Using Performance Results to Hire

I came across this article (interview with David Perry) recently which discusses the way in which game studio Acclaim and developer David Perry are breaking new ground in building a new game known as Top Secret and allowing an open pool of talent to contribute to the development process and with one lucky winner actually getting a job and royalties. 

Check out this quote from Perry: "I’m also recruiting now from the people we find. I hired a girl called Jill right out of my forums recently, didn’t even ask to see a resume. She’s awesome. So that’s a rule going forward. Everyone is welcome, I could care less about resumes, they’re meaningless, it’s all about who shows up." Did everybody get that? Resumes are meaningless...its about who shows up. Let's ask ourselves, in a world in which resumes are meaningless, what are the impacts on not only education but also training and even certification?

I'd love to hear from some folks like Karl Kapp on this topic, is this a model of hiring that could be used in the learning and training field? This reminds me of a contest that Epic Games held a couple of years back called Mastering Unreal. The idea was that people would use the Unreal Engine to build a mod and then the winner would be granted a license to that game engine (about a $350K Prize at the time).

So as we continue to discuss how everything from technology to methodology impacts performance, then at what point does that emphasis on performance downgrade the importance of resumes, and  transcripts and instead forces us to construct more environments in which people can demonstrate skill?

Comments

[Karl Kapp]

Mark,

Death of resumes...it could be good. I encourage all our students to create an online portfolio to show to potential employers...some do, some don't. I can tell you employers look at those portfolios. I have gotten many comments. One frequent one is...if you are in this field, you'd better have an online presence. In fact, this weekend, I hope to collect alumni blogs to list on my blog to help build that community. In spite of all the great virtues of collaboration, you still need one or two people to set things in motion.

At Bloomsburg, we try to help employers by giving them a chance to see students in action before they even interview them. Each semester we have an event where students are required to provide a "sales presentation" and a working prototype to a group of about 30 industry professionals. It is a great "assessment center" for the corporate professionals to evaluate the students in an actual presentation situation and to see how they deal with a certain situations.

I think as "knowledge work" moves more toward free agency and companies continually seek to shed overhead, it is going to be the people who can highlight their work and who make a difference who are going to be hired quickly and easily and who will command the most money.

The rest will need resumes and will scrap along trying to get work where they can.

And Brent...Tom Peters also said that if you are not fired by the age of 30 then you are not pushing hard enough.)

Our corporate event, called the CAC is April 18th, 19th and 20th...you and Brent and anyone else is certainly invited. Contact me if you are interested in attending. This year's event has an educational Second Life component.

[Brent Schlenker]

Resumes are so Business1.0! Nobody cares about what degrees and certifications you have (ok, maybe some do...a little) its about "what can you DO for me?"

TomPeters says you are only as good as your last project. To a certain degree I agree.

Its no longer about finding a great job. Its about being great enough at what you do and the jobs finding you. The rest of us are mere mortals workin' for "the man".