DEAN NORRIS| FOUNDERS CIRCLE| 17/11/2024|
Let's dive in and translate some classics... ðŸŽ
"They're great, but just not quite right". This one is a hall-of-famer.
Translation: "I can't put my finger on why, but something doesn't feel right. Possibly because they don't remind me of myself at that age."
"They don't seem like a culture fit"
Translation: "They didn't laugh at my dated Office references and might not want to join our mandatory fun Friday ping-pong tournaments. They don't want to talk about the football results from the weekend."
"They lack leadership presence"
Translation: "They're not tall/loud/assertive enough" or "They don't match my mental image of what a leader looks like based on every boss I've ever had."
"They seem overqualified"
Translation: "I'm worried they'll take my job in 6 months" or "I assume they'll be bored, based on absolutely no evidence."
🎯 The Real Talk Section
Jokes aside, these casual dismissals often mask serious biases that hurt both candidates and companies. No one wins here.
Gut Feelings: When we can't articulate why someone isn't right, it's worth asking if we're letting unconscious biases do the talking.
Pattern Matching: We often hire people who remind us of successful past hires, perpetuating existing workplace homogeneity.
Cultural Copy-Paste: "Culture fit" too often means "just like us," when we should be looking for "culture add."
💡 Moving Forward: Better Practices
Instead of vague, whimsical judgements of candidates, try these approaches:
Replace "culture fit" with "values alignment". Presumably we're on the same page about encouraging fresh perspective, so what is important here is that we expect some core values to be upheld whilst encouraging cultural development.
Use structured interviews with consistent questions. This is decisive in shifting away from highly-subjective assessments towards a rational, equitable candidate assessment process.
Challenge your initial reactions: "Why do I think that?" It helps to get the perspective of someone from another team(if you can!) to give a more diverse view. A.K.A.: Involve multiple diverse perspectives in the hiring process.
Remember: The best person for the job might not look, sound, or act like anyone currently on your team - and that's probably a good thing.
🎬 The Plot Twist
If you're nodding along thinking "my company would never..." - spoiler alert: these biases are like that friend who always shows up uninvited to parties. They're there whether you acknowledge them or not.
The good news? Awareness is the first step to change. The better news? Your next great hire might be the person you almost dismissed for not being "quite right."
P.S. If you're a hiring manager who's ever used any of these phrases - don't worry, we've all been there. The important thing is what we do next.
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