5 ms·

See 'the secretary problem' [0], which is a more sophisticated version of the above. It's a process that can be summarised roughly as follows. Given a pile of

See 'the secretary problem' [0], which is a more sophisticated version of the above. It's a process that can be summarised roughly as follows. Given a pile of CVs Read approximately 40% of them (actually 1/e, or ~0.368) Dump that 40% Select the first candidate that is better than the ones you have just dumped [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secretary_problem https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secretary_problem

thekyle 6y ago
The secretary problem says that once you pass on a CV you cannot go back and latter decide you want that person. I don't think that is a restriction that exists in real life hiring. It is possible to review all the CVs and then decide which one to pick.
- CodesInChaos 6y ago
  When I was involved in hiring, we received a steady stream of CVs and then had to decide if we want to interview and eventually hire or reject a candidate (typically we decided right after the interview or programming task). While there is a short time window in which multiple candidates might be evaluated, this approach is pretty close to the assumptions of the secretary problem.
  - ghaff 6y ago
    I assume that's pretty typical. It's certainly my experience. We interview someone and have a call and it's usually either an enthusiastic yes. Or an OK I guess (or just no), in which case we keep looking. I'm not sure I can think of a case where we were "I guess they'll meet our needs if no one better comes along."
    - toast0 6y ago
      > I'm not sure I can think of a case where we were "I guess they'll meet our needs if no one better comes along." You may not have been at an organization with a policy that unfilled positions after X time get removed. When you get close to the end of the time, there's pressure to hire someone, even if they're not great, because otherwise you'll lose the position. On the other hand, I have had a case where someone was not hired for a position, and then later was asked to interview for a different position with the same hiring manager, and was hired for that.
RachelF 6y ago
Many hiring managers read your CV for the first time during the interview.
- lostoldaccount2 6y ago
  This is a reason why you 1. Should always insist on a first phone interview 2. Ask the hiring manager why he believes that you are a good match for the position.

thekyle 6y ago

The secretary problem says that once you pass on a CV you cannot go back and latter decide you want that person. I don't think that is a restriction that exists in real life hiring. It is possible to review all the CVs and then decide which one to pick.

CodesInChaos 6y ago
When I was involved in hiring, we received a steady stream of CVs and then had to decide if we want to interview and eventually hire or reject a candidate (typically we decided right after the interview or programming task). While there is a short time window in which multiple candidates might be evaluated, this approach is pretty close to the assumptions of the secretary problem.
- ghaff 6y ago
  I assume that's pretty typical. It's certainly my experience. We interview someone and have a call and it's usually either an enthusiastic yes. Or an OK I guess (or just no), in which case we keep looking. I'm not sure I can think of a case where we were "I guess they'll meet our needs if no one better comes along."
  - toast0 6y ago
    > I'm not sure I can think of a case where we were "I guess they'll meet our needs if no one better comes along." You may not have been at an organization with a policy that unfilled positions after X time get removed. When you get close to the end of the time, there's pressure to hire someone, even if they're not great, because otherwise you'll lose the position. On the other hand, I have had a case where someone was not hired for a position, and then later was asked to interview for a different position with the same hiring manager, and was hired for that.

RachelF 6y ago

Many hiring managers read your CV for the first time during the interview.

lostoldaccount2 6y ago
This is a reason why you 1. Should always insist on a first phone interview 2. Ask the hiring manager why he believes that you are a good match for the position.