Given the choice between a job candidate with a perfect resume and one who has fought through difficulty, human resources executive Regina Hartley always gives the “Scrapper” a chance. As someone who grew up with adversity, Hartley knows that those who flourish in the darkest of spaces are empowered with the grit to persist in an ever-changing workplace. “Choose the underestimated contender, whose secret weapons are passion and purpose,” she says. “Hire the Scrapper.”

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Glossary

• revoke – officially cancel (a decree, decision, or promise)
• patchwork quilt
• flip side – another aspect or version of something, especially its reverse
• abandon – stop supporting or looking after (someone)
• job-hopping – the practice of moving from job to job
• unwavering -not wavering; steady or resolute
• mugging – an act of attacking and robbing someone in a public place
• adversity – a difficult or unpleasant situation

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Think about it

Answer the questions below. Pause at times indicated in brackets.

• Who is a ”silver spoon,” and who is a ”scrapper?” (1:30)
• What might a series of odd jobs on a candidate’s resume suggest? (2:30)
• What is Regina’s background? What commonality has she noticed among some of the greatest leaders? (4:18)
• What does Regina say about post traumatic growth? What does she say about Steve Jobs? (5:39)
• How do some entrepreneurs view adversity? (6:37)
• Retell the story of Regina’s Chinese friend. (8:03)
• Summarise Regina’s observations of scrapper’s attitudes and characteristics. (9:02)
• What does Regina say about companies embracing diversity and inclusive practices?

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Practice  makes perfect

Put the words in bold back where they belong.

distinct   –   fair   –   refer to  –   odd  –   rolling in   –   flawless    –    open   –   odds   –   launches   –   pick   –   destined

Your company ________ a search for an ________ position. The applications start ________, and the qualified candidates are identified. Now the choosing begins. Person A: Ivy League, 4.0, ________ resume, great recommendations. All the right stuff. Person B: state school, ________ amount of job hopping, and ________ jobs like cashier and singing waitress. But remember — both are qualified. So I ask you: who are you going to ________?

My colleagues and I created very official terms to describe two ________ categories of candidates. We call A “the Silver Spoon,” the one who clearly had advantages and was ________ for success. And we call B “the Scrapper,” the one who had to fight against tremendous ________ to get to the same point. You just heard a human resources director ________ people as Silver Spoons and Scrappers, which is not exactly politically correct and sounds a bit judgmental. But before my human resources certification gets revoked

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