which also keyed off some things that I've talked to James about recently, in his job search.[W]hat little I know of economic sociology tells me that access to economic opportunities is deeply network-relative. -- Will Wilkinson
I find this to be very true. It's the adage that it's not what you know but who you know -- opportunities come through communication, not based on merit. Merit is what allows you to take advantage of the opportunity. You don't have a chance of showing off your skill unless you can talk to the right person.
At work the positions I've helped to hire for have been filled based on me knowing the people we were hiring. I vouched for and championed them because of their personalities and communication skills in addition to their technical chops. The thought of posting those jobs in public and hiring strangers off the street unnerved me greatly.
It's not a perfect system, but we'd only hire a programmer who doesn't come to us through either personal recommendation or by coming to the Ruby meetups we host only as a last resort. Hiring someone is a huge decision that can make or break a team, as I've seen from a few different sides.
It's a tough problem. There are people who are perfectly capable of careers that they can't get into because they don't know who to talk to. Networks limit choices, but also minimize risk and maximize chance of success, if you start out with the right mindset.
If you're looking for a job, don't look in the want ads, look for smokey back rooms and referrals :)
alright, alright! I will get those addresses monday and draft a freakin letter.
^_^ thanks everyone for the motivation.
It definitely is a good idea for James to ruthlessly pursue his connections, because realistically that's how it works. =)
I just wanted to point out that the who you know system screws people over. It's also what has made it difficult for women and people of color to move up the ladder or even get in the door in some fields.
But I know that it's not your intent to screw people over when you do the hiring process.
Seriously, don't be scared of hiring people off the street. There are interview techniques that you can use to sort out qualified candidates. I'm actually really interested in the whole process of interviewing candidates and making good selections, so you just happened to hit on an area of interest for me.
Oh ya, I would definetly say James should pursue it, because no matter how much I think the system is wrong or right, the fact is that it is the system used almost everywhere.
The people that we hired was one guy that I'd worked with in the past, and one that has been going to the Ruby meetups for almost a year - neither of whom I was really 'friends' with, but I did know them fairly well, enough to feel very comfortable working with them.
This all came up as James is looking for work, and I'm pushing him to ruthlessly pursue personal connections that he made during the campaign this year :)
I read Paul's journal in response to yours and then I read your journal.
I'm not a big fan of the hire who you know through your networks system. Although I do appreciate when friends pass along possible opportunities to me, like you did. That kind of hiring system is what made it impossible for me to get a job in my field (criminal justice) in Philadelphia. So I ended up working in a totally non-related field than what I studied.
Even though I scored near perfect on civil service exams for probation/parole positions, people who scored less than me were hired on the basis of who they knew. It was unfair and frustrating.
The who you know system seems particularly strong in Buffalo and I've seen hiring practices happen that I thought were uncalled for/unfair in a few different situations.
Really, hiring strangers off the street isn't that scary and you could end up with greater diversity in your staff if you do it that way.
Just my two cents as someone who has done a lot of hiring and has been screwed over by hiring processes.
Thanks, Paul - I know what you mean of course. I'm glad that it's working out for me in my new situation, as we had some excellent candidates from the pool at our Ruby meetup. That's not an endlessly deep resource, so maybe I shouldn't think to always count on it, as clearly as you reference it didn't work out for you guys at Roswell with me. :/
I turned my long comment into a post (e:paul,46338) in honor of the 25,000 post goal.
And talk. Talk to as many people as you possibly can. I mean "quality talk", not just "how's it going" "I am fine" talk. If you don't talk, you are missing more than 70% of the potential friends and contacts you might make.