Google Answer to Filling Jobs Is an Algorithm at the NY Times (also at International Herald Tribune) describes how Google is changing their hiring process to accept a more diverse set of candidates. They have designed a detailed online survey that is now being sent out to Google’s job application database. The survey is automatically scored using “a series of formulas created by Google’s mathematicians,” an applicant can earn anywhere between a 0 and a 100. In short, Google is looking to hire more people, quicker, and have less standards in terms of SAT score and GPA, but with more focus on how the applicant may fit within the company culture and work ethic.
Related Topics: Google: Employees
I’ve probably reviewed over a thousand resumes and cover letters to apply for an online/offline advertising sales rep position I was offering. IMO, no matter how smart the person is that puts together the 300 question survey, no matter how good the algorithm is at spitting out the “perfect candidate”, nothing replaces three face to face interviews done in three different places, combined with a sixth sense that the interviewer has gained after many years of interviewing.
Of course that’s only if you want quality vs. quantity. If you want both, it takes time, research, and face to face interviewing talent.