
• 7:29
  OAD's tools-like their behavioral assessments-make it way easier to hire
• 7:34
  the right people and build teams that actually work.
• 7:34
  Thanks,
• 7:37
  Claire.
• 7:37
  Always great talking with you.
• 7:39
  And thanks to everyone for tuning in.
• 7:41
  Until next time-take care.