In today's Biz Pulse, gain insight into how:

• Hiring for drive over pedigree can help you identify candidates who learn fast, own outcomes and grow beyond their job description.

• Skills inflation and AI are reshaping entry-level roles, and leaders must build talent pipelines, not just buy experience.

• Tight operations behind mentor networks turn distributed experts into consistent, high-quality experiences at scale.

Each of these articles is penned by members of Forbes Business Council, successful business owners shaping the future of business.

Let’s dive in!

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Forbes Councils Sessions is a series built around real conversations with real practitioners. People like you, sharing what you actually know instead of polished talking points.

In this video, Dr. Amna Shabbir explains why high performers who love their work still burn out, and how tying your identity to your output makes it harder to rest. She makes the case for stepping away from perfectionism and treating rest as a biological need, not a reward.

Hire For Potential, Not Just Pedigree

The perfect resume can tell you where a candidate has been, but not how far they could go. Hiring for drive means looking for curiosity, initiative, and ownership, qualities that can help someone grow beyond the role they were hired to fill. Systems and processes can be taught. The desire to do excellent work is harder to instill.

To spot drive, ask for evidence:

🧩 Probe Unfamiliar Territory: Ask how candidates handled responsibilities they didn’t know how to tackle. Listen for resourcefulness, not waiting for rescue.

💡 Look for Initiative: What have they improved without being asked?

📚 Test Their Curiosity: Ask what they’ve taught themselves recently, even outside work.

🔍 Explore Mistakes: Look for accountability, lessons learned, and changes made afterward.

🤝 Check References: Ask how they handle feedback and whether a former employer would hire them again.

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The Entry-Level Catch-22 In An AI World

AI is transforming early careers, tightening entry-level hiring and raising expectations for “day one readiness.” Entry-level postings now often demand experience, certifications, and AI skills, even as opportunities to gain that experience shrink. The result is skills inflation and a fragile future talent pipeline.

Here’s what leaders should focus on:

🎓 Recognize the Gap: Entry-level hiring is down 29 percentage points, while requirements keep climbing, creating a hiring catch-22 for new workers.

🤖 Understand AI’s Impact: Roles evolve in real time, and employers want talent that can work alongside AI and keep learning continuously.

🧠 Protect Foundational Learning: Without starter roles, workers never build the judgment needed to oversee AI and make sound decisions.

🏫 Partner With Educators: Schools struggle to teach critical thinking, communication and resilience alone, so collaboration is essential.

🛠️ Build, Not Just Buy, Talent: Invest in internships, apprenticeships and work-based learning, and hire for potential as much as expertise, using AI as a tool for learning, not only a job requirement.

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The Hidden Ops Work That Makes Mentorship “Just Work”

Running a mentor network is less about glamorous matches and more about preventing tiny gaps from derailing relationships. For distributed teams, the real product is the coordination no one sees, not the impressive names on a roster.

Key operating lessons for building a scalable mentor network:

📍 Treat Handoffs as Critical Moments: Break each match into clear steps with single owners and alerts when anything stalls.

🧾 Standardize Process, Not People: Use shared templates, checklists, and expectations, while protecting each mentor’s style.

🔄 Design for Swaps as a Normal Event: Assume mentors will step back, with a predefined rematch workflow and turnaround time.

👀 Make Gaps Visible to Everyone: Centralize tracking so stalled matches are obvious, which quietly drives accountability.

⚙️ Remember the “Invisible” Product: Families and mentees care that everything runs smoothly, not how. Strong operations turn individual mentors into consistently strong experiences.

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Wrapping Up

If these articles sparked your interest, we have a network that you will love: Forbes Business Council.

This exclusive, vetted community brings together seasoned business leaders — founders, CEOs, partners, and other senior-level leaders of successful companies.

Put yourself at the forefront of innovation with access to publishing opportunities on Forbes.com, a personalized, SEO-friendly Executive Profile, and the chance to network with other respected leaders in the field.

Join Forbes Business Council today, and become part of a group driving meaningful innovation in business.