it's ALL about the experience

Shift Happens

Some very interesting conversations have been taking place here, here and here recently about technology, globalization, and their forecasted impact on companies and job seekers around the world.  But I stumbled across this tonight, and began to grasp the gravity of the situation from a big-picture view.  My grandchildren truly will join the workforce on a much different playing field.

Produced by Karl Fisch and Scott McLeod, this video takes about 8 minutes to watch -- and is definitely worth the time.  Put nicely, recruiters should expect to be working hard for decades to come, and companies might consider adding "virtual office" to the list of reasons why qualified candidates find them more attractive than the competition.

Tags: Recruiting, Hiring, Technology, Globalization

Liar, Liar, We Won't Hire

Here's one for you. 

The very smart folks over at Stanford University hold a weekly Symbolic Systems Forum, and in mid-April they had an interesting visitor.  Hank Greely, a professor at Stanford Law School, spoke to the Forum about "neuroethics," that place where science, ethics and the law intersect in the study of the human brain.  In his presentation Professor Greely stated:

Neuroscience is in the midst of a revolution that is transforming our knowledge of the human brain and how it works. Our ability to predict future mental illness, neurological disease, or personality characteristics is expanding dramatically. We seem likely to be able to use devices to "read minds," by directly detecting brain activity that is correlated with various mental states. And drugs and devices, developed to help the injured or ill, hold out the possibility of "enhancing" human brains with unprecedented powers.

Now fast forward to this week, when I read that two companies are going to market with lie detection products for use in pre-employment screening.   "Excuse me, candidate - before we start the interview, would you mind just slipping this little electrode on your finger?  Thanks so much! "  George Orwell would be proud.

Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) is the technology at the base of these products; since the early 1990's researchers have been using it to advance the understanding of how the brain is organized and activated during use.   Although still on the frontier of neural science research, fMRI is thought to have the potential to set new standards in assessing neurological status.  In plain English, this means that there are those who believe that (among its other uses) fMRI can be used to detect both deception and intention in job seekers.  Sounds a lot like mind reading, doesn't it?  What's more, further advances in technology are making it possible to administer these kinds of tests without the knowledge of the subject.

All of this certainly raises  ethical questions about the line between what is possible to do and what is advisable to do in the context of hiring.  However, it also puts a spotlight on subtle employment branding messages that companies inadvertently broadcast about their internal culture.

An old proverb states that people get the government they deserve.   In a similar way, employers get the caliber of employees they deserve - and in a free market economy the competition for talent is a major factor in the performance of the business.

Things that make you say "hmmm."

Technorati tags: recruiting hiring screening employment