3 ms·

Hiring is not based on merit anyway. Plenty of talented and skillful workers who may lack in the social and communication skills department, don't have a maxed

Hiring is not based on merit anyway. Plenty of talented and skillful workers who may lack in the social and communication skills department, don't have a maxed out and blinged up LinkedIn profile with a bazillion connections or have a resume that was automatically filtered into the rejection stream. I agree with you otherwise, just wanted to point it out though.

127361 3y ago
So we need to address that one as well, so we can employ those who are brilliant technically but might not be so good at socializing. We urgently need something to counter the rise of China, so we are going to have to adapt as a society in order to compete globally. In fact, hiring such people would be a step towards real diversity in the workplace, if we can find a way to fit them in somehow.
ImJamal 3y ago
Merriam Webster defines merit as "a praiseworthy quality". Programming skills would qualify as merit but so would "social and communication skills". Hiring based on any of those skills would still be hiring on merit. Having an immutable characteristic like a specific gender or race is not a praiseworthy quality.
- mr_toad 3y ago
  Being able to sell yourself during a job interview is not necessarily a good indicator of your ability to communicate effectively at work. Instead it selects for people are shameless self-promoters.
  - ImJamal 3y ago
    I never suggested that it was. I'm just saying it is a skill to being able to promote yourself. Hiring based on a skill (even if it is only semi-related to the job) is hiring based on merit. Also, if you can sell yourself you are likely to be able to sell ideas which is a good skill for developers to have.
    - geraldwhen 3y ago
      Depending on the work, it may be more valuable than coding ability even. You need people with the right ideas that can win arguments. Without that you can only build garbage.

127361 3y ago

So we need to address that one as well, so we can employ those who are brilliant technically but might not be so good at socializing. We urgently need something to counter the rise of China, so we are going to have to adapt as a society in order to compete globally. In fact, hiring such people would be a step towards real diversity in the workplace, if we can find a way to fit them in somehow.

ImJamal 3y ago

Merriam Webster defines merit as "a praiseworthy quality". Programming skills would qualify as merit but so would "social and communication skills". Hiring based on any of those skills would still be hiring on merit. Having an immutable characteristic like a specific gender or race is not a praiseworthy quality.

mr_toad 3y ago
Being able to sell yourself during a job interview is not necessarily a good indicator of your ability to communicate effectively at work. Instead it selects for people are shameless self-promoters.
- ImJamal 3y ago
  I never suggested that it was. I'm just saying it is a skill to being able to promote yourself. Hiring based on a skill (even if it is only semi-related to the job) is hiring based on merit. Also, if you can sell yourself you are likely to be able to sell ideas which is a good skill for developers to have.
  - geraldwhen 3y ago
    Depending on the work, it may be more valuable than coding ability even. You need people with the right ideas that can win arguments. Without that you can only build garbage.