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As mathattack has correctly pointed out in a comment an hour ago, this is a parable (a made-up story). The huge salary by that day's standards should make that clear. But the unnamed author makes his hiring methods look stupid, because he should be doing a work-sample test[1] before hiring for such an expensive contract. If he doesn't know what the worker will actually do, he shouldn't put so much money on the line.

[1] My FAQ on company hiring procedures as posted earlier on HN:

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5227923

I'm now doing research to update that FAQ for posting on my personal website, a suggestion other HN readers kindly gave me.




When was the last time a CEO was (ever) given a work sample test?

Serious Question.


All the CEOs who worked their way up through the company they are CEO of. Eg. Tim Cook.


Does his or her previous company count as a work sample test?


Does previous work experience count as a work sample test for a programmer? That's not what work sample test means.


This story is fiction? It's come up so many times as if it was fact.

It'd be pretty interesting to compile a list of stories which people generally believe are true, but are actually fiction.


The effectiveness of various hiring methods has been demonstrated pretty rigorously now. But how many companies now take them into account, neverminding 1924?

I'd probably be more expecting a Belbin or Myers-Briggs questionnaire to be required, than a work-sample test, to have my suitability tested for certain roles, despite the established effectiveness of various methods.

Great post btw, in the link.


I'm sorry, you thought that parable was about hiring? :-)

I read it as a parable about the eternal question value, that is to always ask "Is this valuable or is it expensive?"


There's a lot of things people should have been doing in 1924, but weren't. I mean, if we're judging by modern standards, allowing women and minorities into senior roles would be one of them.

How, exactly, do you do a work-sample test for a chief sales executive anyway? "Hey, can you run our global sales division for a couple of hours, then we can evaluate if your methods really bring in the sales"?

Edit: to clarify on the work-sample question, in the story, the employee has been expressly hired to teach the existing staff new methods, which they actively recognise that they don't understand. How do you make a meaningful work-sample test for a sales chief that can be interpreted by a naif?


Hell for a sales position merely the relationships they have from their old jobs would be more valuable than any work-test they could ever complete.


Sell me this pen.


That doesn't tell me how the applicant will manage a department or implement new techniques. It's a test for line sales staff, not departmental managers.


It is a test that is not good enough to hire the applicant, but it is enough to fail the applicant.


"Find a person who can sell me both this pen and a pen that does not yet exist"


Most of the sales managers I've seen rose from the ranks of line sales.


But that's not the question. This question is 'how do we find the best guy for the job.' Saying 'this is how we always did it' is circular reasoning.


Just out of curiosity, not being a salesman, is a great salesman actually expected to be able to sell anything to anyone?

Bragging aside, I would assume this is one of those cases where a huge portion of the job is differentiating likely and unlikely sales targets, and applying effort accordingly.




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