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

Very few of us hold jobs that line up directly with our past experiences or what we studied in college. Take TED Resident Jason Shen; he studied biology but later became a product manager at a tech company. In this quick, insightful talk about human potential, Shen shares some new thinking on how job seekers can make themselves more attractive -- and why employers should look for ability over credentials.

The TED Talks channel features the best talks and performances from the TED Conference, where the world's leading thinkers and doers give the talk of their lives in 18 minutes (or less). Look for talks on Technology, Entertainment and Design -- plus science, business, global issues, the arts and more.

[tr_micks]

Google Data Analytics course brought me here. Jason, great speech! I wish more employers would take heed of this hiring concept.

[WoWKlump]

Great talk, but the title is a it misleading. His talk is focused towards recruiters, rather than people looking for jobs.

[alicia]

"Until we get a holistic view of someone, our judgement of them will always be flawed"

[JaveyJenkins]

As someone who has worked at 104 different companies since 1994, you have some good advice for the young people just entering the workforce, My bit of advice for you all. GO WORK FOR YOURSELVES, as soon as you develop enough skills to do it. otherwise, you will waste a great deal of your lives making a bunch of people money while you have just enough to get by.

[Finessence]

We all have so many gifts and talents that we aren't aware of. Don't let an outdated system tell you how valuable you are. Keep getting to know yourself on deeper levels and let your authenticity shine thru. Once you know who you really are, the abundance of the universe is yours. Success will radiate out of you.

[jeffhsipepi]

One of the best ways to implement Jason's advice is in the Tell me About Yourself question. This is typically the first question your interviewer will ask you, so talk about your abilities/skill alignment when answering this question, typically focusing on 3 items is perfect. It will set a positive tone for the rest of the interview. Good luck!

[Charsh]

I agree with the sentiments of Jason Shen.. He's right- we need to seek out employers who are willing to see us in a different light that shows our true potential.. It's beyond frustrating and near psychotic break-down when our efforts aren't even looked at. Other than the outdated practices of evaluating potential individuals who can do wonders, there is also the problem of employers using robots to sift through applicants and outright block anybody who doesn't have "keywords" in their resumes... End point is we need more cooperation from both sides- the prospective candidate as well as the outdated employers.

[pradeepp]

Every time I look out the Ted talk it give more confident to me

[ankiambomnkesa]

"Until we get a holistic view of someone, our judgement of them will always be flawed" My takeaway. Brief presentation but packed with practical knowledge. Thank you Jason Chen

[waellerbe]

I have to sincerely *appreciate* the new "school of thought" that I gather from the wisdom shared in this presentation. It's encouraging to focus more so on our ability to showcase our experience. I plan to flag this presentation as one of my favorites. Thank you Jason Shen for sharing this wisdom with us.

[thesumofourlives]

Great job at the 1:15 mark demonstrating the value of doing your homework to research a company for key insights that helped you standout

[poida]

Great stuff Jason. Fortunately I was doing this a long time ago and got every job I ever wanted, and I mean wanted vs just applied for. Demonstrating knowledge, skill and capability in advance of and during a job interview is key!

[kjalthaf]

It is better to invest now. You will never be younger than you are today and there will never be a perfect time to invest. Due to compounding, which Einstein called the 8th wonder of the world, you can get rich slowly from investing if you do it from a young enough age.

[MoveInSilence]

A message that needs to be heard.
I love TED talks because of stuff like this.

[obed_m]

AS a newbie in Data Analytics, this speech drives message home. Experience with ability cannot be equated in whatsoever.

[opiniononion]

Good talk, however this method requires much more time and effort from the employers and most just don't know, want or care about changing

[magdalenecharles]

''Until we get a holistic view of someone, our judgement of them will always be flawed.'' Key takeaway for me. Thanks to Google Analytics program for giving me the opportunity to listen to this great and inspiring story while learning and gaining tremendous insights from what i have heard. Thank you Jason Shen!

[BB]

Jason Shen was amazing! The three tips he shared were very inspiring! The hire for performance stuck out to me the most. We need to focus on what that person can do through portfolios and demonstration of skills that tailor into the field they want to get into. It's more of show and tell! Thank you, Jason Shen, for an amazing outlook towards ability!

[TrundleTheGreat]

I did not anticipate getting emotional watching this, it really struck home on so many levels. I did not realize how much I needed to hear this at this point in time.

[tyspeaks]

We are living in a new age ! You don't have to go to college in order to be successful. Find what you absolutely love to do, something that you are passionate about!! AND DO THAT! Don't do what your parents and teachers think is best for you, do what YOU think is best for YOU. Do your due diligence of course, continue to grow and learn everyday and just do what makes you happy ! Find a way to automate what you do and make a steady stream of income doing it! The world is so much more than what we were taught it was.