Most places believe they are selective, or present that image. They can claim they only interview X% of people who submit resumes, and then only hire X% from th

Most places believe they are selective, or present that image. They can claim they only interview X% of people who submit resumes, and then only hire X% from that batch, and present their process as more selective than a top university. The problem is that it is difficult to know if a company is constructively selective, or if other variables dominate. You present the variable of self-selection, which definitely exists for some companies and positions. Back to the original point, many people can be turned off when companies try to talk up their selectivity and maybe rightly so. Candidates don't have infinite time so there needs to be a higher $ reward for time invested applying to extra-selective organization (higher expected value), and they might have experience that shows this self-assertion is more arrogance than reality. Swinging too far in the other direction to claim "we hire anyone!" can also turn away good candidates or attract people without the necessary skills.