Brain breaks, deep-dives & blog articles

The concept of skills-based selection has become a pivotal aspect of modern HR practices. It emphasizes the objective evaluation of candidates’ competencies, both in their existing skills and their potential to acquire new ones. This approach ensures that hiring decisions are grounded in data-driven insights, leading to better matches between skills and the requirements of specific roles. In this blog, we will delve deeper into the critical process of skills-based selection and its impact on talent acquisition.

Almost 6 out of 10 vacancies are not filled or are only filled with difficulty. That is what the UWV concludes from a survey among more than 4,500 employers. Never before has the labor market been so stuck. The old solutions? Extend the vacancy, play with the terms of employment or launch a fun recruitment site. A patchwork that does not extend beyond the surface. Can we do better? Yes. BrainsFirst successfully introduced a new talent measurement tool that looks under the hood to find deep skills. The ability to find atypical talent increased significantly. And that’s only the beginning. “We’re going for Zero Talent Waste.”

There is no doubt that structured interviews are more reliable than the non-structured variants. By structuring interviews you reduce bias, such as the effect of the first impression. As soon as you, as a recruiter, see an applicant, you have (unconsciously) already made an initial judgment about someone, and there is a fair chance that this judgment will influence the nature of the questions and ultimately the final conclusion. For example, candidates with a migration background are more likely to be asked questions about the level of their integration and therefore fewer questions regarding the job. Research shows that these candidates receive a less positive review than native candidates. However, this difference is significantly less or even absent if a structured interview has taken place.

Have you ever walked from one room to another to realize that you have forgotten what you were up to? Yet when you retrace your steps, your previous intention magically pops up in mind again? Or have you ever forgotten your keys, your car, or even your kids on a busy day? All of this relates to working memory and, more specifically, to what we can and cannot do with it. BrainsFirst game based assessments give insights into working memory and more!

The Polish club, currently leading the national league, and the Amsterdam-based Sports tech company BrainsFirst started their collaboration this month with a focus on the identification and selection of the most promising football talents. The common goal is to make the process of talent identification & evaluation more fact-based, data-driven, and scalable. Better player selection leads to more home-grown players in the first team and a more positive transfer balance for the Polish club.

Welcome to the first episode of #neuroscienceinsights, where we explore the science that guides our choices. In the limitless labyrinth of the human mind, decision-making is a fundamental process that shapes our daily performance at work. Varying from the simple job-related choices we make daily to the decisive decisions defining our own or other people’s career paths. In this blog post, we dig into the fascinating world of neuroscience to gain insights into HR decision-making, drawing from the groundbreaking work of Daniel Kahneman, as presented in his bestseller book “Thinking, Fast and Slow.”

It’s not a problem that human beings are biased. The real problem is that the majority of people are not aware of this fact. The lack of diversity in companies is a widely discussed issue, with more than half of HR professionals acknowledging that their current policies fail to improve the situation. The selection approach, both for external and internal candidates, is key to achieving more diversity and an area where many companies fall short. Most talent acquisition processes are (unintentionally) detrimental to achieving diversity goals. This is primarily due to the unconscious bias of professionals involved in the selection of new employees. In this blog, we set a clear definition of unconscious bias in recruitment and how you can reach DEI goals in your organization.

One of the key findings from recent employee development research by McKinsey (2022) indicates that 75% of workers are open to alternative career paths and growth opportunities within their current organizations. This revelation underscores the importance of investing in employee development as a potent tool for talent retention. In this blog post, we will dig into the significance of employee development, its impact on talent retention, and practical ways to implement effective programs.

In a world that is constantly evolving, the ability to adapt to change has become a crucial skill for success. And at the core of this ability lies cognitive flexibility – the capacity to shift one’s thinking and behavior in response to new situations and challenges. From coping with job loss to adjusting to new technologies, those who possess cognitive flexibility are better equipped to navigate the uncertainties of life.

Many organizations often struggle to make the transition to a skills-based organization, primarily because they underestimate the significance of clearly defining skills. In this follow-up blog, we will delve deeper into the process of building a skills framework or skills taxonomy, which is the cornerstone of skills-based HR practices.

Do I have your attention? Great! Then let me tell you something about attention and how measuring it can provide insights into someone’s performance at work. Nowadays our attention is often tested to its limits as we are continuously bombarded with massive amounts of information. Finding the right information sometimes seems like finding a needle in a haystack. However, we “humans” are very good at discerning the relevant from the irrelevant and are able to complete tasks that at first sight seem impossible just by paying attention. But what is attention anyway?

Human resources is sometimes considered a tricky industry when it comes to return on investment (ROI). It is often difficult to obtain quantifiable data in relation to the work being carried out given that typically the HR department does not generate any direct income (mostly indirect). Investments in recruitment processes often make the executives quite nervous, as projects and programs often do not produce tangible short-term results. While the idea of a “more diverse workplace” or “greater employee satisfaction” seems like a good thing, the question remains whether this translates directly into a significant increase in revenue or improved productivity. Nevertheless, calculating return on investment offers HR professionals an excellent way to demonstrate the value of the profession and the work. In this blog we will provide some examples on how you can increase the ROI of your recruitment processes today.

Artificial intelligence is called a great solution for good and efficient pre-screening within large numbers of resumes and candidates for years now. There is a bit of confusion around what AI can and cannot do since it is such a broad concept. But when it comes down to the war for talent AI plays a very specific role: to give more accurate and more efficient predictions of a candidate’s work-related behaviors and performance potential. In this way, it can also help to remove bias from the first steps of the selection process. It is important to use a clear definition of AI in selection. AI is, “Finding patterns that people often don’t see by analyzing large amounts of data.” These patterns are converted into algorithms that are then used to make decisions that make the selection process more objective (read with less bias) and faster.

Bias; lately, much has been said about selection bias and the prevention of discrimination during the selection process. Yet the discussion and attempts to reduce bias during the selection process are of all times. The Boston Symphony Orchestra, for example, introduced blind auditions in the 1950s where musicians performed behind a screen and were not visible to the selectors. The goal was to eliminate gender bias and bring more diversity to the largely male orchestra. By selecting on talent and not on gender, the chance for a woman to be admitted rose from 25% to 46%.

The Spanish club, currently in the top ranks, and the Amsterdam-based Sports-tech company BrainsFirst start their collaboration this month with a focus on the identification and selection of the most promising football talents. The common goal is to make the process of talent identification & evaluation more fact-based, data-driven, and scalable. Especially in times of Corona, remote testing is of great value. BrainsFirst offers an online validated assessment games platform, by combining gamification and its neuroscience-based technology.