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About this quote

What does it mean?
Hiring should depend on ability and fit, not on a person's background or past.
In plain terms
Judge people by what they can do, not where they come from.
What can you take from it?
Focus on skills, not history, when hiring.

Where it applies

  • recruitment
  • job interviews
  • team building

Putting it to work

  • ignore past affiliations
  • assess current skills

Questions to consider

  • What biases do you hold about backgrounds?
  • How do you verify skill vs. pedigree?

Another view

Past history can sometimes indicate risk or reliability issues.

More from Malcolm Forbes

  1. If you never budge, don't expect a push.

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  2. It's more fun to arrive at a conclusion than to justify it.

    Permalink to quote #20
  3. If you have no critics you'll likely have no success.

    Permalink to quote #17

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