To hire neurodiverse workers, one firm got rid of job interviews • Hacker News Board

Re: To hire neurodiverse workers, one firm got rid of job interviews

#121

Post by eru » Mon, Oct 21, 2019, 7:02 AM UTC

shantly wrote: post #18

missosoup wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Never in my entire career have I been asked the 'where do you see yourself in 5 years' question. It doesn't even make sense in the tech world. In five years? There's a good chance your company/business unit won't exist and I'll be 1-2 jobs on from this one mate. Don't worry about it. It sounds like a hollywood movie cliche you'd hear at an interview scene. I'd laugh if I got that question in an actual interview. I'm…

I think I had that exact one once early on. I did actually get an "if you could go back in time a couple years, what advice would you give yourself?" a little while ago, which 1) threw me, because I wasn't expecting much of that formula crap from this place, and 2) I hadn't prepped for, so I just punted, being able to think of very little other than things unrelated to work but also lame, cliché, or "don't interview…

Small hack for the "tell me about a time you worked with a douchebag" story: add lots of humility. Take a story where you thought you were reasonable, but someones else could have seen you as a douchebag, and tell a heartwarming story about how you can understand that now with a bit of distance and how you've grown so much as a character.

(My story is about having to work with a cowboy coder on the same codebase, but the cowboy coder happened to be the boss of our sister team and had lots of apparent productivity and was thus loved by higher ups. The humility comes in from describing my own attempts at improving the situation but failing. Basically, you catch more flies with honey than vinegar.)

Re: To hire neurodiverse workers, one firm got rid of job interviews

#122

Post by blub » Mon, Oct 21, 2019, 7:02 AM UTC

jonny383 wrote: post #100

Any software engineer that wants to build a _real career_ with _real progression_ will already know that changing jobs should be done by connections, not cold-applying for jobs. Sure you need to get your foot in the door, but if you don't utilize the connections you've made throughout your working history, you either A) weren't useful enough to build higher standing connections, or B) were probably too focused on bei…

Can't confirm based on my own and other people's experience. Almost all my ex-colleagues which changed jobs during the past, let's say, three years, moving to Amazon, Google, etc have applied through the official channels.

Furthermore, in many companies the connections will merely allow one to skip one interview stage. At my current employer connections maybe offer a small goodwill boost, otherwise one still has to officially apply and go through the normal interview process. Anyone that knows the interviewee isn't allowed to be in the interview.

This is how it should be - equality for everyone instead of nepotism disguised as networking.

Re: To hire neurodiverse workers, one firm got rid of job interviews

#123

Post by MetalGuru » Mon, Oct 21, 2019, 7:03 AM UTC

antoinevg wrote: post #57

RHSeeger wrote: post #54

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My understanding is that the protected classes are the only ones afforded protections related to these things.

Please enhance your understanding, your world will be richer for it: https://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Privilege#Privilege_blindness

That backfired. Hopefully, your world is richer because he corrected your misunderstanding.

Re: To hire neurodiverse workers, one firm got rid of job interviews

#124

Post by Smithalicious » Mon, Oct 21, 2019, 7:05 AM UTC

romwell wrote: post #114

Leherenn wrote: post #94

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't really understand this dismissing about "culture fit". You describe it yourself as a frat house, which, I assume from the rest of your post, is not what you want. Work is not always only about output and skills, especially in a small company run by 20-something whose only social life is their colleagues. It says nothing about your skills, just that both sides would probably be miserable in case you were hired…

>I don't really understand this dismissing about "culture fit" You should understand that what you wrote sounds like discrimination by age (and sex, "frat" means male), which is illegal - and for good reasons. EDIT: specifically, the only way a 35-year-old is not a "culture fit" in "a small company run by 20-something whose only social life is their colleagues" is if that company is discriminating by age. I don't hav…

Is it? It's discrimination by things that correlate with age, sure, but many things do.

Re: To hire neurodiverse workers, one firm got rid of job interviews

#125

Post by eru » Mon, Oct 21, 2019, 7:06 AM UTC

bryanrasmussen wrote: post #60

missosoup wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Never in my entire career have I been asked the 'where do you see yourself in 5 years' question. It doesn't even make sense in the tech world. In five years? There's a good chance your company/business unit won't exist and I'll be 1-2 jobs on from this one mate. Don't worry about it. It sounds like a hollywood movie cliche you'd hear at an interview scene. I'd laugh if I got that question in an actual interview. I'm…

how long is your career and how many times do you think you've interviewed? I've been asked at least 2 times, also the ones like what is your biggest weakness, or if I could hire someone that can do everything you do but is better at X (where X is are lcoal, or will work for less) tell me why I should hire you (which I think means you're supposed to say something like because I am a creative problem solver or somethi…

The second question is interesting.

I'd say, definitely hire that guy, and if the interviewer has a whole pipeline of such great people, that I'd like to invest in her startup.

Now, if after running down that pipeline, they still have open positions, I'm still a good hire for [list all the reasons].

Re: To hire neurodiverse workers, one firm got rid of job interviews

#126

Post by pts_ » Mon, Oct 21, 2019, 7:07 AM UTC

They are only hiring testers which is a big resource waste but lots of autists can create kickass software without needing to waste resources on analysis paralysis.

Re: To hire neurodiverse workers, one firm got rid of job interviews

#127

Post by botwriter » Mon, Oct 21, 2019, 7:08 AM UTC

Why do we have to bring social justice crap into this?

I know plenty of companies who will hire Aspie's or other brilliant people without a diversity manager there to tick off boxes.

'Jamal' may struggle because he doesn't have the intellect to do the job but antisocial aspie 'Luke' who needs to be reminded by his line manager to take a shower a couple of times a week but who is a genius at what he does will always find work.

Re: To hire neurodiverse workers, one firm got rid of job interviews

#128

Post by unnouinceput » Mon, Oct 21, 2019, 7:08 AM UTC

Wasn't this tried like a year ago at one of FAANG companies and an AI was put in charge for automation process and it hired only male, mostly white, and got a huge backlash? I can't quite recall the details nor the specific company but I do recall the backlash from feminists, so somebody help with a link please.

Re: To hire neurodiverse workers, one firm got rid of job interviews

#129

Post by com » Mon, Oct 21, 2019, 7:09 AM UTC

icotyl wrote: post #109

Leherenn wrote: post #94

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't really understand this dismissing about "culture fit". You describe it yourself as a frat house, which, I assume from the rest of your post, is not what you want. Work is not always only about output and skills, especially in a small company run by 20-something whose only social life is their colleagues. It says nothing about your skills, just that both sides would probably be miserable in case you were hired…

Some had frat house vibes, some didn't. In any case, I think I'm pleasant and easy-going at work, and I do a good job, which makes other peoples' job easier. If someone would become "miserable" because I was hired... well, OK, but that might say more about their personality than mine.

Yes, absolutely it says more about their limitations or concerns than it does about your own!

Unfortunately a mismatch in expectations is probably a reasonable (but not good!) reason not to hire.

The hiring party gets to choose, and if their choices are for what they think are local maxima that you don’t fit, they get to own the consequences of not hiring you.

Re: To hire neurodiverse workers, one firm got rid of job interviews

#130

Post by e-_pusher » Mon, Oct 21, 2019, 7:09 AM UTC

unnouinceput wrote: post #128

Wasn't this tried like a year ago at one of FAANG companies and an AI was put in charge for automation process and it hired only male, mostly white, and got a huge backlash? I can't quite recall the details nor the specific company but I do recall the backlash from feminists, so somebody help with a link please.

You are probably thinking of this:

https://www.theverge.com/2018/10/10/17958784/ai-recruiting-t...