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Most likely they will. Maybe they won't, because part of the process is a certain indoctrination that their employees are more than just talented or clever, bu

Most likely they will. Maybe they won't, because part of the process is a certain indoctrination that their employees are more than just talented or clever, but are actually special. And you can convince an employee of a lot of things if you start by convincing them that they're special. Mostly, though, I worry about the ripple effect that's been on the industry. I have friends who are in the medical field, dealing directly with surgeries, childbirth, life-saving (or potentially ending) drugs, and they're taken aback by the kind of interview requirements that so many tech companies have. A Nurse Practitioner can get a job in an ER in a heartbeat, but a front-end developer building React components needs a collective two full days of interviews? Something about that just doesn't make sense to me.

PeterisP 10y ago
A big difference is the amount of formal certification. A diploma from a med school and associated residency is sufficient to expect that the person knows their speciality and is able to treat people from day one. A CS diploma and related working experience is some indication, but (sadly) often doesn't ensure that the candidate is able to code their way out of a wet paper bag and will be able to perform reasonably well (not 10x well but 1x or even 80%) after a month or two of on-site adaptation. Our industry, unlike many others, doesn't have a good (centralized?) way to approve qualifications, so each company has to verify on their own, which takes quite a lot of time and expense.
- michaelchisari 10y ago
  I agree, that's a big difference. That said, the dangers of hiring a medical professional who screws up, versus an app/front-end/back-end developer whose code is sub-optimal, means that our industry should hire a lot more easily than it does, and simply let go the employees which underperform. I think the problem actually doesn't start with hiring, it starts with the kind of "workplace-as-family-and-friends" culture that makes firing so taboo.
  - PeterisP 10y ago
    Firing is a very important skill for any line manager or business owner. It's not pleasant, and it's complicated in various ways, but not doing it properly, not doing it as soon as appropriate or even not doing it at all is a very expensive failure that hurts everyone involved. You either learn to do it somewhat properly and timely, or you're not qualified for the job yourself.

PeterisP 10y ago

A big difference is the amount of formal certification. A diploma from a med school and associated residency is sufficient to expect that the person knows their speciality and is able to treat people from day one. A CS diploma and related working experience is some indication, but (sadly) often doesn't ensure that the candidate is able to code their way out of a wet paper bag and will be able to perform reasonably well (not 10x well but 1x or even 80%) after a month or two of on-site adaptation. Our industry, unlike many others, doesn't have a good (centralized?) way to approve qualifications, so each company has to verify on their own, which takes quite a lot of time and expense.

michaelchisari 10y ago
I agree, that's a big difference. That said, the dangers of hiring a medical professional who screws up, versus an app/front-end/back-end developer whose code is sub-optimal, means that our industry should hire a lot more easily than it does, and simply let go the employees which underperform. I think the problem actually doesn't start with hiring, it starts with the kind of "workplace-as-family-and-friends" culture that makes firing so taboo.
- PeterisP 10y ago
  Firing is a very important skill for any line manager or business owner. It's not pleasant, and it's complicated in various ways, but not doing it properly, not doing it as soon as appropriate or even not doing it at all is a very expensive failure that hurts everyone involved. You either learn to do it somewhat properly and timely, or you're not qualified for the job yourself.