9 ms·
How a Fake Beard Can Get You Hired on the Internet
- __pThrow 13y agoJust another 1 weird trick linkbait article. Wired should be ashamed of itself.
- Paul_S 13y ago"They should be ashamed of themselves," said the man walking out of a strip club. It's what he always says when he walks out of a strip club. ;)
- __pThrow 13y agoI've never said that when walking out of a strip club. But I guess you're defending the 1 weird trick linkbaits because they work or something??
- quarterto 13y agoI've said it every time I've walked out a strip club. (The members of the empty set satisfy any property.)
- opendomain 13y agoWhy is this downvoted? This is just an expression of math - not an actual declaration of intent to visit.
- tbrake 13y ago1 beard trick, surely?
- mhurron 13y agoYou do know growing facial hair is very old advice if you have a younger looking face, right?
- fennecfoxen 13y agoWorked for Lincoln, too.
- glenra 13y agoLincoln actually grew the beard after he was elected. Conventional wisdom says Americans want their presidents clean-shaven. (Also: tall. The taller candidate nearly always wins.)
- jacobparker 13y agoThe title of this story reminded me of http://www.folklore.org/StoryView.py?project=Macintosh&story=Moustache.txt&topic=Personality&sortOrder=Sort%20by%20Date&detail=high&showcomments=1 http://www.folklore.org/StoryView.py?project=Macintosh&story...
- teddyh 13y agoPrevious discussion of original article: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6858542 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6858542
- malditojavi 13y agoThanks for sharing. I want to add this tweet from @dhh: 'Orchestras use blind auditions to avoid hiring on pedigree, age, gender, etc: http://ideas.repec.org/p/nbr/nberwo/5903.html http://ideas.repec.org/p/nbr/nberwo/5903.html - It's the ultimate look at the real Work'. I think it make totally sense in the current society we are living today.
- ambiate 13y agoInterestingly enough, having a beard has made people deem me as more socially approachable in the past two to three weeks. The underlying truth is if I have a beard: I'm depressed and lazy. Even at nearly 30, shaved, I still look in my late teens or early 20s. People do not treat me the same when I look younger.
- circuiter 13y agoI experience something similar. When I have a beard I can't look at myself in the mirror because I think I look like a bum, but everyone (both men and women) are more friendly and pay better attention when I have a beard.
- jbrooksuk 13y agoI saw an image on Facebook yesterday that said "Men with beards are sexy", with the same man in three stages, beard (closer to stubble), moustache and shaved. It's a thing. I've been told when I don't shave and have a bit of "designer stubble" that I'm more attractive and look older. I get an itchy face though, so it goes.
- scott_s 13y agoLet it grow a little longer, and the itchiness will subside. Establishing a neckline of your beard also helps - but don't cut it too high.
- jbrooksuk 13y agoMy problem is that it grows really patchy. I've got parts that is as smooth as a baby's bum, but others which is as rough as badgers arse - so I shave to hide my inability to grow a proper beard haha.
- justinsteele 13y agoShampoo and conditioner helps prevent itchiness, at any stage of growth. If it's really just stubble, soap & lotion will work.
- mhurron 13y agoIt can also improve the popularity of your programming language. http://www.alenz.org/mirror/khason/why-microsoft-can-blow-off-with-c.html http://www.alenz.org/mirror/khason/why-microsoft-can-blow-of... http://khason.net/blog/computer-languages-and-facial-hair-%E2%80%93-take-two/ http://khason.net/blog/computer-languages-and-facial-hair-%E...
- cliveowen 13y agoStudies based on a groups of subjects made out of a single person are the best.
- MartinCron 13y agoAnecdotal evidence isn't that useful, but we all live anecdotal lives.
- peterwwillis 13y agoI would love to see this same experiment performed with other factors like different color skin and sex/gender. How better to find actual evidence of hiring bias than with a giant automated freelancing system?
- quinnchr 13y agoHere's some similar research on race: http://www.nber.org/papers/w9873 http://www.nber.org/papers/w9873 White sounding names get 50% more callbacks then black sounding names when sending out identical resumes.
- MartinCron 13y agoAnd this is why I would love to have systematic way to remove bias triggers (such as names) from considering resumes. I would love to just be able to compare "Candidate 427" and "Candidate 430" and not even know their names until I'm committed to interview them.
- scott_s 13y agoOriginal article here: http://malditointer.net/after-working-1200-hours-in-odesk/ http://malditointer.net/after-working-1200-hours-in-odesk/ The author is not clear on how well he controlled for just changing the picture, and what his sample size is. I would not draw any conclusions from this.
- malditojavi 13y agoI know is not a proper AB testing. I considered to include more info in the 'Stuff to take into account about this a/b test' but finally I didnt.
- scott_s 13y agoI'm not even claiming it's not a proper test. I'm claiming I can't evaluate whether or not it's a proper test because I don't know enough about it.
- ck2 13y agoThis also works for women with non-gender identifiable names. Because if you think there isn't still gender bias in hiring for certain positions in the 21st century, you are wrong.
- sophacles 13y agoIt also works for names that sound "white" vs names that sound "black" or "ethnic". Because racism is also still a thing :(
- shanev 13y agoHiring bias is alive and well. My cousins, one guy, one girl, are half South Asian and half white, both with a long "ethnic" last name. The girl cousin always had trouble getting a job deserving of her skills until she married a guy with an easy to pronounce non-ethnic name. The guy cousin always got called for tech jobs, despite having a degree in English with no mention of tech on his resume.
- frogpelt 13y agoAnd I have a problem with calling this racism. Bias != racism To me, racism is hatred toward a person or persons because of their race, the desire to cause pain or suffering to a group of people because of their race, or actively trying to rid the world of a race of people. All humans are biased to some degree or another. And we are all biased for different reasons. If I am hiring people, there's a strong likelihood that I am going to be biased about who I hire based on where they grew up, where they went to school, what ethnicity they are, what gender they are, what race they are, simply because I am human. These do not equate to hatred which I think is what racism is about. Eqaulity is a noble objective in some ways but ridding the world of human bias is not going to happen.
- owenmarshall 13y agoYour definition forces a very limited view to what racism is - so limited that it serves to minimize the harmful effects of racism that are still present in the world, so limited that it serves only to describe the ugliest of individuals in the world, and so limited that it's practically worthless in conversation.
- coreymgilmore 13y agoDoes it also help that beards are much more mainstream and accepted these days? Sort of like how a black business suit was seen as more professional than a grey or blue suit in the early-mid 20th century?
- xauronx 13y agoThat's the first thing that I thought of. The bearded hipster designer/coder is kind of in style right now. It's kind of like saying "designers wearing plaid get more call backs". If you fit the stereotype perfectly for your position, people will think your skills match it perfectly.
- NAFV_P 13y agoI was thinking it depends on the style of beard: My favourite, The Franz-Joseph: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franz_Joseph_I_of_Austria http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franz_Joseph_I_of_Austria A website with lots of different beards (all displayed on the same chin): http://www.dyers.org/blog/beards/beard-types/ http://www.dyers.org/blog/beards/beard-types/ Some of these beards are just so eccentric looking I think a potential employer would not take them seriously.
- Turing_Machine 13y agoThat generic family of facial hair (shaved chin, sides grown below jawline) is called "side-whiskers". They were pretty popular in Victorian times.
- NAFV_P 13y agoI believe nowadays they are an acquired taste, which is a big shame.
- awjr 13y agoAnecdotal evidence, I specifically grew a beard in 1994 in preparation for a contract interview. I was 24. I got the contract. A friend (25 years old) tried to get a contract clean shaven, eventually gave in after multiple failed interviews, grew a beard and got a contract. He had a real baby face. 'Young' Age perception is a real problem when contracting. Less so after the first contract. Of note I still have my beard. I rather like it.
- chavesn 13y agoContractors hate him! How "one weird trick" will get you hired... ...really.
- sk5t 13y agoThis is not reddit.
- theseanstewart 13y agoYeah...time to pack up your witty comments chavesn and move on out of here. Maybe if you added something about bitcoins to your comment it'd be acceptable by sk5t's standards.
- psweber 13y agoJokes are still allowed. Jeeeeeeeez.
- bpm140 13y agoThis contractor added a fake beard to his profile. What happened next will blow your mind.
- maaarghk 13y agoCan anybody pinpoint when WIRED started publishing 50% link-bait nonsense which just links to other sites on the web, upworthy style? I love their UK magazine and this trend is disappointing. Bit off topic, sorry. Beards outnumber clean shaven 4:3 in my office! We're a digital agency. =P
- asdasf 13y agoSome where around 1998?
- pjbrunet 13y agoMaybe depends on the social network. Seems like I had more LinkedIn invites after shaving.
- h4pless 13y agoStrange. I have noticed a decline in job offers since the internet grew out my beard, I wonder what may account for the discrepancy? http://i.imgur.com/IfvPIZD.jpg http://i.imgur.com/IfvPIZD.jpg
- tcdent 13y agoI'm not incredibly social, nor do I have a lot of variation in the clients I work for, but having a beard seems to be a positive attribute, if anything. I mostly notice the effect when meeting in-person; probably because there is far more subtlety in a face-to-face conversation. People who have researched me on social media know what to expect, and seem to have a bit of anticipation when I walk into the room. Those that don't know what to expect are surprised, but quickly settle into a smile. One of the first questions I'm asked is always related to my facial hair: "How long did it take to grow that?", "I wish I could.", etc. It immediately lightens the mood, which works well for me, because I can then add the level of professionalism I desire back into the conversation. I also find that it starts off a meeting with a bit of free respect. I can, of course, back up my statements, but rarely am I challenged the same way that some other members of the group are. I may not be the perceived top dog, but I'm certainly never on the bottom. It also has a similar effect with older people and "tough" guys. Eastern women seem to like it, too; though they are usually very coy. I can settle in with a pretty rough group without any problems, which has allowed me to glean a pretty broad perspective. I havent shaved in 6 years now, and have no plans to start. I tried competition twice and was a finalist on both occasions. A beard, however, is not all that I am. https://www.dropbox.com/s/wh49owr8q6zstqe/1458545_10201232913696863_1012504867_n.jpg https://www.dropbox.com/s/wh49owr8q6zstqe/1458545_1020123291...
- shizzy0 13y agoThat's an amazing beard!
- icebraining 13y agoAgreed. I have to confess I trim mine regularly.
- rfnslyr 13y agoYou should coin a new "law". Something to do with beard and tech. Give the law a cool name too. Also, I ALWAYS comment on peoples beards. They love it.
- 13y ago
- twic 13y agoI once met someone who could correctly identify the Linux distributions preferred by a friend and myself based solely on our facial hair.