We never ask candidates to demonstrate their skill. We ask…
“We never ask candidates to demonstrate their skill. We ask lots of questions about past experience, but simply looking at the results of their decisions does not let us understand the process that they used to make the choice in the first place. A good analogy is sports. If you wanted to know how well a person plays basketball, for example, you could look at statistics like shooting percentage or blocked shots. But, this is just an historical account of how well the individual played in the past - the numbers do not tell us much about how that individual plays basketball now.”
About This Quote
This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.
Hiring based on past results ignores the decision‑making process, which is essential to predict future performance.
In simple terms: Past results don’t reveal how decisions are made.
Assess process, not just outcomes.
Themes
Mood
Type
When to use this quote
- interview
- performance reviews
- team hiring
- skill evaluation
Key Concepts
Questions to Reflect On
- How can we observe real‑time problem solving?
- What metrics reveal decision quality?
Candidates may game statistics without true ability.