From Basic Instinct To Thoughtful Decisions

By Ray Bixler, Posted February 11, 2010

Evolutionary psychologists make a convincing case that we humans are hard-wired with instincts that govern much of what we do.  That may be well and good for selecting our mates, but I challenge the wisdom of allowing instincts to control who we hire.

Many corporate recruiters defend their practice of using the phone to interview a candidate’s references, because they feel this enables them to sense innuendos.  Their “instincts” tell them when a reference is not telling the whole story.  The notion is that a change in intonation or a “pregnant pause” could mean that the reference is trying to send a message without putting it into words.

Or, it could mean that the reference is distracted by what’s going on outside the window.  Maybe he’s searching for airfares. Maybe she’s signing checks. Do you really want to base a critical decision, such as hiring your next top performer who can impact your company’s bottom-line, on “instinct?”  Granted, it could be a notch above using Mattel’s Magic 8 Ball®, but not by much.

“Just as medical decisions are better for patients when they are based on sound evidence, this same idea ought to be applied to management.” (David Kessler, MD, Dean of School of Medicine & Vice Chancellor for Med Affairs, UC-SF).  Fortunately, we now have the means to elicit reliable and valid feedback from references via a Web-based survey.  With SkillSurvey Pre-Hire 360® it’s all there—the use of best practices to gather quantitative and qualitative feedback, with no need to rely on instinct or innuendo.

Up Next:  Job Interviews and The Pursuit of Happiness