It’s time to change the way we think about hiring — the purpose, the goals, our mindset as hiring managers, even the approach we take as candidates.

The vast majority of companies (I would estimate well over 90%) engage candidates in a counterproductive “dance” where candidates are expected to show up and perform for them. The undertone is, “You’re lucky to be interviewing with us. Come show us how much you love us, impress us with how you navigate our questions, give us a good gut feeling about you.”

Unsurprisingly, candidates play along, prepping “ideal” responses for why this is their dream job, regardless whether it is. They catalogue their prior career experiences, cherry-picking the stories that present them in the best light and preparing “decoys” should any questions arise about their weaknesses or prior failures (decoys = benign responses that deflect attention away from the truth). This audition-like hiring process rewards showmanship and discourages honesty and vulnerability.

The end result? Hiring managers end up hiring the candidate who delivers the best “performance” in their interviews, not the one who is the best fit for the job. And this tends to favor extroverts, desperate job seekers with ample time to prep, and (frankly) overconfident males. These hiring managers onboard their new hires, blind to their limitations and liabilities, and with limited understanding of their true passions and motivations.

It’s time to disrupt this whole dysfunctional dynamic.

How?

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