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Helping the People Who Don’t Get Hired

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Re: Helping the People Who Don’t Get Hired

#11

Post by kremlin »

ufmace wrote: post #10

What I wonder about this idea - it sounds like they started out with a open house for everyone who applied, regardless of qualifications, instead of phone screens. So how many really qualified candidates are going to be interested in travelling out to the company for an "open house" with everyone else who applied for the job? From a candidate's perspective, the phone screen lets you prove yourself to the company and…

also it likely disproportionately selects for people who do well in those kinds of situations, which may be completely orthogonal to the position they're being hired for.

That being said, I also really like the idea.

Re: Helping the People Who Don’t Get Hired

#12

Post by vonmoltke »

ufmace wrote: post #10

What I wonder about this idea - it sounds like they started out with a open house for everyone who applied, regardless of qualifications, instead of phone screens. So how many really qualified candidates are going to be interested in travelling out to the company for an "open house" with everyone else who applied for the job? From a candidate's perspective, the phone screen lets you prove yourself to the company and…

> What I wonder about this idea - it sounds like they started out with a open house for everyone who applied, regardless of qualifications, instead of phone screens. So how many really qualified candidates are going to be interested in travelling out to the company for an "open house" with everyone else who applied for the job?

Probably not many, but as was discussed recently in the context of TripleByte[1] some qualified people have "bad" resumes and may struggle to get phone screens. Go through enough resume-level rejections and you might welcome such an open house, if for no other reason than to network with people you might not otherwise be able to meet.

[1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9507089

Re: Helping the People Who Don’t Get Hired

#13

Post by fredt »

The best organizations and their people make it a joyous, exciting process. It brings out the best in applicants and all involved. It also leads to friendships, whether the person is hired or not. This is how lifetime relationships develop.

Re: Helping the People Who Don’t Get Hired

#14

Post by MichaelCrawford »

It would be very helpful not only to me, but to people like me, were potential employers to comply with the labor laws. Specifically, the various state laws regarding age discrimination - in Oregon, one may not discriminate for reasons of age against people over forty. There is also the US Americans with Disabilities Act. I am dead certain that I lose work because I link to two essays about my mental illness right at the top of every page of my website.

My Bipolar-Type Schizoaffective Disorder was diagnosed in 1985.

I started my first salaried coding job in 1987.

I was hired as a Product Development Manager in 1990.

I graduated with a BA in Physics in 1993.

In 1994, I invented a novel, unobvious lossless bitmap graphics compressor.

In 1995, I was hired as a Senior Engineer at Apple Computer, where I worked as a "Debug Meister".

In 2000, I was married to a woman who knew all about my illness. We purchased a nice house with money I earned as a consultant.

In 2015, I can't get a job because I have grey hair, and I am openly public about being mentally ill.

Re: Helping the People Who Don’t Get Hired

#15

Post by ChristianKletzl »

I am hopeful that helping your non-hires ultimately becomes a fixed part of a company's recruiting process (especially in SV where companies compete on the craziest hiring perks).

Applicants spend a significant time to prepare and come on-site, even though in many cases this only leads to a rejection. A company's brand and culture should (by a candidate) also be evaluated by how they treat the candidates they don't hire, just how a person should be evaluated by how they treat their waiter.

We've created smarthires.io for this reason. Companies can refer candidates they liked but didn't hire and we'll introduce these candidates to other companies in the same network. Many times a candidate who's not a great fit for one company could be the perfect fit for another.

Re: Helping the People Who Don’t Get Hired

#16

Post by orionblastar »

I am disabled and mentally ill, which is why I don't get hired for a job. I didn't used to be this way and developed it from a lot of stress while working.

I can still do tech work and program, just that everyone can pick up I am mentally ill and discriminate against me for it. I'd have to find the right company that can accommodate a mentally ill person as an employee. I'm often accused of having autism in the way I talk and write.

I am also over 40 now, so age is a factor.

Re: Helping the People Who Don’t Get Hired

#18

Post by vonnik »

Nicholson here. I posted this and my startup, FutureAdvisor, invited Brooke to come to the Bay last fall for an event like the one reported here.

Here are two previous HN threads on Brooke, Noah, Staffup Weekend and their method:

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8859199 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8958290 https://www.futureadvisor.com

P.S. We're looking for an infrastructure engineer.

Re: Helping the People Who Don’t Get Hired

#19

Post by dsacco »

MichaelCrawford wrote: post #14

It would be very helpful not only to me, but to people like me, were potential employers to comply with the labor laws. Specifically, the various state laws regarding age discrimination - in Oregon, one may not discriminate for reasons of age against people over forty. There is also the US Americans with Disabilities Act. I am dead certain that I lose work because I link to two essays about my mental illness right at…

>> There is also the US Americans with Disabilities Act. I am dead certain that I lose work because I link to two essays about my mental illness right at the top of every page of my website.

With respect, why do you do this? How can you possibly think this is a good idea?

I sympathize that you have a mental illness, but you're being stubborn by complaining that you can't get a job when one of the primary obstacles is clearly in your power. Don't advertise that you have a mental illness. No matter how you would like the world to work, it does not work in such a way that advertising mental illness is in any way conducive to searching for a job.

Here is another example, to take away the stigma of mental illness: I'm a hiring manager, and I just found out that you have cancer on your blog. This was directly in the navigation of the blog.

This is bad. I don't want to not hire you because you have cancer. I don't want to discriminate against you. But you've suddenly become much more complicated and emotionally loaded than this other person who doesn't have cancer. Worse, you display no regard whatsoever for social cues by advertising this so bluntly.

If your mental disorder has anything to do with you not getting a job, it's really just because you're sending horribly unattractive social/communication signals to potential employers.

There is an idealized world we'd all like to see, and there is a world we actually live in. It's not like you're a woman being discriminated against here. Your mental illness does not need to literally be the first thing people see about you when they look at your online identity.

Sorry if any of this was harsh. I wish you the best in your search, but please consider not being quite so "loud" about your problems. Reframing who you are to potential employers could do wonders.

Re: Helping the People Who Don’t Get Hired

#20

Post by MichaelCrawford »

dsacco wrote: post #19
MichaelCrawford wrote: post #14

It would be very helpful not only to me, but to people like me, were potential employers to comply with the labor laws. Specifically, the various state laws regarding age discrimination - in Oregon, one may not discriminate for reasons of age against people over forty. There is also the US Americans with Disabilities Act. I am dead certain that I lose work because I link to two essays about my mental illness right at…

>> There is also the US Americans with Disabilities Act. I am dead certain that I lose work because I link to two essays about my mental illness right at the top of every page of my website. With respect, why do you do this? How can you possibly think this is a good idea? I sympathize that you have a mental illness, but you're being stubborn by complaining that you can't get a job when one of the primary obstacles is…

The ADA is intended to protect people who self-identify. If some chooses not to hire me because they see my essays at the top of my online resume, then they are violating Federal Law.
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