4 ms·
Having multiple respectable people that can vouch for you is a much better performance predictor than a 1-day interview. Same reason that recommendation letters
by whatever1 6y ago
Having multiple respectable people that can vouch for you is a much better performance predictor than a 1-day interview. Same reason that recommendation letters are more important than GRE tests for the ones seeking PhD studies.
- erentz 6y agoIt does suck that it’s like this in an industry where you have a lot of non-neurotypical people though. People who are very good and capable but on the spectrum, or shy and reclusive, who really can’t do the networking and conference scene thing, etc. Wish there was a better answer than to tell them they just have to be wired differently.
- eropple 6y agoThere are other avenues. I've been excited to hire somebody in the past pretty much on the strength of their detailed technical blogging. Kind of a mess in the interview, but I knew they could do the job coming in. (They were great.)
- Frost1x 6y agoLet's not forget that the type of work in this industry and hours needed in the name of cost savings hinders many peoples' desire for professional development work outside of work. I don't know about most people but lately, at the end of the day when I make enough progress to meet expectations, the last thing I want to do is anything related to work anymore, even if it's an investment in myself. At some point my life takes precedent over my career. If delivery expectations are reasonable (i.e. time requirements), I don't mind networking outside of work. I've worked in environments with reasonable expectations and environments with unreasonable expectations. My observation has been that environments with reasonable expectations are in decline in the name of competitiveness and cost cutting measures, passing costs to employees. This industry is becoming significantly less enjoyable to work in and growing to a toxic point of hypercompetiveness at every layer. It's not healthy for those working in the industry.
- renewiltord 6y agoThat’s really not a problem. If you think about it, everyone wants to help their network by default. And in startups, you care about outcomes. It doesn’t really matter if you’re shy or gregarious if you can make the crucial thing. It’s a big company problem, not a startup problem.
- TheTruestKyle 6y agoDo have data on this? My experience is that everyone is selfish.
- theflyinghorse 6y ago> conference scene thing Who can? Conferences are so expansive!
- Aunche 6y agoHiring primarily based on references almost guarantees bias. White engineers will tend to know more white engineers. Asian engineers will tend to know more Asian engineers.
- rainyMammoth 6y agothat is not bias, but rather a lack of diversity
- m4x 6y agoIt's still a bias - one that's exacerbated by a lack of diversity
- BurningFrog 6y agoThis assumes white engineers only knows other white engineers etc. This is very much not how the Silicon Valley I've been in for decades works!
- Aunche 6y agoOf course, you could have diverse acquaintances and friends, but most people are more inclined to be friends with people who share the same race and gender because they often share the same experiences. This puts a black female at a great disadvantage if her friends are mostly other black females because so few of them work in tech.
- BurningFrog 6y agoI would only refer people I've worked with. And they are as diverse as the industry. This approach does discriminate against people who are looking for their first job. I think that's both unavoidable and fine.
- whatever1 6y agoThis gap is covered mostly by internships.