5 ms·

They complain, "We’ve received applications from people spelling 37signals as '37 Signals'" I find this pedantic in the extreme. It’s not the applicant’s faul

by xiaoma 18y ago

They complain, "We’ve received applications from people spelling 37signals as '37 Signals'" I find this pedantic in the extreme. It’s not the applicant’s fault that the company struggles with standard English. They can choose their employees as they like, but this doesn't seem to be in their own best interest. Harshly judging and then publicly chastising applicants who might be trying to make their cover letter grammatically correct might provide a temporary ego boost, but it does little to help the business.

redorb 18y ago
i agree in this day and age where you are supposed to take a second look at people without college degrees and more experience etc.... i bet this eliminates some great people with literally no good reason
staunch 18y ago
I had to re-read it just to make sure I understood that they're really so anal as to care if people say 37signals vs 37 Signals. Pretty damn pretentious.
- simonw 18y ago
  They care about attention to detail. They obviously want their job applicants to care too. I always make a point of checking the preferred spelling of a company or product name when I write about them - probably because I worked at Yahoo! for a year and you really get the importance of that ! hammered in to you (I also have an easily mis-spelled surname).
- axod 18y ago
  Don't you mean 32_Signals?
johns 18y ago
If you're hiring a designer, don't you want one that pays an insane amount of attention to detail?
- axod 18y ago
  Not useless details like if there's a space in a companies name or not. I think a designer can be taught to remember how a company likes it's name and product names spelt.
  - gojomo 18y ago
    It's not a useless detail; it's a bit of the company's chosen branding. You don't want to have to teach that to a designer -- they should just "get it". I'm sure such nitpicks would knock out some good candidates. It'll also knock out lots of bad candidates. As such, it might still be a good criterion. Only the long-term numbers could tell for sure. (And by reducing time spent on some hopeless candidates, it could free up more looks at worthwhile candidates. So it's not a simply a matter of "this is unfair to the N good people it eliminates". It may save so much time overall that it allows another M good people, M >> N, to be considered.)
deleted 18y ago
[deleted]
DanHulton 18y ago
I find it difficult to take your position on this. When it comes to how a company's name or product is spelled, there is a right way and there is a wrong way. "37signals" is right. "37 Signals" is wrong. "Flickr" is right. "Flicker" is wrong. If you get it wrong - on your resume or cover letter no less, those most holy of holies, the most polished job-related documents you own - it shows you to be sloppy. Or not passionate enough to get it right. Or both. Or worse. When a company is small like this, they want not only the best, but they want the most motivated and most committed to the company. As someone else said, it SHOULD be a mutually benefical relationship, and as they consider that 37signals provides substantial benefit, they are looking for someone who will provide substantial return. I feel a little like the old guy on the front porch yelling "Get off my lawn!" just now, but any of you decrying this practice clearly don't "get it" and are in no danger of being in a position to be hired by folk like those at 37signals any time soon anyway.

by xiaoma 18y ago

redorb 18y ago

i agree in this day and age where you are supposed to take a second look at people without college degrees and more experience etc.... i bet this eliminates some great people with literally no good reason

staunch 18y ago

I had to re-read it just to make sure I understood that they're really so anal as to care if people say 37signals vs 37 Signals. Pretty damn pretentious.

simonw 18y ago
They care about attention to detail. They obviously want their job applicants to care too. I always make a point of checking the preferred spelling of a company or product name when I write about them - probably because I worked at Yahoo! for a year and you really get the importance of that ! hammered in to you (I also have an easily mis-spelled surname).
axod 18y ago
Don't you mean 32_Signals?

johns 18y ago

If you're hiring a designer, don't you want one that pays an insane amount of attention to detail?

axod 18y ago
Not useless details like if there's a space in a companies name or not. I think a designer can be taught to remember how a company likes it's name and product names spelt.
- gojomo 18y ago
  It's not a useless detail; it's a bit of the company's chosen branding. You don't want to have to teach that to a designer -- they should just "get it". I'm sure such nitpicks would knock out some good candidates. It'll also knock out lots of bad candidates. As such, it might still be a good criterion. Only the long-term numbers could tell for sure. (And by reducing time spent on some hopeless candidates, it could free up more looks at worthwhile candidates. So it's not a simply a matter of "this is unfair to the N good people it eliminates". It may save so much time overall that it allows another M good people, M >> N, to be considered.)

deleted 18y ago

[deleted]

DanHulton 18y ago

I find it difficult to take your position on this. When it comes to how a company's name or product is spelled, there is a right way and there is a wrong way. "37signals" is right. "37 Signals" is wrong. "Flickr" is right. "Flicker" is wrong. If you get it wrong - on your resume or cover letter no less, those most holy of holies, the most polished job-related documents you own - it shows you to be sloppy. Or not passionate enough to get it right. Or both. Or worse. When a company is small like this, they want not only the best, but they want the most motivated and most committed to the company. As someone else said, it SHOULD be a mutually benefical relationship, and as they consider that 37signals provides substantial benefit, they are looking for someone who will provide substantial return. I feel a little like the old guy on the front porch yelling "Get off my lawn!" just now, but any of you decrying this practice clearly don't "get it" and are in no danger of being in a position to be hired by folk like those at 37signals any time soon anyway.