3 ms·

Interesting results that seem to challenge some received wisdom. However, N=1! What this study tells you is the systematic relationship between resume detectab

by mswen 13y ago

Interesting results that seem to challenge some received wisdom. However, N=1! What this study tells you is the systematic relationship between resume detectable attributes and getting hired at this particular company. If this same analysis was carried out at 29 more companies we would have N=30 which is considered a small sample size. To effectively do that the author would need to put out a detailed description of methods for coding resumes and ideally a means of determining inter-rater reliability and so on. Interesting conversation starter - but please no one make any important decisions based on this.

diminish 13y ago
ok you avoided "the plural of anecdote is not data" :) (the rant previous days ago) The study may also simply show a correlation between unprepared/quick applications (resumes/cover letters) and well thought, well prepared more serious ones. I mean, it may simply show how serious the applicant takes the current job offer.
mcherm 13y ago
Depends. From the point of view of the applicant perhaps N=1 as only one company's hiring was investigated. But from the point of view of someone scanning resumes, N=300 (there were 300 applicants considered).
- mswen 13y ago
  From the perspective of lessons learned, that is generalizable truths, one can only generalize to that company. So the reader of this article can only really say, this is highly relevant and accurate if I intend to apply for an engineering position at this particular company. Beyond that it falls into the same anecdotal category as any other advice dispensed by recruiters or HR personnel who have responsibility to screen applicants entering into the interview process. The big difference is this recruiter has gone to the trouble of actually measuring a number of factors and assumptions and can say with great confidence, this is how it works in a particular company. In that regard it is certainly more weighty than the type of blog post that says "I have been doing screening for 5 years and this is what matters to me. And, by the way it seems to correlate to hiring decisions at the back end of the process."

by mswen 13y ago

diminish 13y ago

ok you avoided "the plural of anecdote is not data" :) (the rant previous days ago) The study may also simply show a correlation between unprepared/quick applications (resumes/cover letters) and well thought, well prepared more serious ones. I mean, it may simply show how serious the applicant takes the current job offer.

mcherm 13y ago

Depends. From the point of view of the applicant perhaps N=1 as only one company's hiring was investigated. But from the point of view of someone scanning resumes, N=300 (there were 300 applicants considered).

mswen 13y ago
From the perspective of lessons learned, that is generalizable truths, one can only generalize to that company. So the reader of this article can only really say, this is highly relevant and accurate if I intend to apply for an engineering position at this particular company. Beyond that it falls into the same anecdotal category as any other advice dispensed by recruiters or HR personnel who have responsibility to screen applicants entering into the interview process. The big difference is this recruiter has gone to the trouble of actually measuring a number of factors and assumptions and can say with great confidence, this is how it works in a particular company. In that regard it is certainly more weighty than the type of blog post that says "I have been doing screening for 5 years and this is what matters to me. And, by the way it seems to correlate to hiring decisions at the back end of the process."