Why Employers Should Stop Hiring Based on Work History

May 20, 2019

  • May 20, 2019 at 10:48 am
    Some Guy says:
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    Completely missing from this article is what the FSU research found to be more credible to look at/consider than work history. The article indicates work experience/history isn’t always credible.

    Well…..what IS credible?

    • May 20, 2019 at 1:49 pm
      rob says:
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      135% of people don’t understand statistics.

      • May 20, 2019 at 3:00 pm
        Rosenblatt says:
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        “Oh, people can come up with statistics to prove anything, Kent. Forty percent of all people know that!” :)

    • May 22, 2019 at 11:55 am
      UW says:
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      Cognitive ability tests, structured interviews, situational judgment tests, and college GPA.

      However, almost no HR departments are qualified to do any of these other than check college GPA, which os oftentimes just an indication of how much money the persons parents had, ie they didn’t have to work during school, got tutors, went to top schools with grade inflation.

      It’s still kind blowing to me most companies still use HR departments to screen candidates when they generally have no idea what most jobs entail and no ability to discuss technical subjects in even a basic level. Is like having a group of blind people pick painters to make art for a gallery. For a lot of insurance jobs paying for a week or two of good training would be better than all time stuff they do in most offices I’ve been at. How often does a person leave and their replacement doesn’t start until they’re gone instead of coming in and shadowing them for example.

      • May 29, 2019 at 11:37 pm
        JEM says:
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        Structured interviews are fine, and still aren’t able to do better than 40% effectiveness in hiring decisions – which is significantly better than a straight interview. HR people shouldn’t be doing technical capability interviews – and most don’t try.

        It is next to impossible to hire someone in 2 weeks for a two week notice professional leaving a job.

  • May 20, 2019 at 12:39 pm
    SacFlood says:
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    Experience, skills, education, attitude, past successes, how one learned from past failures, fit, personality testing results, intelligence test results (at least basic math and English), even Myers-Briggs results, advanced degree(s), grades while in school, extracurricular activities (both while in school, as well as while employed post-graduation, such as civic clubs like the Lions, Rotary, Kiwanis, Toastmasters, and professional organizations (NAIFA, Big I, etc.) and personal & professional references should all be gathered, considered and weighed in hiring.

  • May 20, 2019 at 1:25 pm
    craig says:
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    Investing in employees is the same as making any other investment. “Past performance does not guarantee future results.”

  • May 20, 2019 at 1:43 pm
    MightyQuinn says:
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    Our son, 33, has a BS from ASU and a Master in Business from Stanford. He worked for 5 years after graduation with a financial services firm before being diagnosed as Bi-polar. The 24/7 stress in that position virtually killed his future. We are all fortunate in that it did not kill him. After several years of unemployment since his break he has not recovered, he will never recover, but he has stabilized his meds and he is ready to once again enter the job market. However, it will be difficult for him as his prior achievements are many years ago and his recent achievements are strictly personal. In today’s world of what have you done for me recently his climb back will be difficult at best. His job search though would be greatly helped if employers will consider his academic & work achievements in concert with his personal comeback. This is one of the situation in which determination and guts are worthy of consideration.

  • May 20, 2019 at 1:48 pm
    rob says:
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    if I see someone has switched jobs around A LOT in their career, I’m going to question it. What are the reasons why you’ve had 10 jobs in 10 years when another applicant has only had 1 or 2? It’s like if you’ve been married 5 times, at some point you have to face the fact that YOU might be the problem.

    • May 29, 2019 at 11:01 pm
      adam says:
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      I don’t think the article says that job hopping should not be questioned. Rather, it says that job hopping does not correlate with success in the new role. Therefore, the candidate should not be discarded based on that factor.

  • May 20, 2019 at 1:58 pm
    chad balaamaba says:
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    sure to sell some books to some new age HR specialists who will revolutionize hiring now!

  • May 20, 2019 at 2:04 pm
    raye knoll says:
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    The same study found 99% of the people who shop for new furniture buy furniture at the last furniture store they go to…while 1% keep shopping even though they already bought the new items…referred to as Bob Barker syndrome…

  • May 20, 2019 at 2:15 pm
    The other guy says:
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    This sounds like the study was focusing on the IT industry…where there is constant turnover in that industry.

  • May 20, 2019 at 2:21 pm
    Dodie says:
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    This is the primary reason an underwriter with five years experience thinks they can be a vice president. This is nonsense!

  • May 20, 2019 at 2:49 pm
    AMG says:
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    Not looking at experience or stability in job is a good indicator they will not last. The work ethic is not there, and specially if they have not ever worked in an office environment and wants a higher pay and promotion is just crazy.

  • May 21, 2019 at 8:46 am
    barb wired says:
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    Gee, I wonder what sort of experience the folks doing the research had, or did they learn on the job? The idea of a “study” by someone at some college seems to add credibility to something that really is just a crap shoot, when hiring new employees.

  • May 21, 2019 at 11:20 am
    knowall says:
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    A lot of success at work depends on whether the personalities get along or not; this assumes they have a good product or service to peddle. I’ve seen people booted out of one place go to another and be a hero.

  • May 21, 2019 at 11:55 am
    craig cornell says:
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    As the saying goes: “He has 14 years of experience, and every year was exactly the same.”

    STILL, if I am interviewing baseball players or sales people or sugeons, I want to see not the “experience” of the candidate but the performance in the past as a baseball player or sales person surgeon. Nearly every major study on effective hiring places major emphasis on past performance as a guide.

  • May 21, 2019 at 10:54 pm
    knowall says:
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    Interesting, but the dynamics of and between the management and the employees has a lot of influence on the performance outcome. Obviously, the person has to put forth their best foot, or at least try and keep their foot out of their mouth….

    I have sometimes seen a blasé employee suddenly shine when a key employee leaves. I guess they just needed to be given a chance.

    The coach who came from W Virginia? to Michigan found out his offense did not work here — great things were expected but it didn’t work.

    • June 3, 2019 at 3:16 pm
      Agent says:
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      Coaches are notorious for job hopping. Seldom do we see a coach sticking around for 20 years with one team.

  • May 23, 2019 at 2:25 pm
    A Fan says:
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    Wow! Well articulated and intelligent comments by all. Without a single veer off the tracks into political jabs and insults. Today is a good day… Way to go !

  • May 29, 2019 at 4:01 pm
    chiponthecape says:
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    Good one A Fan!

  • May 29, 2019 at 11:47 pm
    JEM says:
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    HR departments have long known the old school job hopping rules no longer apply so I don’t know where the investigators got the idea this is still true. Any good interviewer should probe a candidates work history, and determine whether it raises flags or not. A template assessment has never been smart – though I realize people always look for shortcuts.

    But HR still is reading people, getting people who fit your culture, and acting quickly to correct people who are going off track. All the interesting processes developed by the consulting houses are really nothing more than pseudo-scientific guesses made to make their practitioners feel more confident about their decisions. The Lominger model claimed employee development processes based upon behavioral attributes or competencies would help you find your next leader. They actually boasted that GE had developed their CEO at the time using the method. That CEO? J. Immelt, one of the single worst major company CEOs in history, and responsible for GE’s massive financial difficulties today.

    But hey, he had “Ability to Navigate company Politics” down pat!

  • October 3, 2019 at 4:05 pm
    Talkie says:
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    IT is wrong to judge the future by looking at the past. Hire the worst candidates and see what happens.



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