Transforming Talent Acquisition from Process to Performance

Jonathan Nguyen, Director of Talent Acquisition, hims & hers

I lead Talent Acquisition for pharmacy, fulfillment and corporate operations at Hims & Hers, a leading digital health platform, where we are focused on scaling a hiring engine that balances speed, quality and cost without compromise. I oversee a team of recruiters and recruiting leaders that builds structured, repeatable systems that align closely with our operators and business outcomes.

Our areas of focus include:

• Designing profile-based hiring frameworks that match business needs

• Building sourcing capacity models and load balancing tools

• Replacing reactive recruiting with proactive pipelines

• Minimizing agency spend through internal capability development

I think of TA not as a service function, but as a talent operations engine, one that should be measurable, consultative and deeply tied to business performance.

Applying the Scientific Method to Modern Talent Acquisition

Decades of industrial-organizational research show that structured, evidence-driven hiring dramatically outperforms traditional “gut feel” approaches. A landmark meta-analysis by Schmidt and Hunter (1998) found that structured interviews combined with cognitive ability tests achieved validity coefficients of around 0.63, making them among the most powerful predictors of job performance. Here Hiring can no longer be built on gut feel, opinion, or inconsistent execution.

The scientific method gives TA leaders a disciplined framework: form a hypothesis (e.g., what drives success in this role), gather data, test assumptions, measure results and iterate. It forces clarity, structure and accountability, all things modern TA often lacks.

That mindset gives TA leaders a way to prove what’s working and what isn’t. It gives CHROs a roadmap to eliminate bias, reduce waste and improve quality-ofhire over time. And it gives hiring managers confidence that the process isn’t arbitrary; it’s grounded in evidence and outcomes. The scientific method makes it sharp, accountable and scalable.

The Anatomy of High Performance

Always start with outcomes.

Before you dive into skills or resumes or interview guides, you have to ask: What does “great” look like in this role, 90, 180, 365 days in? What do they need to deliver?

From there, reverse-engineer the behaviors and competencies that drive those outcomes. Then pressure test that with data, from top performers, past hires, or performance reviews. But if you start with skills or even culture fit, you risk building a profile that’s aspirational instead of operational.

Performance profiles should be designed like products: tested, iterated and owned cross-functionally. According to LinkedIn’s 2024 Global Talent Trends report, companies using outcome-based hiring frameworks reduce early attrition by 27%. Here

Balancing Data and Instinct in Talent Decision-Making

I’d say intuition is most valuable in signal detection; when something doesn’t feel right, when a candidate gives off red flags the system can’t yet capture, or when a recruiter senses friction between a profile and a team dynamic.

“I think of TA not as a service function, but as a talent operations engine, one that should be measurable, consultative and deeply tied to business performance”

But intuition alone shouldn’t override data or process. It should prompt investigation, not dictate decisions. That’s where structured debriefs and evidence-based hiring criteria come in. This balance creates a space for intuition to exist, without letting it dominate.

Bridging the Gap between Tradition and Talent Innovation

Start small and tie it to a pain the business already feels. You don’t need a new ATS or a PhD in analytics to bring rigor. You need:

• A clear success metric (like 90-day attrition or time-tofill for a key role)

• A structured intake and debrief process

• A consistent way to evaluate candidates across interviews

Then pilot it. Run a test with one team. Show them faster hiring, better candidates, or stronger retention and make the business case from there.

When you lead with outcomes instead of ideology, even traditional stakeholders start to shift. Rigor becomes the path of least resistance.

According to Work Institute’s 2023 Retention Report, 37% of new hires quit within their first 90 days, largely due to misaligned expectations or poor process clarity. (Here) That’s where early rigor from talent acquisition can pay off, both in the business’ bottom line and team morale.

When discipline leads to business outcomes, even the most traditional leaders take notice. The playbook shifts from ideology to impact.

Test

Cognitive