A new way to recruit for (and find) startup jobs | Hacker News Reader

A new way to recruit for (and find) startup jobs

startuplessonslearned.blogspot.com

19 pointsterpua3 comments

I don't think I get it.

Maybe I'm unique, but I would never apply for a job if I didn't know where I was applying. I want to know a lot about the company before I even consider taking the time to apply for the job. Why waste my time only to find out my supposed dream job is actually located somewhere I'd never want to move or with a company that I'd never want to work for?

The blog post about this service talks a lot about how important finding the right "fit" between employee and employer is ... but if the applicants never even know what or where or who they're applying to, doesn't that just add an extra step in trying to determine if there is a fit?

I understand the idea of making it easier to tweet out job links and spread job listing virally. Not a bad idea. But not sure I understand how this many any more sense than just using bit.ly to link to a traditional, full job listing somewhere else.

When I was job searching right out of university, one of the reasons I stopped looking at big job boards is that they tended to be filled with jobs from recruiting agencies that wouldn't name the client and would instead show themselves as the employer. I hated that because the type of company was so important to me and what recruiting agency wasn't going to say their client had a position at a "dynamic successful company" where you'd work on "cutting edge technology". They say potential employers spend 30 seconds looking at resumes; I always joked that potential employees spend even less time looking at job postings. If I couldn't figure out what kind of company it was, why would I waste time writing a cover letter?

Although, now that I'm on the other side, I can see why I don't like traditional job listings either. If I post a developer job (at this startup) on something too public I get spammed with mediocre applicants. It takes a long time to sort through them all, and that's time I could be programming.

I do believe this is a problem in need of a decent solution, but I agree that it spreading virally doesn't really differentiate it from traditional means.

I don't apply for anonymous jobs either.

I think the solution to the job problem is qualified HR personnel who are capable of evaluating a candidates worthiness well enough to be an appropriate first level filter.

A lot of people want jobs, many of whom are not yet qualified for the position they are applying for. Any attempt to do all the keyword filtering nonsense isn't going to work too well.

I know reading resumes all day from unqualified candidates isn't very fun, but neither is reading college admissions applications or any number of activities people get paid for. As a technology person, I don't think there's a good technical solution to this people problem.

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