https://www.ted.com/talks/regina_hartley_why_the_best_hire_might_not_have_the_perfect_resume

For my final event blog post, I decided to watch another Ted Talk, this one called “Why the best hire might not have the perfect resume.” I thought this could be very applicable to not only leadership, but also college students. Regina Hartley discusses why the “silver spoon” candidate, who has the impeccable education, experience, and skills may not always be the best person for someone to hire. In fact, she says it is the job of a boss or leader to look a bit further into the potential employees, and weed out the “scrappers” in order to find future workers who will not be successful despite their adversity, but because of their adversity.

Hartley goes on to say that a series of odd jobs or a lower level education may indicate inconsistency and unpredictability in a candidate, but it also has the potential to indicate “a committed struggle against obstacles.” The question then becomes, is the leader willing to take a risk? According to Hartley, taking this risk has many possible benefits. She says that it is more likely to be beneficial to have an employee or follower who will be passionate, hard-working, and determined to perform the task at hand properly. The  candidate with the picture perfect resume may be able to complete the job, but their passion and focus may be at a lesser level because it is simply another job to them.