Ask HN: Ways to get hired anonymously?

#1

Post by urahara » Wed, Jan 18, 2017, 10:47 PM UTC

Any startups that work on the possibility of an anonymous hiring process? Maybe agencies, that have the right process in place? Lists of companies, that practice anonymous hiring? What are any opportunities available to go through the hiring process anonymously, with an identity not disclosed prior to getting an offer?

Re: Ask HN: Ways to get hired anonymously?

#2

Post by breeny592 » Wed, Jan 18, 2017, 11:40 PM UTC

Sorry to be a downer on this, but I am skeptical on how effective this could be - all the companies I have worked for (where I have actually enjoyed working there) the main part that made everything work was cultural fit - similar sense of humour, gets along well with the team, social etc.

I can see how possibly in some companies this could be achieved but it seems like it would be for a job where you are just a number not a person - YMMV I guess.

Re: Ask HN: Ways to get hired anonymously?

#3

Post by soneca » Wed, Jan 18, 2017, 11:41 PM UTC

No idea if it works, if it is of any good, but I just came across this company while searching companies on the HR field:

https://anthology.co

Re: Ask HN: Ways to get hired anonymously?

#4

Post by JamesLeonis » Wed, Jan 18, 2017, 11:46 PM UTC

What you're looking for is "Blind Auditions" or "Blind Hiring"

It's a difficult process because you have to clear out many things. Not just ordinary stuff like age or sex, but you can't have in-person or over-the-phone interviews because that instantly de-anonymizes the applicant.

Having said that, there are many companies that are trying to find such a process that keeps the applicant anonymous in an effort to increase diversity. It's still very early and nobody (I don't think) has found a process that works effectively yet.

Re: Ask HN: Ways to get hired anonymously?

#5

Post by urahara » Wed, Jan 18, 2017, 11:56 PM UTC

JamesLeonis wrote: post #4

What you're looking for is "Blind Auditions" or "Blind Hiring" It's a difficult process because you have to clear out many things. Not just ordinary stuff like age or sex, but you can't have in-person or over-the-phone interviews because that instantly de-anonymizes the applicant. Having said that, there are many companies that are trying to find such a process that keeps the applicant anonymous in an effort to incre…

Maybe over-the-phone with some voice changing technology could work? Or allow a real voice interview but try to reduce its importance?

Re: Ask HN: Ways to get hired anonymously?

#6

Post by _m8fo » Wed, Jan 18, 2017, 11:59 PM UTC

Here's one way:

1. Send them a Surface Hub or equivalent device.

2. Use something similar to ProctorTrack[1] to ensure that they're not using unauthorized programs, etc.

3. Anonymize their voice with i/o software.

[1] http://www.proctortrack.com/

---

That being said, some companies actively discriminate, ala "culture fit." You can't anonymize culture without being devoid of it. Culture, for better or for worse can predict race/ethnicity/age/gender/nationality/etc in many cases as well.

What you could do, I guess, is so something similar to the Common App and have them answer a ton of short answer questions.

Re: Ask HN: Ways to get hired anonymously?

#7

Post by urahara » Thu, Jan 19, 2017, 12:03 AM UTC

breeny592 wrote: post #2

Sorry to be a downer on this, but I am skeptical on how effective this could be - all the companies I have worked for (where I have actually enjoyed working there) the main part that made everything work was cultural fit - similar sense of humour, gets along well with the team, social etc. I can see how possibly in some companies this could be achieved but it seems like it would be for a job where you are just a numb…

Same for me about the best companies. In my case they were also the less inclined to discriminate employees in any way and spent minimal time on technical assessment. Maybe the less a company cares about cultural fit, the more it tends need anonymous process from an employee perspective? I think there should be ways to make anonymous hiring work, especially taking into account how broken current hiring processes are, despite of being extremely selective.

Re: Ask HN: Ways to get hired anonymously?

#8

Post by urahara » Thu, Jan 19, 2017, 12:10 AM UTC

_m8fo wrote: post #6

Here's one way: 1. Send them a Surface Hub or equivalent device. 2. Use something similar to ProctorTrack[1] to ensure that they're not using unauthorized programs, etc. 3. Anonymize their voice with i/o software. [1] http://www.proctortrack.com/ --- That being said, some companies actively discriminate, ala "culture fit." You can't anonymize culture without being devoid of it. Culture, for better or for worse can pr…

Interestingly, cultural fit seems to work both ways, some companies use it to discriminate, others to bring diversity. It would be great to know some data on how hiring works without cultural asessment component.