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“Gut feelings” don’t lead to good hiring

Published: 7 April 2026

Tesla CEO Elon Musk recently advised business leaders to look beyond the resume of job seekers, and trust in their interaction with candidates. But trusting your gut isn’t a good way to build the best team, according to Lisa Cohen, Associate Professor at 91˿Ƶ Desautels.

“You’re going to end up with a bunch of people who are good talkers,” Cohen told HR Reporter. “But that doesn’t mean they will be good employees. It means they are very articulate, and if it’s a sales job, maybe that’s appropriate. But not every job requires that.” When you take this approach, managers might select people who agree with them politically or like the same sports team. “But none of that is really relevant to the job.”

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