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As someone who is actually hiring (not on the HN thread), has actually hired people in the last few weeks, is actively interviewing new people, and has had the
by lvh 11y ago
As someone who is actually hiring (not on the HN thread), has actually hired people in the last few weeks, is actively interviewing new people, and has had the "you're not actually hiring" accusation leveled at them, please consider that maybe they are really hiring, but:
- are swamped with people applying in addition to trying to build a product,
- may actually have hired someone, and that person may actually be a better hire.
I'm sorry you had a bad experience. I really am. That doesn't mean there's malice at play. Also, please try not to kill the messenger; it is entirely possible that even if malice is at play, the person you're talking to isn't the perpetrator. It would not be the first time that a hiring manager believes there's an open rec until they try to fill it.
I don't know what you are referring to with "SV pedigree nonsense", but I'm assuming you mean that people aren't willing to hire you because you haven't been in the right SV scene. That's certainly possible. I can also tell you that my team currently has zero people in SV, people across the US and outside of it (as in transatlantic), and we still had the issue I described above. That doesn't mean that isn't what happened in your case, of course.
(EDIT: formatting.)
- kafkaesq 11y agoQuick question -- have you ever told someone a position was "filled" when you were still actively fielding? That's the behavior the OP was referring to.
- lvh 11y agoNo. I have not done that when I was hiring, and I would rather resign than do that now if I were told to do so today. We have obviously not moved forward with some candidates. They got answers; they were always candid and truthful, and combining that with appropriate tact is somewhat of an art ;)
- kafkaesq 11y agoThat's reassuring. Thanks.
- hacknat 11y ago>> It would not be the first time that a hiring manager believes there's an open rec until they try to fill it. I was hiring a team a few months ago, and I was under a lot of pressure to fill positions. We find a guy that I'm on the fence about, and I'm pressured to pull the trigger. My response, "I'll do it if I truly have one more open rec." So we hire him. A few weeks later I'm still interviewing candidates and I find a women who is terrific, and who I wish I had found earlier, as she would have been a no-brainer hire. She's excited. I'm excited. I go to pull the trigger with my boss, only to be told, "we're reevaluating the rec, we'll probably hire someone, but just a few months down the road." Hiring is one of the most political things an organization does. Having been on the hiring side of the equation for a while now, I would never take a company's disinterest in me to heart. A candidate's qualifications are important, but they are always the last thing on the checklist before hiring someone. You never know what item on the checklist above your qualifications didn't get ticked. I was really mad about that episode. That and other things caused me to leave.