6 ms·

Awful in what respects? I was under the impression that it was sort of like Harvard: lots of applications, but a good chunk of those denied could have just hav

Awful in what respects? I was under the impression that it was sort of like Harvard: lots of applications, but a good chunk of those denied could have just have easily been accepted if there was space You seem to have experience with their hiring and I have none (only applying) so I have much more faith in what you're saying than my preconceived ideas.

throwaways885 6y ago
As in, a significant chunk of candidates cannot write code, have outright lies on their CV, have never used anything other than visual basic, etc... In addition, basic statistics suggests you need all new hires to be better than 50% of the existing company, or your average skill level will go down, which makes hiring just hard mathematically.
- throwaway6734 6y ago
  Can't you rule a lot of those candidate (other than CV liars) out algorithmically? >In addition, basic statistics suggests you need all new hires to be better than 50% of the existing company, This seems especially difficult when hiring graduates/junior roles due to the lack of unknowns. Thanks for taking the time to respond!
  - throwaways885 6y ago
    > Can't you rule a lot of those candidate (other than CV liars) out algorithmically? I think all companies do this, but it's really easy to game the metrics. People do it unconsciously, even. > This seems especially difficult when hiring graduates/junior roles due to the lack of unknowns. Yep, so it takes hours of interviewing per candidate, across dozens of candidates just to hire to minimise the risk for one role. At a global level, FAANGs are hiring loads, but at a team/local level there's never enough people due to specific team needs or turnover.
- hnnnnnnng 6y ago
  Cannot write code is very different from cannot write code on a whiteboard to solve a difficult problem in a limited amount of time in a stressful setting where you constantly have to keep talking and explaining what you are doing and cannot pause to think.
  - throwaways885 6y ago
    I know that's a popular trope, but I really mean the 'cannot code' crowd. They are separate groups.
    - hnnnnnnng 6y ago
      I don't understand how cannot code would even hold a job for more than a month.
      - throwaways885 5y ago
        There are many people who can't do anything except React.js, for example.

throwaways885 6y ago

As in, a significant chunk of candidates cannot write code, have outright lies on their CV, have never used anything other than visual basic, etc... In addition, basic statistics suggests you need all new hires to be better than 50% of the existing company, or your average skill level will go down, which makes hiring just hard mathematically.

throwaway6734 6y ago
Can't you rule a lot of those candidate (other than CV liars) out algorithmically? >In addition, basic statistics suggests you need all new hires to be better than 50% of the existing company, This seems especially difficult when hiring graduates/junior roles due to the lack of unknowns. Thanks for taking the time to respond!
- throwaways885 6y ago
  > Can't you rule a lot of those candidate (other than CV liars) out algorithmically? I think all companies do this, but it's really easy to game the metrics. People do it unconsciously, even. > This seems especially difficult when hiring graduates/junior roles due to the lack of unknowns. Yep, so it takes hours of interviewing per candidate, across dozens of candidates just to hire to minimise the risk for one role. At a global level, FAANGs are hiring loads, but at a team/local level there's never enough people due to specific team needs or turnover.
hnnnnnnng 6y ago
Cannot write code is very different from cannot write code on a whiteboard to solve a difficult problem in a limited amount of time in a stressful setting where you constantly have to keep talking and explaining what you are doing and cannot pause to think.
- throwaways885 6y ago
  I know that's a popular trope, but I really mean the 'cannot code' crowd. They are separate groups.
  - hnnnnnnng 6y ago
    I don't understand how cannot code would even hold a job for more than a month.
    - throwaways885 5y ago
      There are many people who can't do anything except React.js, for example.