96. Recruitment and selection without resumes - with Dina Bayasanova Ph.D

What if you could apply for a job without a resume?  

We are so accustomed to the traditional ways of doing things, and it’s sometimes hard to imagine what it would be like to do things differently. Frankly, recruitment and selection are out of pace with the new world, and our guest for this episode is ahead of the game.

Our guest for this podcast episode is Dina Bayasanova, the Co-Founder and CEO of the skills-based talent marketplace, PitchMe. Dina has established herself as a thought leader in the future of the work industry. We discussed many vital issues facing job candidates through recruitment and selection, especially how the traditional process fails both parties. 

An excellent example of why it needs improvement is the urgent need to look at soft skills instead of hard skills alone: “Soft skills, which are highly transferable, can’t be taught in a short space of time, whereas hard skills can be part of training within a person’s working position.” says Dina.

We also discussed the need for adaptability and transferable skills to be better understood by employers and how to showcase skills that can transfer between roles and sectors that can be applied to different business areas and help employees pivot in future positions.

Watch it on YouTube:

Are there other ways to do recruitment and selection?

Here are three main problems of recruitment and selection:

1. Fast-paced work environment: businesses are developing way faster than they used to. And the traditional recruitment doesn’t catch up with the speed of hiring need.
2. Professionals are acquiring skills in a non-linear way: More than ever, learning cannot only be assessed by a candidate’s traditional education or past employment. Knowledge acquisition is now happening in various methods, such as online education, reading and listening daily, news, and podcasts; so much can contribute to skills acquisition.
3. The traditional CV failed to present the full potential of a person.

Why should employers value and hire more career shifters?

In our interview, Dina Bayasanova provides the following tips for employers, which are also applicable to job hunters:

1. Employers should write down the skills they are looking for: professional and interpersonal skills, and then group them by requirements. 
2. Assess the skills list (from above) by asking the following questions:
   • How are these skills going to be applied to the role you are advertising?
   • What are their skills going to be achieving for the organization?
   • What are the expectations from the new employee?
   • Who is the employee going to be communicating with?
   • Who is the best line manager for this role?
   • What are the role responsibilities and the assessment criteria?
3. Do the best job you can to attract top talent: Companies need to work harder to attract the best talent. Candidates have a variety of opportunities to choose from. 

Dina’s advice to job hunters:

1. Google yourself and revise your digital footprint.
2. If you have done anything which can showcase and improve your existing skillset, don’t hesitate to demonstrate it.
3. Work on your LinkedIn and try to network with people within the sector or the potential companies you are applying with. Network with people and understand their hiring process. 

About our guest, Dina Bayasanova:

Dina Bayasanova is the Co-Founder and CEO of the skills-based talent marketplace, PitchMe. Before co-founding PitchMe, Dina spent 12 years working for oil and gas multinationals, including Gazprom, Enel, and Zurich Investment Services. Today, Dina has established herself as a thought-leader in the future of the work industry. She has been a mentor at the Exeter Entrepreneurship society and King’s College in London. She has spoken at numerous events, such as the Entrepreneur.com SYOB series and TEDTalk LSE. Dina was also the winner of the MIT Inclusive Innovation Challenge in 2019. She holds a Ph.D. in Economics. Find out more about PitchMe.

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Podcast Episode Timestamps:

• 05:17 - Dina’s career
• 07:49 - What is Pitch Me
• 18:51 - Why Dina wanted to disrupt recruitment
• 21:00 - Video component in recruitment
• 24:18 - Employers should hire career shifters
• 28:27 - How employers should advertise for jobs
• 33:18 - Dina’s advice to job hunters

Links mentioned in this episode: 

• Talking to Strangers by Malcolm Gladwell
• Pitch Me
• Click here to open the transcript of this episode on our new blog.