Proven Recruiting

21 questions to determine your candidate's past track record, present mindset, and future aspirations - all while uncovering whether they have what it takes to join your team.

Tonight's presidential debate promises to be a rare masterclass in interviewing. Job seekers take note - here's what to watch for as the candidates take the stage: - How do the nominees make themselves relatable? Likable? - Do they showcase their knowledge of specific skills/policies, or do they focus on big-picture ideas? - Do they answer the questions asked of them or pivot? Is this a good strategy? - How do they manage/shift the conversation in their favor? - What rhetorical techniques do they employ (exaggeration; humor; dramatic pauses; speaking slowly/quickly; hand gestures; etc.)? Ingram Losner is taking a deep dive into the qualities that make our presidential nominees fantastic performers. Love them or hate them, we can all learn something from Trump and Harris's masterful interview skills. Read all about it and enjoy tonight's debate!

You just wrapped up an interview with a candidate who seems like the perfect fit. She attended your alma mater, shares a similarly impressive career path, and you even bonded over your mutual love for HBO's Succession. Sounds like a no-brainer to hire her, right? The problem is, teams thrive on constructive dissent. When everyone shares similar backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives, innovation tends to stall. Here’s why: - Fresh ideas emerge from healthy debate. Hiring someone too similar can stifle the productive conflict that drives progress. - You might be overlooking exceptional candidates simply because their experiences and viewpoints differ from yours. - Meetings lose their spark when everyone thinks alike. Diverse perspectives fuel creativity and push teams toward more innovative solutions. Diversity of thought is one of the most critical elements for building a resilient team, yet it's often undervalued in the hiring process. Many managers fall into the trap of prioritizing familiarity over real potential. How can you make sure you're building a team that values new perspectives over comfort and similarity?

Making $100K/year? Big deal, these days that doesn't even cover rent. Okay, slight exaggeration - but with inflation up, housing skyrocketing, and childcare costs at all time highs, it's no wonder $100K doesn't sound nearly as prestigious as it used to. While salary expectations vary by location, people in most states set the upper boundary for a middle class income at $130-160K annually. In some states that upper bound is nearly $200K. Suddenly $100K/year doesn't sound so impressive. What does a single person have to make in 2024 to live comfortably? P.S. If you're curious, you can check out middle class incomes by state here: https://lnkd.in/etidBfaY

You don't need a recruiter to help you hire - you just need an abundance of time, patience, research capacity, compassion, and luck. And also deep knowledge of your market and compensation trends. And a strong network wouldn't hurt, either. And don't forget your normal job! Jokes aside, hiring involves a lot of moving parts. How can we expect managers to balance their own workloads, their team's morale, and a lengthy hiring process, especially when the consequences of a bad hire are so high? https://lnkd.in/e_5jsJMA

When your leadership skills slip, your best people start leaving. People work for managers, not companies. Ensuring that your people are satisfied professionally, socially, and creatively is the best retention tool out there (plus it's free!). Run through the checklist, take stock of what needs improvement, and set out with clear intentions as we step into fall. Your people will thank you!

Is making eye contact in an interview too much to ask? Yes, apparently - if you're a recent college graduate. - 53% of managers say new grads “struggle with eye contact” in interviews - 47% of managers say Gen Z candidates arrive inappropriately dressed - 27% of managers fault recent graduates for using inappropriate language Notice how no one is criticizing Gen Z’s abilities or preparedness. No – instead the findings point to a lack of fundamental social skills. Fumbling through interview questions is understandable; refusing to be on camera for virtual interviews is far less so. Bringing a parent to an interview - well, you may as well just pull your application now. Maybe the survey only reached overworked, bitter managers looking to vent their frustrations. Maybe executives need to “get with the times” and stop relying on soft skills. Or maybe – and most likely – Gen Z has some serious work to do if they want to secure their spot in corporate America. Managers – how are you dealing with new grads? Do you think years of covid-induced isolation has hurt Gen Z’s social skills? Or is this survey full of BS (pardon our language, we're channeling our inner Gen Z!)? P.S. Browse the full findings here: https://lnkd.in/euF5yWqv.

- Commercial pilots must retire by 65. - National park rangers must retire by 57. - Florida Supreme Court judges must retire by 70. The list goes on...but not by much. That's partially because older workers are excellent contributors who shouldn't be pressured into leaving the workforce, and partially because the ADEA protects workers aged 40+ against age-based discrimination. That said, there are some very valid arguments for instating a mandatory retirement age - including the reality that younger workers need space to grow and lead, are more likely to be bogged down by debt, and can't rely on social security. We all just witnessed on a national scale what happens when age is ignored. Age doesn't have to be a limitation - and it isn't, for many - but pretending that it's totally irrelevant is disingenuous. Many jobs require a minimum age (especially in political office). Should they have upper limits, too?

For a long time, questioning the premise of DEI was entirely taboo. To do so was to show disloyalty to a well-intentioned and much-beloved social movement founded on equality and justice. And in exchange for said loyalty, companies were promised higher profits - at least, that's what McKinsey claimed in its landmark study tracing a link between executive diversity and profitability. That study was recently debunked by the Wall Street Journal. According to new data, DEI-forward companies appear to be no more profitable than average companies. But what, exactly, does this mean for business? Should the whole premise of DEI be thrown out? Or is there merit still to the philosophy, even if it doesn't directly result in higher profits? Proven's Co-CEO Louis Song joins the team at RefAssured to dig into the topic. Listen here: https://lnkd.in/eHx9zn3n https://lnkd.in/enCAnw2r

Update on the use of ChatGPT / GenAI to “cheat” interviews: Managers, especially in tech, are increasingly seeing candidates rely on AI-generated responses during interviews. While few interviewers are willing to directly accuse candidates of "cheating," the concern persists. In response, hiring managers are being forced to develop more creative, unpredictable interview styles. Like quasi-detectives, they're carefully tracking eye movements and AI-favored terms. Hiring a good person is already tough, but the addition of highly intelligent machine learning models makes it nearly impossible to distinguish an exceptional candidate from an exceptionally skilled prompt engineer. The best way to avoid this whole mess? Bring people in for in-person interviews. Even early-round interviews benefit from this treatment; you’ll learn whether they’re the right fit faster, and you’ll worry less about their capabilities in future (potentially virtual) interviews if you’ve already confirmed their baseline skills. If in-person interviews aren’t possible, then you’ll have to don your investigator hat once more. One thing that we’ve seen help – invest in an AI notetaker and ask candidates to refrain from typing throughout the interview. Let them know that you’ll send all notes following the meeting, so no need to write anything down. How is your team dealing with the increase in AI-assisted responses? And if you’re a candidate – do you think it’s ethical to use GenAI in an interview?