The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) Business School’s Associate Professor Dai Xianchi, along with Assistant Professor Si Kao from the University of Macau, published a research paper entitled “The fundamental recruitment error: Candidate-recruiter discrepancy in their relative valuation of innate talent vs. hard work”, which reveals systematic differences in perspectives on talent and diligence between job seekers and recruiters.
Participants from over 100 industries in the US and China were divided into two groups: job seekers and recruiters. Job seekers were presented with two job application letters, one praising their innate talent and the other highlighting their hard work, and they had to choose one. Subsequently, recruiters had to decide which candidate they would hire.
The results showed that the majority of the job seekers chose the recommendation letter praising their innate talent, while the recruiters showed a preference for candidates emphasising hard work.
Furthermore, the researchers found that job seekers tended to associate career potential with innate talent, while recruiters linked current job performance with diligence. Similarly, the job seekers placed more importance on traits associated with innate talent and tended to showcase personal career potential, while the recruiters placed more emphasis on the current job performance of candidates.
Professor Dai notes that the results provide evidence of the discrepancy between job candidates and recruiters in their valuation of innate talent versus hard work. The misaligned valuations could lead job candidates to use ineffective strategies that reduce their chances of getting suitable jobs.
The misaligned expectations between job seekers and recruiters can also impede the efficient allocation of workers to their best-matched positions, which has adverse effects on productivity. As getting the right match between job candidates and recruiters is the most essential goal in an efficient job market, this study has crucial implications for job candidates and recruiters.
Professor Dai suggests that job candidates should put more effort into demonstrating their orientation toward hard work, such as providing evidence of their hardworking personality when writing a cover letter or doing a job interview. Recruiters, on the other hand, should consider the career potential of candidates alongside their current job performance.
“Recruiters’ position-oriented approach or mindset in talent selection can have negative consequences for companies in the long term, such as high turnover, low morale, and lack of innovation,” Professor Dai pointed out. By understanding and addressing the gap in expectations between job seekers and recruiters, both parties can improve their chances of finding suitable matches and contribute to creating a productive and enabling work environment.
About the author
Professor Dai Xianchi is an Associate Professor of Marketing at The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) Business School. His research interests are in judgement and decision making, motivation and self-control, and intertemporal choices.
