Talent, Hiring and Human Capital

Hiring decisions compound, because output is the sum of what the people already inside can do, and the standard selection methods predict performance badly, with the unstructured interview the worst of them. Bock reports what Google's own data showed about structured interviews, work samples and the uselessness of brainteasers; Adler starts from a written definition of the performance the job requires rather than a list of qualifications. Cowen and Gross and George Anders both address finding ability before a credential certifies it, which matters most for roles where the supply of obvious candidates is thin. Colvin makes the case that deliberate practice rather than innate gift produces top performers, Hoffman reframes employment as an explicit tour of duty, and Ton shows how retail and service firms make higher wages pay through productivity and lower turnover.

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