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Startup using a custom Portal 2 level to recruit engineers

jobs.wibidata.com

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Re: Startup using a custom Portal 2 level to recruit engineers

#11

Post by dsl »

anonymouz wrote: post #8

Kind of neat, but strange as a recruitment device: It seems difficult enough to get good people, why would one put such an arbitrary filter as a first barrier? People who don't play computer games or Portal 2 are probably much less likely to apply that way.

Because they made the front page of HackerNews (likely the target audience), and will probably be picked up by a few other techie sites as well.

As with all the other "hiring games" that Google and others do, you can also just submit your resume, you don't have to play.

Re: Startup using a custom Portal 2 level to recruit engineers

#12

Post by anonymouz »

tobyjsullivan wrote: post #10
anonymouz wrote: post #8

Kind of neat, but strange as a recruitment device: It seems difficult enough to get good people, why would one put such an arbitrary filter as a first barrier? People who don't play computer games or Portal 2 are probably much less likely to apply that way.

I don't think this is in any way a necessary step for applying there, which is good. It's simply one more avenue of lead generation for recruitment. And a very creative one that's likely to get them quite a bit of exposure. It also has the benefit of clearly demonstrating that they are a "fun" company, not your run-of-the-mill boring enterprise product corporation.

Ah, if it's optional it is indeed nice. That was not clear to me from the page.

Re: Startup using a custom Portal 2 level to recruit engineers

#14

Post by Homunculiheaded »

pattern wrote: post #7
evan_ wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I like these sort of recruitment teasers, mainly because if done well they self-select for exactly the kind of person you want. In this case, 20-30 year old males.

What percentage of 20-30 year old males do you believe have played Portal (2), saw this posting, had the inclination to download the mod, and the inquisitiveness and persistance to actually complete the puzzle/test? Rarely is a filter perfect, but this is likely a lot better than taking a random sample from the population :)

I think what the parent is pointing out that P(male, 20-30 | played through the level) is higher than the existing P(male, 20-30 | applied for job)

Re: Startup using a custom Portal 2 level to recruit engineers

#15

Post by [deleted] »

pattern wrote: post #7
evan_ wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I like these sort of recruitment teasers, mainly because if done well they self-select for exactly the kind of person you want. In this case, 20-30 year old males.

What percentage of 20-30 year old males do you believe have played Portal (2), saw this posting, had the inclination to download the mod, and the inquisitiveness and persistance to actually complete the puzzle/test? Rarely is a filter perfect, but this is likely a lot better than taking a random sample from the population :)

[deleted]

Re: Startup using a custom Portal 2 level to recruit engineers

#17

Post by Osmium »

I say this partly in jest but... it's nice to see a lean startup using its limited resources correctly by creating levels for Portal 2. For all I know, this could've been an employee's pet project, but if not I'm not sure I see the value.

Also, the jobs homepage lede is a little grating:

"We're seeking brilliant people ..." [Click "I'm brilliant" to continue]

Because who doesn't think they deserve brilliant people? Nice employers and a good corporate culture are obviously very important, but can't it be taken too far? I think, what it comes down to, is that I don't like seeing a company's ego on display so brazenly, especially when they're a startup which still has a lot to prove.

Re: Startup using a custom Portal 2 level to recruit engineers

#18

Post by MartinCron »

evan_ wrote: post #6
makmanalp wrote: post #4

I like these sort of recruitment teasers, mainly because if done well they self-select for exactly the kind of person you want. I think this is similar in effect to website job boards like the joelonsoftware board or the hn jobs section, where the people who answer are likelier to share your vision and opinions. In this case you'd have to have Portal 2 already, but anyway. Maybe they're looking for that :)

> I like these sort of recruitment teasers, mainly because if done well they self-select for exactly the kind of person you want. In this case, 20-30 year old males.

In this case, 20-30 year old males

This perfectly encapsulates my unease with this kind of recruiting/self selection approach. I get that culture fit is important, but I also don't like the sort of groupthink and monoculture that you get by just hiring a bunch of people who are all into the same narrow pop culture niches.

I'm guilty of this kind of monocultural preference myself. I used to joke about starting interviews with "What's your favorite Hayao Miyazaki film and why?" although I never actually did it.

Re: Startup using a custom Portal 2 level to recruit engineers

#19

Post by ryan-c »

niggler wrote: post #2

Anyone try portal 2 on Linux? How is the performance ?

WineHQ has it listed as 'Platinum'. I've played all the way through Half Life 2 and Portal using wine a while ago and they worked very well, but I can't speak from experience on Portal 2.

http://appdb.winehq.org/objectManager.php?sClass=version&#38...

Re: Startup using a custom Portal 2 level to recruit engineers

#20

Post by OGC »

anonymouz wrote: post #8

Kind of neat, but strange as a recruitment device: It seems difficult enough to get good people, why would one put such an arbitrary filter as a first barrier? People who don't play computer games or Portal 2 are probably much less likely to apply that way.

It's a PR stunt
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