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I ended up being hired directly from university for my first position - another student in my algorithms class was a local company's VP. That said, I absolutel
by munk-a 5y ago
I ended up being hired directly from university for my first position - another student in my algorithms class was a local company's VP. That said, I absolutely loathe back channels as they are a highly effective tool for discrimination. I don't hop jobs all that often but when I do so I do it via a recruiter and isolate myself from potential companies before the interview. I personally find leveraging back channels extremely distasteful.
There are some good ways to gain that level of contact though - directly reaching out to current employees is pretty effective with very few downsides as failing to get the job means they aren't going to be your coworkers anyways. However, I think even these approaches make the process overall less fair and equitable.
- bennysomething 5y agohiring someone you know, trust, like and you've seen their ability is no bad thing. Don't think there is any reason to loathe this. Lots of people network at meet ups to find positions this way.
- munk-a 5y agoIt is a safe bet for the employer and ends up benefiting the employee chosen - the issue is that it can leave folks stuck "outside". Hiring is a messy process and anyone who says they only hire the best is lying to you - sometimes folks interview poorly due to having a bad day or end up being screened out due to automated software not seeing necessary keywords in resumes by blind chance. However, the more you limit your hiring pool the more you're missing out on good folks and you can end up breeding a culture of nepotism within the company if you're not careful - where those folks that make it in from the outside are outside of the social group you're drawing from and end up leaving because it's cliquish.
- Jnr 5y agoWe have hired those "rough diamonds" through "back channels" even though they have had terrible interviews due to lack of communication skills. They probably would not have been hired in most places. And it turns out they are good at their work and also loyal since they are a bit afraid of jobs interviews. If a good employee vouches for someone, there is big chance we will give it a try. :)
- sokoloff 5y agoI agree that it can be less fair and equitable, but it’s factors more effective in terms of conversion to productive employees. If I ever decide to go out on my own and form a startup, my co-founder will 100% be an ex-colleague. Is that fair? Dunno, but it’s the only reasonable choice IMO.