8. Jason Shen: Looking for a job? Highlight your ability, not your experience | TED Talk

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Jason Shen: Looking for a job? Highlight your ability, not your experience | TED Talk

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English Script

00:03

You know who I’m envious of? People who work in a job
that has to do with their college major.

00:06

(Laughter)

00:20

Journalists who studied journalism, engineers who studied engineering. The truth is, these folks
are no longer the rule, but the exception. A 2010 study found that
only a quarter of college graduates work in a field
that relates to their degree.

00:28

I graduated with not one
but two degrees in biology. To my parents’ dismay,
I am neither a doctor nor a scientist.

00:32

(Laughter)

01:21

Years of studying DNA replication
and photosynthesis did little to prepare me
for a career in technology. I had to teach myself everything
from sales, marketing, strategy, even a little programming, on my own. I had never held the title
of Product Manager before I sent my resume in to Etsy. I had already been turned down
by Google and several other firms and was getting frustrated. The company had recently gone public, so as part of my job application, I read the IPO filings from cover to cover and built a website from scratch
which included my analysis of the business and four ideas for new features. It turned out the team was actively
working on two of those ideas and had seriously considered a third. I got the job.

01:40

We all know people who were ignored
or overlooked at first but went on to prove their critics wrong. My favorite story? Brian Acton, an engineering manager who was rejected
by both Twitter and Facebook before cofounding WhatsApp, the mobile messaging platform
that would sell for 19 billion dollars.

02:29

The hiring systems we built
in the 20th century are failing us and causing us to miss out
on people with incredible potential. The advances in robotics
and machine learning and transforming the way we work, automating routine tasks
in many occupations while augmenting and amplifying
human labor in others. At this rate, we should all be expecting
to do jobs we’ve never done before for the rest of our careers. So what are the tools
and strategies we need to identify tomorrow’s high performers? In search for answers, I’ve consulted
with leaders across many sectors, read dozens of reports and research papers and conducted some of my own
talent experiments. My quest is far from over, but here are three ideas to take forward.

03:19

One: expand your search. If we only look for talent
in the same places we always do – gifted child programs, Ivy League schools, prestigious organizations – we’re going to get
the same results we always have. Baseball was transformed
when the cash-strapped Oakland Athletics started recruiting players
who didn’t score highly on traditionally valued metrics,
like runs batted in, but who had the ability
to help the team score points and win games. This idea is taking hold
outside of sports. The Head of Design
and Research at Pinterest told me that they’ve built
one of the most diverse and high-performing teams
in Silicon Valley because they believe
that no one type of person holds a monopoly on talent. They’ve worked hard
to look beyond major tech hubs and focus on designers’ portfolios, not their pedigrees.

04:05

Two: hire for performance. Inspired by my own job experience, I cofounded a hiring platform
called Headlight, which gives candidates
an opportunity to shine. Just as teams have tryouts
and plays have auditions, candidates should be asked
to demonstrate their skills before they’re hired. Our clients are benefiting
from 85 years of employment research, which shows that work samples are one of the best predictors
of success on the job. If you’re hiring a data analyst, give them a spreadsheet of historical data
and ask them for their key insights. If you’re hiring a marketing manager, have them plan a launch campaign
for a new product. And if you’re a candidate,
don’t wait for an employer to ask. Seek out ways to showcase
your unique skills and abilities outside of just the standard
resume and cover letter.

04:24

Three: get the bigger picture. I’ve heard about recruiters who are quick
to label a candidate a job-hopper based on a single
short stint on their resume; read about professors who are more likely
to ignore identical messages from students because their name
was black or Asian instead of white.

04:41

I was almost put on
a special needs track as a child. A month into kindergarten, my teacher wrote a page-long memo noting that I was impulsive, had a short attention span, and despite my wonderful curiosity, I was exhausting to work with.

04:43

(Laughter)

05:18

The principal asked
my parents into a meeting, asked my mother if there
had been complications at birth and suggested I meet
with a school psychologist. My father saw what was happening and quickly explained
our family situation. As recent immigrants,
we lived in the attic of a home that cared for adults
with mental disabilities. My parents worked nights
to make ends meet, and I had little opportunity
to spend time with kids my own age. Is it really a surprise
that an understimulated five-year-old boy might be a little excited
in a kindergarten classroom after an entire summer by himself?

06:06

Until we get a holistic view of someone, our judgment of them
will always be flawed. Let’s stop equating
experience with ability, credentials with competence. Let’s stop settling
for the safe, familiar choice and leave the door open
for someone who could be amazing. We need employers to let go
of outdated hiring practices and embrace new ways
of identifying and cultivating talent, and candidates can help
by learning to tell their story in powerful and compelling ways. We could live in a world where people
are seen for what they’re truly capable of and have the opportunity
to realize their full potential. So let’s go out and build it.

06:09

Thank you.

06:10

(Applause)

Chinese script

00:03
你们知道我最嫉妒谁吗？ 那些能找到和大学专业对口工作的人。

00:06

（笑声）

00:20

新闻专业的记者， 工程学专业的工程师。 事实上，这些人的存在
早已不再是正常情况了， 而成了例外。 2010年的一个调查显示
只有1/4的大学生， 在从事和他们大学专业相关的工作。

00:28

我毕业时拿到了生物学的双学位。 但令我父母失望的是，我既不是一个医生，
也没有成为一个科学家。

00:32

（笑声）

01:21

在DNA复制与光合作用上
数年的专心苦读， 对我将来的科技生涯几乎没有帮助。 我必须从销售，市场营销，
策略开始自学一切本领， 甚至连简单的电脑编程，都必须自学。 在我送简历到
Etsy（电子商务网站）之前， 我从来没当过产品经理。 我当时十分沮丧，
因为已经被谷歌以及 其他一些公司屡次拒绝。 Etsy最近正式上市了， 为了让简历增色， 我把首次公开募股的信息
一行行认真地读， 然后摸索着建立了一个网站，其中
包括一些我对这个公司的分析 以及四个关于产品特色的新点子。 结果发现这个公司的工作团队
积极地研究了其中两个， 并对第三个也进行了慎重考虑。 于是我得到了这份工作。

01:40

我们都知道有些人
虽然一开始被忽略， 但最终用实力证明了他人的错误。 我最爱的故事是什么呢？ Brian Acton, 一个工程经理， 在成立whatsApp (聊天软件)之前， 他同时被谷歌和推特拒绝过， 而现在这个手机软件
平台价值190亿。

02:29

我们在20世纪建立的
招聘系统已经过时了， 这导致我们错失了很多
颇具潜力的人才。 机器人技术和机器学习的进步 正在转变我们工作的方式， 把许多行业的日常事务自动化， 从而将人类的劳力转向其他方面。 这样下去，我们在
接下来的职业生涯中都要做 从未做过的工作。 那么我们需要什么样的
工具以及技巧来辨别那些能够 驰骋未来职场的人才呢？ 为了寻得答案，我和
许多部门的领导进行了探讨， 读了很多报告和研究资料， 并分析了我自己的天赋与经历。 我的寻找还远没有结束， 但有三个要点值得一提。

03:19

第一：扩展你的搜索范围。 如果我们每次只去同样的地方
寻找自己的天赋—— 天才少年项目，常青藤名校， 那些盛名远扬的机构—— 那我们只能得到一样的结果。 奥克兰的运动员队，由于囊中羞涩， 只能聘用那些在传统标准，
如打点记录中， 虽然得分较低，
但却能够帮助队友得分， 并最终赢得比赛的球员， 而这最终导致了棒球的演变。 这道理在体育之外也同样适用。 Pinterest研究与设计部门的
负责人和我说， 他们在硅谷打造了一支， 全世界最高效，
同时最具分化特色的团队。 因为他们相信没有哪一类特定的人 具有垄断性的天赋才能。 他们的眼光超越了核心科技， 并注重于设计者们的资历， 而不是他们的血统。

04:05

第二：为了效率而雇佣 受到我自己工作经历的启发， 我和别人合建了一个
招聘平台Headlight， 这个平台给了应聘者们
一个展示自我的机会。 就好似团队有路演， 乐队有试奏， 应聘者在被雇佣之前， 应该有展示自己技能的机会。 从85年的职场雇佣研究资料里，
我们的客户可以看到 预测职场成功与否的 最好方式就是工作实例。 如果你在招聘一个数据分析员， 就给他们一张填满历史数据的
表格并要求他们给出解析。 如果你在招聘一个市场经理， 就让他们计划一场新产品的发布会。 而如果你是一个应聘者，
别等着老板询问你。 寻找能够展现你的独特技巧
与能力的方式， 而不仅仅是依赖于简历以及推荐信。

04:24

第三：着眼全局 我见过招聘人员不假思索的给一个
应聘者贴上“跳槽者”的标签， 仅仅是因为他的简历上
有一项短期的工作； 我也听说不少教授会因为
学生的名字属于黑人或亚洲人， 就忽视他们发送的和
白人学生一模一样的消息。

04:41

我小时候几乎被当成有
“特殊需要”的孩子。 进入幼儿园一个月后， 我的老师记录了一整页的笔记， 上面写着我极易冲动， 注意力难以集中， 虽然拥有极大的好奇心， 但却是一个使人筋疲力尽的孩子。

04:43

（笑声）

05:18

校长叫我的家长们来开会， 问我妈生我的时候
有没有遇到什么困难， 还建议我去看学校的心理医生。 我的父亲明白了是怎么一回事， 并简短的解释了我们家的情况。 作为刚刚移民的家庭， 我们住在一家老年
康复中心的阁楼里。 我的父母为了维持生计
整日整夜工作， 而我也几乎没有和
同龄孩子玩耍的机会。 对于一个交际经验不足，又刚刚独处了
整整一个夏天的五岁小男孩来说， 在幼儿园的教室里
显得有些过度兴奋， 也许不显得那么令人惊讶吧？

06:06

在我们没有看到一个人
完整的一面的时候， 我们对他的评判总是有失偏颇的。 让我们别再把经历和能力划等号， 也别把文凭和竞争力划等号。 让我们不要再一昧的做出
安全，熟悉的选择， 而是把机会给予那些
能够让你眼前一亮的人。 我们需要让雇主们放弃
那些过时的雇佣政策， 去拥抱那些定义和
培养天赋的新方法， 而求职者们也可以通过
用强势且引人注目的方式， 来讲述自己的人生故事。 我们会生活在全新的世界里，在那里
人们的潜力将有望被完全激发， 人人都能够做自己真正胜任的工作。 所以让我们一起携手建造这个世界吧。

06:09

谢谢。

06:10

（掌声）

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