Hacker News Reader

Comment by slothtrop | Hacker News Reader

Prefacing that I agree -

The returns probably manifest at a senior level, where job security is already a non-issue and one has the privileges and power to make this knowledge actionable. This could be why the readers find it redundant and stick to coasting. I'd like to finish reading the Algorithm Design Manual, SICP and others, but it won't get me my next job, because I won't even be in the same room as someone who cares without jumping through other hoops first. It gets shuffled at the bottom of the pile. On top of it is: networking, building bs, contributing to bs, overengineering a bs blog where I'll write bs. I just want to work my 9-5, man (and do it well), but in my case it's a liability not to.

View on HN

I always think about this - how many great engineers might be out there that are hard to spot/hire because there's no indication anywhere that they're great? And simultaneously, how many crap engineers out there are hired simply because they know how to play the "thought leader" game?

And as a thought exercise: How would you yourself like to be found / hired? What would you do to show the company that you are indeed great / knowledgeable? Is it Leetcode, or is that too much to ask? Is it a take-home project? Is it a lengthy interview that shows off your skills? A lengthy probationary period? What would you be willing to do to make up for your lack of "bs"?

I think the canned answer will be that drive and determination will lead to results if the innate talent is there. Their heuristic then will be that if they're hard to spot, they can't be that great to begin with, because aspiration would lead to great outcomes. I think this is an unfair view.

I've jumped through all those hoops to get hired. It would be nice if the years and proof of experience on paper were enough - that's how I'd like to be hired - but it's not enough, apparently.

Find them in their social life and offer them a job. These people are satisfied with life; they are not looking for more. Many of them are so effective because they see through problems; however, this can also make it easy to see how empty a corporate career is.

Your question sounds like, “How can I convince people who are already winning at life to win at life for me instead of for them?”

You might enjoy this recent article from my friend Adolfo: https://ochagavia.nl/blog/to-broadcast-or-not-to-broadcast/

But yeah, broadcasting has been great for my career. I don't even broadcast maximally employable things (but maybe that's a way to stand out) and am not even trying to get hired, but putting yourself out there does good things.

Yeah, this is probably a sad truth. Something weird is that, as a consultant now, no one asks me to jump through hoops. They just talk to me, I provide sensible guidance and insight, then we get paid to work.

I have absolutely no idea why companies roughly know how to hire private consultants at a bajillion dollars a day, then basically bully people with Leetcode or lame panel interviews, but they do.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com