Hacker News Reader

Comment by Construct | Hacker News Reader

You make quite the leap from GPA to a person's financial background. I would still lean toward the individual with the higher GPA, as it really is a solid indicator of how hard someone is willing to work. Joel makes a great point that academic projects are frequently uninteresting, but a high GPA indicates that the candidate can complete these tasks regardless.

Judging someone on their financial background instead is heavily subjective, prone to all sorts of prejudices and pre-conceived notions, and doesn't actually tell you anything about the person's abilities.

After all, a driven and motivated person from a troubled financial background can achieve a high GPA. Your theoretical 'Person A' who lived a cushy life yet isn't motivated won't be able to achieve a high GPA without working for it.

View on HN

My point wasn't to make the case for high or low GPAs. Or, for checking the parents bank account, but it was just an observation that lines can't be drawn without context. It's only when I understand someone can I judge his/her accomplishments.

However, when you are trying to hire someone on a massive scale then this isn't always possible. So, that's why, I think, it's better to throw the resume into the dustbin and look at what they've actually built on their own.

So, this way you don't throw false negatives, while having a lower false positive layer.

[edited it a bit to make the point more clear]

I definitely agree with you that lines should not be drawn without context. However, I don't think anyone here would choose someone solely on GPA either.

Still, I'm not going to hire someone who has poor grades and personal problems over the smart kid, as in your example. No matter how you cut it, someone who can complete college with a solid GPA has already proven that s/he can set goals, handle deadlines, deal with multiple managers (professors) all while learning the material and completing the homework and tests.

Your aversion to the 'smart kid cruising through' is a bit perplexing. I usually work hard to get and keep the smart kids on my side.

It's not an aversion. Or anything like that. I make a point to never judge anyone. Ever.

Yet, I sincerely think that the kid that struggle to put him/herself through college and fought against all the odds to sit in the interviewee chair should be hired. It's about determination to make things work no matter what.

Person B has shown that s/he can work within those constraints, but they haven't known perpetual hopelessness with fear about their future. They haven't fought to make things work no matter what. They haven't faced repeated failure and crawled their way up from there.

So, in a lot of ways I will respect person B, but person A is a determined survivor and I would prefer to hire him/her.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com