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Ask HN: For those trying to hire how hard is it to find people currently?

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Ask HN: For those trying to hire how hard is it to find people currently?

#1
Just wondering since things seem to be kind of broken on both ends right now: Tech people reporting that it's hard to find a new gig right now and hiring managers reporting that it's hard to find people right now. (thoughts on why this seems to be even more broke than usual?)

Re: Ask HN: For those trying to hire how hard is it to find people currently?

#2
Seems like hiring has been broken forever. Even with the plethora of job sites like LinkedIn it doesn't seem any better. Someone who can come up with a better way of matching up candidates with hiring managers could do really well, but apparently the problem is quite hard since there's been a lot of attempts but not much success.

Re: Ask HN: For those trying to hire how hard is it to find people currently?

#3
post #2

Seems like hiring has been broken forever. Even with the plethora of job sites like LinkedIn it doesn't seem any better. Someone who can come up with a better way of matching up candidates with hiring managers could do really well, but apparently the problem is quite hard since there's been a lot of attempts but not much success.

Someone on another thread here about hiring in the ML/AI space bemoaned the fact that they mostly get applications from people who have dabbled with ML/AI on the side and very few applicants who have actual ML/AI work experience. But it seems like the ML/AI space is still nascent and growing rapidly - you're not going to find a lot of available people with ML/AI work experience. Given that ML/AI is where a lot of current hiring is maybe that's the reason for the hiring disconnect? If so hiring managers are going to have to start looking at people who have an interest and have done some self-learning in the field.

Re: Ask HN: For those trying to hire how hard is it to find people currently?

#5
It wouldn’t surprise me if this is a question of credentials.

I don’t know any experienced people with solid skills who also have degrees who have been having difficulty.

I know one good one, but without a relevant degree who is struggling. I also know lots of boot camp/recent grads in iffy masters programs who aren’t getting anywhere.

I am aware of a few hiring processes that are just inundated with people who don’t have a relevant degree that keep restarting as a result.

So it may simply be that standards rose more than actual availability in the market did.

Re: Ask HN: For those trying to hire how hard is it to find people currently?

#6
post #2

Seems like hiring has been broken forever. Even with the plethora of job sites like LinkedIn it doesn't seem any better. Someone who can come up with a better way of matching up candidates with hiring managers could do really well, but apparently the problem is quite hard since there's been a lot of attempts but not much success.

Someone on another thread here about hiring in the ML/AI space bemoaned the fact that they mostly get applications from people who have dabbled with ML/AI on the side and very few applicants who have actual ML/AI work experience. But it seems like the ML/AI space is still nascent and growing rapidly - you're not going to find a lot of available people with ML/AI work experience. Given that ML/AI is where a lot of cur…

It's another variation on the classic, "6 years experience with X required" where X is something that has only been publicly available for a year or less. Everybody wants candidates who can hit the ground running even when that's not practically possible.

Re: Ask HN: For those trying to hire how hard is it to find people currently?

#7
It doesn't help when salary is rarely disclosed on the adverts, so those only casually looking won't want to invest any time into the process - only to learn the salary is not within their expectations. It's a complete waste of time for everybody involved.

Re: Ask HN: For those trying to hire how hard is it to find people currently?

#8

>Tech people reporting that it's hard to find a new gig right now and hiring managers reporting that it's hard to find people right now. It's hard to find people with the desired skills at their offered price point . Simple as.

Of course, but as OP asked: any thoughts on why it seems exacerbated now?

Re: Ask HN: For those trying to hire how hard is it to find people currently?

#9
post #2

Seems like hiring has been broken forever. Even with the plethora of job sites like LinkedIn it doesn't seem any better. Someone who can come up with a better way of matching up candidates with hiring managers could do really well, but apparently the problem is quite hard since there's been a lot of attempts but not much success.

Someone on another thread here about hiring in the ML/AI space bemoaned the fact that they mostly get applications from people who have dabbled with ML/AI on the side and very few applicants who have actual ML/AI work experience. But it seems like the ML/AI space is still nascent and growing rapidly - you're not going to find a lot of available people with ML/AI work experience. Given that ML/AI is where a lot of cur…

> If so hiring managers are going to have to start looking at people who have an interest and have done some self-learning in the field.

Or candidates who have just started working with ML/AI are going to have to accept lower pay as their cost of changing specialisation. Or, likely, both.

Re: Ask HN: For those trying to hire how hard is it to find people currently?

#10

It wouldn’t surprise me if this is a question of credentials. I don’t know any experienced people with solid skills who also have degrees who have been having difficulty. I know one good one, but without a relevant degree who is struggling. I also know lots of boot camp/recent grads in iffy masters programs who aren’t getting anywhere. I am aware of a few hiring processes that are just inundated with people who don’t…

Are people struggling even with years of experience because of lacking a degree? Or are they entry level?
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