Hiring Dilemma: When You're on the Fence About a Candidate 

We asked, and YOU answered!

Our recent survey on handling uncertainty at the end of the interview process revealed that most of you would do a reference check.

Now here's the Informed Decisions hot take:

Sometimes, even after a full interview process, you're still not 100% sure. 

What then? 

If reference checks don't cut it, here's our 4-step Informed Decisions approach:

1️⃣ Transparency is key: Communicate your concerns to the candidate.

2️⃣ Respect their time: Offer compensation for any additional assessments and try to keep it down to one additional step.

3️⃣ Set clear expectations: Brief them on what's coming next.

4️⃣ Stay objective: Use structured interviews/assessments and scoring rubrics to focus on what matters.

💡 Pro tip: If you're frequently uncertain, it might be time to revamp your interview process! 

Ready to streamline your hiring? Let's chat! 

#Informedecisions #HiringTips 

Confession: I love interview gossip.

🙊 Why did they really leave their last company?

🙊 What’s the story behind that career break?

🙊 Why did they relocate?

🙊 What’s their partner doing?

If a candidate hints at a personal story, I want to know more.

I’m dying to ask.

But I never do.

𝗕𝗲𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗶𝘁’𝘀 𝗡𝗢𝗡𝗘 𝗼𝗳 𝗺𝘆 𝗱𝗮*𝗺 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀.

It tells me nothing about whether they can do the job.

And even if it’s slightly relevant, it’s not worth the risk of making the candidate feel exposed or judged.

An interview is not a gossip session.

It’s not therapy.

It’s a structured process to assess skills, motivations, values, and behaviors.

So yes-stay curious.

But direct that curiosity where it matters: job fit, not personal drama.

👀 I’m curious—Which areas do you feel comfortable drilling into, and which do you stay away from?

#Interviews #Hiring #Informedecisions

𝗦𝗵𝗼𝗰𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴: 𝗘𝘂𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲’𝘀 𝗵𝗶𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘀 𝟱𝟰% 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 

McKinsey’s HR Monitor, published July 2025, reports only 46% hiring success. 

In other words, you’d be better off flipping a coin. 

Why? Because humans make the call (as they should) 

But unstructured processes amplify subjectivity + bias: “gut feel,” intuition, and similarity disguised as culture fit.

The bill shows up later in churn, retraining, and missed performance.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗱𝗼 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗱 (𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗲 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝗮𝘁 Informed Decisions):

1. Structure the decision. Calibrated scorecards + consistent questions so interviewers compare apples to apples (not vibes).

2. Coach interviewers with data. Individual, behavior-level feedback so humans improve. Research shows that generic bias training doesn't work.

3. Close the loop with Quality of Hire. Track QoH at individual + team level to reverse-engineer what works and fix failure points fast.

This isn’t about replacing judgment - it’s giving humans a system that makes the right call easier.

#Hiring #Interviews #Informedecisions

Picture source: McKinsey, HR Monitor 2025

𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗔𝗜 𝗸𝗲𝗲𝗽𝘀 𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝗼𝗹𝗱 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄 𝗾𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀

Because that’s what it’s being fed—thousands of interview guides, blog posts, templates. And what shows up over and over?

👉 “𝘛𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘢 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯...”

Here’s one example we found on the homepage of a vendor that prides itself on AI-generated interview guides:

> “𝘛𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘢 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘥𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘢 𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘨𝘶𝘦’𝘴 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘵𝘺𝘭𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘦 𝘢 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘫𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘦𝘦𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘰𝘣𝘫𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘴.”

There’s nothing inherently wrong with behavioral questions. But over-relying on them-especially in AI-generated interviews, is risky.

1️⃣ 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸—𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝘄𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗼𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲—𝗸𝗲𝗲𝗽𝘀 𝗲𝘃𝗼𝗹𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴.

The skills it took to navigate a team clash a couple of years ago look different in today’s async, AI-enabled, globally distributed world. Past stories don’t always reflect current skills.

2️⃣ 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝘅𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀.

Just because someone adapted in a previous environment doesn’t mean they’ll adapt in yours. Different pace, different culture, different pressure. Behavioral answers don’t always transfer.

3️⃣ 𝗜𝘁 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀.

The question assumes the candidate succeeded. It subtly tells them the “right” answer - before they even speak.

✅ At @Informed Decisions, we take a different path

• In a live interview, we might simulate a work planning session with a teammate who communicates very differently.

• In a take-home, we might drop in an unexpected email from a colleague mid-task that changes the scope or contradicts prior instructions.

What we learn:

🧭 Can they course-correct?

🗣️ Do they clarify or escalate?

🧩 Do they default to process, or do they seek alignment?

AI isn’t the enemy here. But without intentional design, it recycles the past, when what we need is a clearer view of future behavior.

#AI #Interviews #Informedecisions

𝗜𝗺𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗮 𝗯𝗮𝘀𝗸𝗲𝘁𝗯𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘆𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘁... 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗯𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗳𝗼𝗹𝗱𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗹𝘆 𝗮𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗿.

They never see if the ball goes in. No feedback. No idea what to adjust.

Sounds absurd, right?

Yet that’s what happens when Talent Acquisition teams don’t measure quality of hire.

If you’re not connecting hiring decisions and interview scores to performance and retention data, you’re playing blind, never knowing what’s working, what’s not, or how to improve.

For a long time, this was hard to do.

Hiring data sat in one system, performance and retention data in another, making it super hard to link them.

Not anymore.

With Informed Decisions Interview Intelligence, we bridge the gap, tying interview insights directly to post-hire outcomes so you can see:

--> Which interviewers are truly predictive

--> Which skills actually drive top performance

--> How to refine your process for better, faster, fairer hiring

Stop shooting blind. Start making every hire a slam dunk.

#Hiring #QualityofHire #Informedecisions

Why Are Interviews Broken? Reason #1 (and How to Fix It)

Shiran on Why Are Interviews Broken

Trusting intuition over data.

Gut feelings might feel right, but research says otherwise:
1. Structured interviews are twice as effective at predicting job performance compared to unstructured ones.
2. Algorithms outperform human intuition, reducing bias and improving hiring outcomes.

The problem?
Most hiring decisions are still based on subjective “gut instincts,” leading to inconsistent and biased results.

How to fix it:

By shifting from intuition to data, you’ll hire smarter, fairer, and more effectively.

Stay tuned for Reason #2

#interviews #hiring #informedecisions

Me: Did you use the skills-based interview guide I made for you?

Hiring manager

skills-based interview

#informedecisions #skillsbasedhiring #interviewintelligence

When we ignore skills and choose candidates just because they are similar to us...

#informedecisions #biashacking #similartomebias

When we choose candidates just because they are similar

Sales Leaders – This One Question Reveals True Drive

Want to know if a candidate has real sales motivation or just likes the idea of sales?

Ask them this:

"Which compensation model would you prefer?"

1️⃣ High base salary, no commissions.
2️⃣ Lower base, high commission potential.

The answer says everything.

Sales winners don’t just accept commission-based pay—they believe in their ability to earn big.

They see financial upside as motivation, not a risk.

Of course, not every sales role is the same. 

But if a candidate hesitates at the idea of performance-based earnings, are they really built for the pressure of sales?

Watch this short clip to see this tactic in action.

Check out the full "Hire Sales Winners" webinar for more game-changing interview strategies.

👉 https://www.linkedin.com/events/hiresaleswinners-10proventactic7256622253704892417/theater/

#sales #interviews #hiresaleswinners #informedecisions

Think Sales-Driven Means Hitting Quota? Think Again

Forget the buzzwords.

Being "sales-driven" isn't just a catchy phrase to put on resumes...

Here's what it ACTUALLY looks like in successful performers:

1. They're PASSIONATE about the win

Not just hitting targets - they get a genuine THRILL from landing new accounts.

It shows in their energy and approach.

2. They're OPPORTUNITY FOCUSED

While others wait for leads...

These reps actively:

• Prospect new accounts

• Find upsell opportunities

• Create conversations

• Open new doors

3. They're MULTI-CHANNEL MASTERS

Not satisfied with just:

LinkedIn outreach ❌

Or just events ❌

Or just referrals ❌

They leverage EVERY possible avenue to reach prospects.

🔥 KEY INSIGHT: Sales-driven professionals understand business dynamics. They develop strong instincts for which prospects are most likely to convert.

Curious about spotting these traits in your next hire?

Watch the full clip here: 

And catch our full webinar to learn how to assess true sales motivation

👉 https://www.linkedin.com/events/hiresaleswinners-10proventactic7256622253704892417/theater/

Simple question: What's your best indicator of a truly sales-driven mindset?

#sales #interviews #informedecisions