They only ever applied for one or two jobs in their lives.
Does nobody work in high school or college anymore?
Everyone thinks they're hiring the top 1% (2005)
11–20 of 114 posts
Re: Everyone thinks they're hiring the top 1% (2005)
#12Remember this article when you hear the "hundreds of resumes per job opening" argument in a debate on immigration laws.
What is this argument, and which side is it on?
I'd suspect he means the argument that goes like:
"There are hundreds of resumes submitted for every job opening in Industry X. Why, then, are we STEALING AMERICAN JOBS by allowing H-1B visa holders to enter the country and take this opening?"
Re: Everyone thinks they're hiring the top 1% (2005)
#13All my friends that are really good "never went on the job market" and got hired following to their summer internship, and a few others (good ones) and I went forward to a Ph.D. This proves nothing, but brings some evidence.
Re: Everyone thinks they're hiring the top 1% (2005)
#14Besides the obvious brilliance in every single word in that article, Joel;s strongest advice is the part about hiring summer interns and also begging for people to intern with them. Of course the underlying assumption is that you are not giving offers to people who are too qualified for your job and that you/your company/company culture are/is not trash.
Re: Everyone thinks they're hiring the top 1% (2005)
#15The top 1% don't actively look for work. They are already working.
The top 1% is the gold dust that every head hunter in the country wants to get their hands on but how do you quantify it? As an earlier commenter stated, the top 1% is entirely subjective. If you asked ten different companies to select the top 1% of candidates, all ten would produce different results.
Those reading this article hoping to discover how to include themselves in this illustrious 1% will once again be left dissapointed because the final decision is always made by a human and humans are fickle, contradictory beings meaning that the golden formula just doesn't exist.
I work in the recruitment industry and I hear people say all the time that recruitment is a science. Whilst the process may have a scientific element in theory, when it comes to hirirng managers perception of candidates suitability, all science goes out the window and is overruled by ego, emotion and greed.
Re: Everyone thinks they're hiring the top 1% (2005)
#16This article might of sounded a bit less of a "WHAM" if the real quote was put it: Everyone thinks they're hiring the top 1% of developers currently on the market. But still, valid point
I think that it is still a delusion, even if you add the "currently on the market". The best people currently on the market won't probably bother sending you an application - they will probably just take advantage of their networks.
I don't consider myself to be in the top percent of anything; but I'm not even taking advantage of my network, it's the other way around - my network takes advantage of me :)
I.e. every couple of months I receive a really good job offer (discounting the shitty ones), just because someone knows somebody who knows me. It's getting really hard to say NO too.
Re: Everyone thinks they're hiring the top 1% (2005)
#17[deleted]
Re: Everyone thinks they're hiring the top 1% (2005)
#18Earlier quoted context omitted.
I think that it is still a delusion, even if you add the "currently on the market". The best people currently on the market won't probably bother sending you an application - they will probably just take advantage of their networks.
I don't consider myself to be in the top percent of anything; but I'm not even taking advantage of my network, it's the other way around - my network takes advantage of me :) I.e. every couple of months I receive a really good job offer (discounting the shitty ones), just because someone knows somebody who knows me. It's getting really hard to say NO too.
Companies do take advantage of their employees' networks. Some pay well for a successful referral.
Re: Everyone thinks they're hiring the top 1% (2005)
#19For similar reasons, every programmer thinks he is the top 1% - including me ;)
Re: Everyone thinks they're hiring the top 1% (2005)
#20If you're hiring then this may hold true, but it doesn't fit with my experience of contracting. Whilst the best organisations are looking to contract out to the best people, there are many companies looking for the cheapest subcontractor for short-term gains.