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Dev.SN ♥ developers

posted by Dopefish on Friday February 28 2014, @03:00AM   Printer-friendly
from the stupid-is-as-stupid-does dept.

AnonTechie writes "In business, intelligence is always a critical element in any employee, because what we do is difficult and complex and the competitors are filled with extremely smart people. However, intelligence isn't the only important quality. Being effective in a company also means working hard, being reliable, and being an excellent member of the team. Companies where people with diverse backgrounds and work styles can succeed have significant advantages in recruiting and retaining top talent over those that don't."

 
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  • (Score: 5, Insightful) by khakipuce on Friday February 28 2014, @09:16AM

    by khakipuce (233) on Friday February 28 2014, @09:16AM (#8463)

    The problem seems to be that a lot of the people doing the hiring cannot tell the difference between genuinely good and bluff and bluster. They are the same people who think a gold plated gizmo, or something with an expensive logo is better than one that doesn't have these things.

    So along come two candidates, one who is quiet, considerate, thoughtful and one who is objectionable, loud, massively opinionated and, just like the sports-car* they want to buy they hire the obnoxious one. Turns out to just be loud, noisy and keeps breaking down...

    *obligatory car analogy

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  • (Score: 2, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Friday February 28 2014, @10:11AM

    by Anonymous Coward on Friday February 28 2014, @10:11AM (#8499)

    They are the same people who think a gold plated gizmo, or something with an expensive logo is better than one that doesn't have these things.

    Depending on your goals, thise things may be better. For example, if the main reason you buy your sound system is not to have the best sound, but to impress your audiophile friend, then buying those monster cables may well be the right choice.

    • (Score: 2) by Grishnakh on Friday February 28 2014, @12:23PM

      by Grishnakh (2831) on Friday February 28 2014, @12:23PM (#8573)

      Exactly. And if your goal in interviewing is to get a job with a manager who's a clueless moron, then being able to bullshit a lot will help you a lot more than being highly competent.

      If companies don't like this, then maybe they should learn to do a better job hiring good managers.

  • (Score: 5, Interesting) by TheRaven on Friday February 28 2014, @10:20AM

    by TheRaven (270) on Friday February 28 2014, @10:20AM (#8502) Journal
    That's only a problem if the people responsible for the hiring are not the people who will be the colleagues of the person being hired. And if that's the case, then you've got a pretty strong indication that the organisation is in trouble even before you go there and meet the jerks: you can tell when they interview you. If you go through the hiring process only talking to managers, and the people who'd be expected to work with you don't have the final say, then run away.
    --
    sudo mod me up
    • (Score: 2) by Thexalon on Friday February 28 2014, @11:34AM

      by Thexalon (636) on Friday February 28 2014, @11:34AM (#8550) Homepage

      I've seen organizations in which the prospective employee's would-be boss has absolutely no say in whether somebody is hired. Heck, I've been in that exact position: the CEO of a startup I was working for hired his drinking buddy, came in the next day and told me "Guess what? You have a new person in your department. He's arriving in 30 minutes." (Leaving me minimal time to scrounge up a computer for him to use.) The employee in question not only had no skills in the job the CEO had hired him to do, he had never claimed to have those skills.

      Needless to say, I'd already begun making plans to move on from that company.

      --
      Every task is easy if somebody else is doing it.
  • (Score: 2) by Phoenix666 on Friday February 28 2014, @12:05PM

    by Phoenix666 (552) on Friday February 28 2014, @12:05PM (#8564)

    What you're saying is true, but it's not foolproof. Often a candidate can interview well, pass tests, and still turn out to be a nightmare. They can even show up with a strong portfolio, and turn out to be a nightmare. The point I was trying to make, and the lesson that I learned the hard way, is that if a hire turns out to be a brilliant jerk it's not worth the time and trouble to try to get them to work out. Fire them and try again. That might sound harsh, but I have a company to run and products to get out the door and the livelihoods of everyone else in the organization depend on that.