Hired Or Hazing? The New Job Search Reality

🌈 Abstract

The article discusses the absurdity of modern job interview processes, highlighting the author's personal experiences and observations. It explores how the job market has become a "carnival of absurdity" with increasingly bizarre and excessive interview practices that often fail to assess actual competence. The article proposes a "Just Enough" framework for designing a more concise and effective hiring process.

🙋 Q&A

[01] The Absurdity of Modern Job Interviews

1. What are some of the author's personal experiences with the modern job interview process?

• The author went on more job interviews in a month than they had eaten hot meals, indicating the overwhelming nature of the job search.
• The author had to come up with increasingly absurd analogies to describe themselves, such as a stapler, computer mouse, and even a fax machine, during interviews.
• The author's "personal nadir" was an interview where they were asked to describe which kitchen appliance they would be and why, to which the author responded with a microwave, saying they would "explode" if metal was put in them.

2. How does the author describe the overall state of the modern job market and hiring practices?

• The author describes the job market as a "grotesque parody of a cooking show, except with less food and more awkward small talk about my 'secret ingredients for success.'"
• The author states that the hiring process has become a "carnival of absurdity" with increasingly bizarre and excessive interview practices.
• The author realized their experience was "far from unique" and that the landscape of hiring practices was only getting more bizarre over time.

3. What prompted the author to make the leap into consulting and working for themselves?

• Frustrated with the "broken hiring practices," the author decided to take control of their career and made the "risky move" of transitioning into consulting and working for themselves.
• This new role gave the author a "broader perspective" on the "evolving circus of corporate recruitment" across various industries.

[02] The Excessive Interview Process

1. What is the story of Ravi, the software developer, and his experience with the hiring process at TechTopia?

• Ravi, a skilled software developer, went through a lengthy hiring process at TechTopia that involved four months, more than ten interviews, eight coding challenges, and countless cups of coffee before finally getting a job offer.
• However, the salary was slightly less than initially discussed, and the role was more junior than the one he had applied for, as the original position had been filled internally during the lengthy process.
• Three months into the job, TechTopia pivoted to become a blockchain startup, and the CEO asked Ravi to interview for a blockchain developer position.

2. What does the author suggest about the point of diminishing returns in the hiring process?

• The author cites a 2019 Google study that found four interviews were enough to make a hiring decision with 86% confidence, and that additional interviews provided diminishing returns.
• The author compares this to eating pizza, where the first few slices are "heavenly" but by the eighth, you're "just hurting yourself and regretting your life choices."

3. Why do companies insist on these marathon interview sessions, according to the author?

• The author suggests it's a classic case of "CYA" (Cover Your... Aspirations), where no one wants to be the person who hired the "fiasco," so they spread the responsibility around.
• The author argues that more interviewers don't necessarily mean better decisions, likening it to "asking a hundred people to help you pick out an outfit" - you'll end up "naked and confused."

[03] The "Just Enough" Hiring Framework

1. What is the author's proposed "Just Enough" framework for improving the hiring process?

• Design a concise process to assess the necessary qualities (which shouldn't take longer than a Lord of the Rings marathon)
• Decide with the information you have, acknowledging that perfect certainty is a myth
• Do it - make the hire and invest in training and integration

2. How does the author suggest treating the hiring process more like dating?

• The author suggests being honest about what companies want, not wasting each other's time, and recognizing that sometimes, you just need to take a chance.
• The author states that the "perfect candidate doesn't exist" and that they're "not hiding behind the 13th interview question or the 7th round of 'culture fit' assessments."

3. What advice does the author have for job seekers?

• The author encourages job seekers to "stay strong" and remember that they're interviewing the company as much as the company is interviewing them.
• If all else fails, the author suggests the "kitchen appliance gambit," noting that toasters are in high demand.