Learning Velocity Is the New Superpower

Companies keep saying they've moved past credential-based hiring. They haven't. Most are still filtering for where someone worked, where they went to school, and how many years they've held a similar title. The data says that's not the signal that predicts performance. What does? How someone thinks, learns, and collaborates inside a team.

Sachi Kittur calls it the credential trap. And after 20+ years inside organizations during some of their most turbulent moments, she's seen how deep it goes. Companies that say they value diversity are still optimizing for comfort and familiarity. Leaders who claim to hire for potential are actually hiring for pattern recognition. And the result is a confidence in hiring that's borrowed, not earned.

In this episode, Sachi breaks down why learning velocity is replacing adaptability as the most important skill signal, why removing the CV forces a better conversation, and why the biggest business risk she sees right now isn't technology. It's the loss of human connectivity.

What you'll learn: → Why the credential trap persists at every level, including C-suite → How pattern recognition bias disguises itself as hiring strategy → What "learning velocity" means and why it matters more than experience → How to replace the CV with structured, stage-appropriate conversations → Why human connectivity is the biggest business risk companies are ignoring

HOST

Anita Chauhan — Host, Looks Good on Paper
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/anitachauhan/

GUEST
Sachi Kittur — Future Work Advisor, VP of Human Experience & Innovation at HRPA
LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/sachikittur/

0:00 — Intro
0:16 — Meet Sachi Kittur
1:20 — How Sachi got here: keeping the humanitarian ethos alive in HR
2:26 — Q1: The biggest hiring mistake companies keep making
3:04 — The credential trap
5:48 — Q2: Hidden bias companies unknowingly have
6:04 — Pattern recognition bias: when comfort disguises itself as strategy
7:59 — Microsoft's approach to trust and guardrails in hiring
8:41 — Q3: What happens if you remove the CV
10:19 — Learning velocity: the new superpower skill
11:18 — 90% of conflict resolution traces back to one thing
12:20 — How growth-stage companies should replace the CV
13:51 — Wildcard: How to increase hiring confidence over the next year
15:24 — Pick up the phone: the case for old-school conversations
15:56 — The biggest business risk: losing human connectivity
17:02 — Wrap-up

LISTEN & FOLLOW
Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/0dbfz6y0tMq3crViHQD66H
Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1625835562
All episodes - https://looksgoodonpaper.buzzsprout.com

WATCH ON YOUTUBE https://youtu.be/vWrVcMjH0o8

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CONNECT WITH US
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Companies keep saying they've moved past credential-based hiring. The credential trap — filtering for school, company name, and years of experience over actual learning capability — is

Show Resources

• Willo: willo.video - The most cost-effective way to screen candidates at scale. Interview candidates anywhere & at any time
• CV Free Toolkit: cvfree.me/join - Break up with the CV and get everything you need to modernize your hiring approach with skills-based assessments
• Anita Chauhan: linkedin.com/in/anitachauhan - Connect with the host