[makmanalp]

I like these sort of recruitment teasers, mainly because if done well they self-select for exactly the kind of person you want.

I think this is similar in effect to website job boards like the joelonsoftware board or the hn jobs section, where the people who answer are likelier to share your vision and opinions.

In this case you'd have to have Portal 2 already, but anyway. Maybe they're looking for that :)

[evan_]

> I like these sort of recruitment teasers, mainly because if done well they self-select for exactly the kind of person you want.

In this case, 20-30 year old males.

[MartinCron]

In this case, 20-30 year old males

This perfectly encapsulates my unease with this kind of recruiting/self selection approach. I get that culture fit is important, but I also don't like the sort of groupthink and monoculture that you get by just hiring a bunch of people who are all into the same narrow pop culture niches.

I'm guilty of this kind of monocultural preference myself. I used to joke about starting interviews with "What's your favorite Hayao Miyazaki film and why?" although I never actually did it.

[pattern]

I understand your point, but just because we all love Miyazaki films (the objective truth :D) doesn't mean we each don't have our own unique traits/interests/hobbies/etc. that provide a well-rounded cultural outlook.

I agree with your notion that in hiring one should maintain a good balance of breadth and culture fit!

[pattern]

What percentage of 20-30 year old males do you believe have played Portal (2), saw this posting, had the inclination to download the mod, and the inquisitiveness and persistance to actually complete the puzzle/test?

Rarely is a filter perfect, but this is likely a lot better than taking a random sample from the population :)

[Homunculiheaded]

I think what the parent is pointing out that P(male, 20-30 | played through the level) is higher than the existing P(male, 20-30 | applied for job)

[mrgoldenbrown]

>In this case, 20-30 year old males. I would argue that it's more like "Anyone who reads Hacker News, Reddit, or any other place this gets posted." (Granted, that overlaps with 20-30 year old males quite a bit.) The puzzle is more like an advertisement, not a requirement to apply.