Suppose your company is hiring candidates, so you start getting a lot of applications and you identify the qualified candidates. Now the choosing begins.

Let's say there's a hard choice to be made betwen two candidates, Candidate A and Candidate B

Assuming both meet your threshold requirements, WHO WILL YOU CHOOSE?

Regina Hartley, in her TedTalk has given two distinctive terms for them; Candidate A is the Silver Spoon, who was destined for success and Candidate B is the Scrapper, the one who had to fight against the odds to reach the same point.

Every resume tells a story, for one "Silver spoons", it can be an all-time success story but for others the "Scrappers" it can be a series of odd jobs or job hopping which can indicate inconsistency, lack of focus, unpredictability or at the same time it may signal a committed struggle against obstacles. So, at the very least, the scrapper deserves an interview.

In the case of Silver Spoons, it takes a lot of efforts and sacrifices to get into elite universities. Their whole lives are engineered towards success, but how will they handle the tough times? They can easily consider some assignments to be beneath them like doing temporarily work on the production line to understand the process better and they can easily quit the job when they feel so.

But on the flip side, what happens when your whole lives are destined towards failure and you actually succeed? You will really appreciate that opportunity, will have a sense of gratitude, you’ll be better listeners and will pay greater attention to detail.


What is the one common thing in most of the successful business people today?

Many of them have experienced early hardships in their lives, be it poverty, abandonment or learning disabilities. And they know that without those experiences, they might not have developed the muscle and the grit required to become successful.

According to conventional thinking, trauma leads to distress but many studies have revealed an unexpected insight: Even the worst circumstances can result in growth and transformation and this is called as, Post Traumatic Growth.

Let's evaluate this candidate's resume,

• This guy’s parents gave him up for adoption,
• He never finished his college due to financial problems,
• He job-hops quite a bit,
• Goes on a sojourn to India for a year, and
• He has dyslexia.

Would you hire this guy?

If your first impression is uneasy, then you would be rejecting Steve Jobs.

Scrappers are propelled by the belief that the only person you have Full Control over is yourself. When things don’t turn out well, scrappers ask what can they do differently to get a better result. They have a "Sense of Purpose" which prevents them from giving up on themselves. Adding to that, they know that Humour can get them through tough times and they have Relationships which supports them, that are invested in their success.

Studies have proved that companies that are committed to diversity and inclusive practices tend to support scrappers can outperform their peers by 25%.

So, the next time you're evaluating a new hire, will you bet on Silver Spoon or Scrapper?

Perhaps someone with Passion, Purpose & Resilience!