Tips for Redefining Candidate Evaluation Criteria

Do your best hires keep plateauing? This is probably why: You're hiring for skill, not potential. Skill tells you who they are today. Potential tells you how fast they'll grow tomorrow. Here's how you can hire for the latter (Number 7 is so important): 1. Ask growth questions, not gotcha questions ↳Why: Gotcha questions test confidence, but growth questions test curiosity ↳How: Instead of "What's your biggest weakness?", ask "What's a skill you've improved in the last year and how did you do it?" 2. Look for a pattern of effort, not a flash of talent ↳Why: Anyone can perform when things are easy - real effort shows resilience when things aren't ↳How: Ask, "Tell me about a project that took longer than expected and how did you stay on track?" 3. Hire for multipliers, not soloists ↳Why: High performers who don't elevate others create friction, not momentum ↳How: Listen for "we" more than "I" when candidates describe results, then follow up with, "What was your role in the team's success?" 4. Test for follow-through ↳Why: Execution beats ideas - you want people who close loops ↳How: Ask, "Tell me about a time a project went sideways and what did you do to finish it strong?" 5. Watch how they respond to uncertainty ↳Why: Fast-moving teams face unclear problems every day - adaptability is key ↳How: Present a problem that's missing info, then see if they ask smart questions or rush to an answer 6. Ask who they've learned from recently ↳Why: People who seek out mentors or frameworks show hunger and humility ↳How: Ask, "Who are you learning from right now?" or "What's one idea you've recently applied from someone else?" 7. Notice how they treat non-decision-makers ↳Why: True character shows in how people treat those with no power over them ↳How: Ask your coordinator or recruiter how the candidate interacted with them - that signal is gold 8. Probe for learning velocity ↳Why: The pace of growth matters more than the level of experience ↳How: Ask, "What's a skill you've learned in the last 6 months and how did you approach it?" 9. Check their reflection loop ↳Why: Reflective thinkers self-correct faster and need less micromanagement ↳How: Ask, "What's a mistake you've learned from, and what did you do differently afterward?" 10. Hire for signals of drive, not signals of polish ↳Why: Shiny resumes can hide stagnation - drive shows up in motion and consistency ↳How: Look for long-term side projects, volunteer work, or consistent improvement across roles In 2025, skill is easy to find. What's rare (and compounding) is curiosity, consistency, and coachability. Next time you're hiring, don't ask "Who's best?" Ask "Who has the highest potential?" That one shift will change everything about how you build your team. Which of these signals do you think is most important when hiring? --- ♻️ Repost to help others hire the right candidates. And follow me George Stern for more.

The way we hire testers today has taken a concerning turn. Interviews for SDETs and test automation specialists even for testing roles are heavily focused on tools and coding skills, often sidelining the core testing mindset and skills. While automation is important, prioritizing it above all else in interviews leads to a dangerous imbalance. The result? Testers enter the workforce with weak testing foundations, and the quality of products inevitably suffers. Hiring someone who can write impeccable code but lacks the ability to think like a tester is akin to buying a high-speed car without a skilled driver—it might look promising, but it’s destined for a crash. What’s Gone Wrong? 1. Overemphasis on Tools: Tools are enablers, not the end goal. Interviews dominated by tools and syntax fail to evaluate whether a candidate understands what to test, how to test, and why to test. 2. Neglecting Testing Fundamentals: Many interviews gloss over essential testing skills like critical thinking, exploratory testing, root cause analysis, and risk assessment. 3. Theoretical Overload: Questioning often revolves around textbook definitions or hypothetical scenarios that don’t reflect real-world challenges. This rut we’re in has led to a generation of testers who excel at operating tools but falter when it comes to actual testing. What Needs to Change? It’s time to redefine how we evaluate testing talent: 1. Balance Coding with Testing: Yes, automation and coding are important, but they are not substitutes for testing skills. Interviews must equally assess the ability to think critically, question requirements, and design effective test strategies. 2. Focus on Practical Assessments: Move away from theoretical Q&A. Instead, give candidates practical challenges. For instance: • Ask them to test a simple application, evaluate their approach, and observe their thought process. • Present a flawed requirement or user story and see how they identify gaps or inconsistencies. • Include a collaborative session where they discuss risks and test ideas with others. 3. Assess the Tester’s Mindset: Evaluate their curiosity, attention to detail, and ability to uncover hidden assumptions. A strong tester is one who thinks beyond the obvious. 4. Educate Hiring Managers: It’s crucial to help decision-makers understand the true value of testing skills. A tester’s role goes beyond automation—it’s about safeguarding quality. The industry needs to step back and rethink how we define, evaluate, and value testing expertise. Testing is about uncovering the unknown, finding and highlighting those risks and questioning the obvious — not just automating steps. If we continue down the current path, we risk compromising the essence of testing and, ultimately, product quality. It’s time to prioritize hiring testers who can think critically, test creatively, and drive quality—beyond the tools they know. #softwaretesting #softwareengineering #hiringtesters #brijeshsays

At our company, we are big believers in hiring for attributes. Resumes can only tell you so much. Here are 10 super practical tips you can use in your hiring process to assess how well candidates will actually work on your team: 1. Scan resumes for signals of ownership Look for signs that the candidate was the one in charge. They led the team, were responsible for the business unit, or their decisions led to real outcomes. → Look for phrases like “built,” “launched,” “led,” “owned P&L,” “stood up,” “implemented from scratch.” → Red flag: “assisted with,” “supported,” “helped”—too vague. 2. Ask: “What’s the hardest thing you’ve ever built or fixed?” If you want people who will do hard things, it's great to find people who have done hard things. And building is freeakign hard. → Top candidates light up. They remember details. This also opens up questions for you on how they overcame certain obstacles, which can tell you a lot. → Weak candidates stay surface-level because that's all they did in the building process. 3. Give them a real-world problem to prep (not a pop quiz) → Use a current problem your business is facing. Change details as needed. → See how they structure, prioritize, and ask smart follow-ups. 4. Ask them to rewrite something (email, memo, process doc). Say who it is from, the audience, and purpose. See what they do with that. → Give them a rough draft and ask how they’d improve it. → Great candidates clarify, cut fluff, and explain why they made changes. → You’ll learn how they think, communicate, and handle ambiguity. 5. Run a 30-min working session with the hiring team → Watch them collaborate live on a scenario. → You’ll see more in 30 mins of live problem solving than 3 interviews. 6. Call a reference they didn’t give you → Ask, “Would you rehire them?” → Backchanneling (ethically) tells you what the formal process won’t. 7. Ask about their boss’s goals—not just their own → “What were your manager’s top goals last year, and how did you support them?” → Great candidates understand how their role fits the bigger picture, not just theirs as an individual. 8. Check for prep → Did they review your site? Ask smart questions? Mention something specific? → No prep = no real interest. 9. Use the ‘3-second silence’ test → Ask a tough question, then go silent. Let them think. → The ramblers and bluffers reveal themselves fast. As someone who was trained to hold difficult conversations in dusty corners of the world, has done 250+ podcast interviews, and talked to dozens of business owners about their business...silence is powerful. Use it. 10. Assign a one-page “walk me through your thinking” take-home → Doesn’t need to be complex. Just enough to see how they write and reason. If you are relying on job descriptions from Chat GOT, interviews, and gut instincts, you aren't going to make it. Anything else that should be on this list?

I evaluate every candidate with the same 5 criteria. The scorecard replaced my gut feeling. Most business owners walk into interviews with a job description and a list of improvised questions. The conversation flows, the candidate seems sharp, and the decision feels obvious. Two months later, the role opens again. The format is the problem. A casual interview rewards candidates who talk well under pressure, not candidates who perform well under pressure. A warehouse supervisor who runs a tight floor will lose to a polished communicator in an unstructured conversation, because the conversation measures presence, not execution. A scorecard eliminates that bias. Before opening any role, define 4 to 5 criteria tied to what success looks like in that position: → Warehouse supervisor: team coordination, safety compliance, problem resolution under time pressure, inventory accuracy. → Project manager in construction: deadline management, subcontractor communication, budget tracking, adaptability when scope shifts. Each criterion gets a 1 to 5 rating. Every candidate answers the same questions designed to surface evidence for each criterion, and the interviewer scores during the conversation, not after. The key is asking for proof. "Tell me about a time your team missed a deadline and how you handled it" reveals more than "How do you handle pressure?" The first demands a specific example with context and consequence. The second invites a rehearsed answer. When every candidate is measured against the same criteria, the comparison becomes objective. The bias toward candidates who interview well disappears, and the ones who perform well become visible. You need 4 to 5 criteria, a set of evidence-based questions, and a scoring sheet. The method saves months of recovery from a wrong hire. Structure the interview before the role opens. The right candidate was always there. Your process was hiding them.

During today’s interview, I noticed that the candidate had impressive past work experience but initially struggled to explain themselves clearly in English. So I encouraged the candidate to share their experiences in a language they felt most comfortable with. This small adjustment made a significant difference. The candidate’s confidence visibly improved, and their passion and expertise shone through as they explained their experiences in detail. It became clear that their communication skills, when not hindered by a language barrier, are strong and aligned with the role’s requirements. This experience highlights the importance of creating an inclusive and supportive environment during interviews to allow candidates to showcase their true potential. I understand that not everyone is naturally skilled at “packaging” themselves or presenting their abilities during an interview. However, this does not necessarily reflect their true capabilities or potential to perform well in the role. It’s also important to recognize that hiring someone solely based on their ability to deliver an impressive presentation doesn’t always guarantee that they can excel in the actual work. A person’s ability to perform is often better demonstrated through their passion, experience, and adaptability, rather than just their presentation skills. This reinforces the importance of creating a balanced evaluation process that considers not just how well a candidate presents themselves, but also their real skills, experience, and attitude towards work.

💥 You Didn’t Lose the Candidate — Your Hiring Panel Misunderstood Him Elena, a team leader at a U.S.-based tech firm, thought she’d be interviewing the perfect candidate — Ahmed, a talented engineer from the UAE. His résumé? Impressive. His references? Stellar. But during the interview, something felt off. Ahmed paused before answering questions. His tone was modest. When asked about achievements, he downplayed his success. Afterward, the panel agreed: “He didn’t seem confident.” Weeks later, a colleague in Dubai was stunned. “You passed on Ahmed? He’s one of the most capable people I know.” The truth? Ahmed didn’t fail the interview — the interview failed him. The interviewing team had unintentionally filtered his communication style through their cultural lens. 🧠 Researchers agree that ways of interacting in interviews can differ between cultures. These differences can potentially lead to misinterpreting applicant behaviors, resulting in inaccurate assessments. So, what looks like “lack of confidence” in one culture may be a sign of respect, humility, or professionalism in another. ✅ How to Conduct Inclusive and Culturally Competent Interviews 1️⃣ Reframe the Definition of "Strong Communication" Look beyond tone or delivery. Focus on clarity of ideas, relevance of responses, and thought process—even if it shows up differently than you're used to. 2️⃣ Make Space for Silence Train hiring teams to become more comfortable with silence. Remind them that pauses might reflect translation, thoughtfulness, or cultural respect. Resist the urge to jump in too quickly. 3️⃣ Value Bilingualism and Global Experience A candidate with an accent has likely mastered more than one language—a valuable asset in any global business. Prioritize adaptability and international perspective. 4️⃣ Educate Your Hiring Panels Provide cultural competence training focused on interview practices. Teach teams to identify how their own biases and cultural norms may influence evaluations. 5️⃣ Ask Structured, Open-Ended Questions Use behavioral questions that invite a range of responses. For example: “Tell us about a time you handled conflict on a team.” Then allow space for storytelling or non-linear answers. 📌 Inclusive hiring doesn’t mean lowering standards; it means adjusting your lens so that culturally diverse candidates are assessed fairly and equitably. 🚀 The Ripple Effect of Cultural Competence Conducting interviews with curiosity, instead of assumptions, changes everything. Candidates feel seen, valued, and respected. And, in the end, organizations hire brilliance that others overlook. 🌍If cultural differences are slowing your team down, let’s talk. A short, no-pressure Cultural Clarity Call can reveal the root causes and the path forward. 📍You’ll find the link right on my banner. #InclusiveHiring #CulturalCompetence #GlobalLeadership #CrossCulturalCommunication #TalentAcquisition

One of the most exciting aspects of writing "Make Work Fair" with my coauthor, Iris Bohnet, has been turning behavioral science insights and research evidence into practical, data-driven organizational design. Today, I want to share a powerful tip for improving hiring processes: structured decision-making. Unstructured interviews are notoriously poor predictors of job performance and rife with bias. But by adding structure to our hiring processes, we can significantly improve both fairness and —importantly—effectiveness. Here's a simple three-step approach you can implement: 📋 Define clear evaluation criteria before reviewing any applications. 🔢 Use a standardized scoring rubric for all candidates. ↔️ Compare candidates’s answers horizontally (all answers to question 1, then all answers to question 2, etc.) rather than vertically (one full candidate at a time). This method helps mitigate the impact of unconscious bias by focusing our attention on relevant qualifications rather than subjective "fit" or first impressions. In my research, I've seen organizations implement similar approaches with promising results. While specific outcomes vary, the trend is clear: structured hiring processes tend to lead to more diverse candidate pools and better alignment between job requirements and new hire performance. Have you tried structured hiring in your organization? What was your experience? #HiringPractices #WorkplaceFairness #DataDrivenHR #MakeWorkFairBook

🚀 Capability Portfolios: Rethinking the Traditional Resume- In today’s fast-paced work environment, traditional resumes are quickly becoming outdated as they mostly fail to capture the depth of a candidate’s abilities and potential. 🌟 Imagine a system where candidates demonstrate what they can do and not just what they’ve done giving employers visibility to how a candidate approaches challenges, their innovative thinking and adaptability, paving the way for an inclusive approach to hiring that rewards skill, creativity, and impact over traditional qualifications. This shift is critical, especially in industries where innovation, adaptability, and creativity are paramount, relying on a static resume often leads to losing out on high-potential talent. Actionable Steps for Organizations: 1️⃣ Support Portfolio-Based Assessments: Build platforms where candidates can upload and present projects, challenges, and contributions. 2️⃣ Invest in AI-Driven Evaluation Tools: Use AI to assess the quality of a candidate’s portfolio, focusing on the depth of their work and their ability to solve complex problems. AI can also analyze patterns of innovation, ensuring you’re not missing out on high-potential talent. 3️⃣ Restructure Hiring Practices: Shift focus from qualifications and years of experience to demonstrated abilities. Encourage hiring managers to evaluate candidates based on real-world outcomes. The Impact: 🗝 For Organizations: Moving to a capability-based system means hiring talent that is better aligned with the organization’s goals. Google and EY have already adopted skills-based hiring, removed degree requirements and focusing on what candidates can deliver in practice. 🗝 For TA Teams: Recruiters become more insightful in their evaluations, as they assess candidates based on capabilities rather than just past job titles. This shift leads to more inclusive and effective talent acquisition strategies, as evidenced by companies like EY who have embraced skills-based assessments for many of their roles. 🗝 For Candidates: Capability portfolios empower candidates to showcase their true potential, instead of being overlooked due to a lack of conventional credentials. candidates get to showcase their achievements making the hiring process more meritocratic. Real-World Examples: ✳ GitHub serves as a platform for tech professionals to present their coding portfolios, allowing employers to see their skills in action. ✳Automattic (parent company of WordPress) evaluates candidates based on their portfolio contributions to coding challenges, making it a key aspect of their hiring strategy. ✳IDEO, a global design company, evaluates creative candidates through design portfolios, assessing tangible results they’ve delivered. 👇 Comment to share your ideas and let’s discuss! #FutureOfWork #CapabilityPortfolios #SkillsBasedHiring #RecruitmentInnovation #HiringTransformation #TalentAcquisition #AIInRecruitment #LinkedInTalent #SkillsOverDegrees

I’ve hired salespeople based purely on the questions they asked during the interview. Forget their resume. Ignore their quota attainment. The questions candidates ask reveal everything about how they think. Here is a question that made me just about hire someone on the spot: "When I look at your early customers, they were mostly Amazon sellers trying to scale their advertising, but your newer content is about measurement and retail media strategy. You're basically going from tactical optimization conversations to strategic discussions. How has the team’s sales process changed now selling to executives versus performance marketers?" This candidate had: → Analyzed our customer evolution over time → Connected our content strategy to sales complexity → Understood the different stakeholders we now target → Asked about how that impacts our team needs She pretty much nailed it. If you’re looking to hire sellers, here’s how I evaluate candidates based on their questions: Level 1: Evaluation Questions (Necessary but don't differentiate) → "What does training look like?" → "How do you measure success?" → "What's the culture like?" These are important for candidates to ask because candidates need to evaluate if the role is right for them. But every candidate should be asking these, so they don't help you separate good from the best. Level 2: Company-Specific Questions (Good, they did homework) → "I noticed your recent partnership with (Company), how does that change your positioning?" → "Your case studies are all mid-market, but you're hiring enterprise reps, are you moving upmarket?" Level 3: Strategic Questions (Excellent, they think like partners) → Questions that connect market trends to your specific challenges → Questions about gaps they noticed in your positioning → Questions that make YOU think differently about your business Red flag: "No questions, I looked at your website, seems straightforward." This tells me they have zero curiosity and have done limited research. As a founder, listen for candidates who: → Ask about things you haven't thought of → Connect dots between different parts of your business → Show they understand your market, not just your company Who has some excellent questions you’ve asked or have been asked during an interview?

I just rejected the 'perfect' candidate. Harvard MBA. FAANG experience. Stellar portfolio. Why? Because I watched how they treated our receptionist. Here's the truth: The interview starts the moment they enter the building. My 5-point candidate evaluation checklist: 1. Pre-interview behavior 🔍 • How do they treat support staff? • Are they on time? • How do they handle waiting? 2. Real-world scenarios 📊 • No more "where do you see yourself in 5 years" • Instead: "Tell me how you'd handle [actual current challenge]" • Watch their thought process, not just the answer 3. Team interaction 🤝 • Informal coffee chat with potential teammates • See how they handle different personalities • Observe their listening skills 4. Follow-up quality ✍️ • Do they send thoughtful thank you notes? • Are they asking insightful questions? • How do they handle feedback? 5. Cultural contribution 🌟 • What unique perspective do they bring? • How do they handle disagreement? • What values do they demonstrate? The result? • Better culture alignment • Longer employee retention • Stronger team dynamics • Fewer hiring mistakes Remember: Skills get them through the door. Character gets them the job. What's your non-negotiable when evaluating candidates? Share your insights below! 👇 #HiringTips #RecruitmentStrategy #TalentAcquisition