As AI takes over more of the heavy lifting in recruitment — screening CVs, drafting interview questions, even conducting first-round interviews — the skills we hire for are shifting. Technical proficiency can increasingly be automated, augmented or verified by machines. What’s becoming harder to replace, and harder to find, is human judgement: the ability to weigh imperfect information, read the room, make a call under uncertainty, and be accountable for the outcome. But if judgement is the thing we need most, how on earth do we assess for it? In this episode of Brainfood Live on Air, Hung Lee and our panel of experts dig into the science (and the art) of evaluating one of the most elusive qualities in any candidate.
Key Themes We’ll Cover:
What Is Judgement, Anyway? – Defining the capability before we try to measure it, and why it matters more in an AI-augmented workplace
The Failure of the Hypothetical – Why “what would you do if…” questions reveal rehearsed answers, not real judgement
Evidence-Based Assessment Design – Using case studies, work simulations and real scenarios to observe decision-making in action
Judgement Under Pressure – Whether stress-testing candidates actually predicts on-the-job decision quality
Learning from High-Stakes Industries – What medicine, aviation, the military and investing can teach recruitment about assessing decision-makers
The Accountability Test – How to probe whether a candidate truly owns their decisions, or deflects when things go wrong
Interviewing for Judgement – Questioning techniques, probes and red flags that reveal how someone actually thinks
Can AI Assess Judgement? – Where AI-powered assessment genuinely helps, and where it falls flat on evaluating distinctly human qualities
Avoiding Bias in Subjective Assessment – Keeping judgement-based evaluation fair, structured and defensible
If you’re hiring for roles where the cost of a bad decision is high — leadership positions, client-facing roles, anything involving ambiguity and consequence — this episode is essential listening. Recruiters, hiring managers, TA leaders: join us for a conversation that goes way beyond competency frameworks.
Follow the channel here (recommended) so you never miss an episode, and register for the show to get your questions answered live by the panel. We’re on Friday 9th October, 2pm BST
Ep412 is supported by our friends at Greenhouse
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