How to make applying for jobs less painful | The Way We Work, a TED series
The Résumé is Broken
In this section, the speaker discusses how applying for jobs online and in person is a terrible experience for people. They also highlight that hiring as we know it is broken on many fronts.
The Problem with Résumés
- Résumés only show what someone has done in the past, not their potential to do something new.
- With a quickly changing economy where jobs are coming online that might require skills that nobody has, résumés are not enough to match people to the jobs of the future.
Multimeasure Tests
- Multimeasure tests are a way to understand someone's inherent traits such as memory and attentiveness.
- These tests can be used to find out what traits make someone good at a certain job.
Using Algorithms for Hiring
- Algorithms have gotten pretty good at matching people to things.
- Companies can use neuroscience exercises like multimeasure tests to develop algorithms that understand what makes top performers unique.
Understanding Traits for Job Fit
In this section, the speaker explains how multimeasure tests can help identify an individual's inherent traits and how these traits can be used to determine job fit.
Clap Game Example
- A flashing circle appears and participants must clap when it turns red and do nothing when it's green.
- Results from this game can indicate an individual's level of attentiveness or impulsivity, which can be used to determine job fit.
Using Traits for Job Fit
- People who are high in attentiveness and restraint tend to be great students, test-takers, and project managers.
- People who are more impulsive and creative tend to make top-performing salespeople.
Building Equitable Algorithms
In this section, the speaker discusses how technology can create algorithms that are more equitable and fair than human beings have ever been.
The Danger of Bias
- Building algorithms based on current top performers may perpetuate biases that already exist.
- Every algorithm put into production has been pretested to ensure it doesn't favor any gender or ethnicity.
Harnessing the Power of Technology for Deeper Self-Understanding
In this section, the speaker discusses how technology can be used to transcend biases and help individuals gain a deeper understanding of themselves.
The Potential of Technology
- Focusing on inherent characteristics can transcend biases such as racism, classism, sexism, ageism, and good schoolism.
- Technology has the potential to provide real guidance on what individuals should be doing based on who they are at a deeper level.