Let's Fix It - Blame Unemployment On The Color Blue - LinkedIn

10/15/2014
Let's Fix It: Blame Unemployment on the Color Blue | LinkedIn
Laszlo Bock
SVP, People Operations at Google
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Let's Fix It: Blame

Unemployment on the
Color Blue
Laszlo
Bock
9 Reasons to Quit Your Job
As Soon As You Can
Jeff Haden
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/article/20141013220744-24454816-let-s-fix-it-blame-unemployment-on-the-color-blue?trk=tod-home-art-list-large_0
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Are You Addicted to Business

Porn?
Liz Ryan
Let's Fix It: Its Not Personal,

Its Business
Elliot S. Weissbluth
The More Distressing, Less

Noticed Message from
Microsoft
Sallie
Krawcheck
CEO Nadella
Will Wearables Improve Your
Job Performance, Or Get Y
Fired?
Jeff
Stibel
Let's Fix It: Ditch the Career
Ladder
Peter Guber
Why Inequality Matters
In this series of posts, Influencers explain what they wish they could fix and how.
Read all the stories here and write your own (please include the hashtag #FixIt in
the body of your post).
I know myself, and employers know what they want to hire, but how do we explain
that to each other efficiently and accurately? The marketplace for people and jobs is
broken, especially for the small businesses that create the bulk of jobs in the United
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States. And its part of why so many people are out of work while simultaneously so
many jobs are unfilled. Unemployment is an information asymmetry problem.
And its the one thing Id fix if I could.
Information asymmetry is when one party has better information than another party.
Lets say Im selling my car and I know the passenger door rattles when I drive over
65 mph. You are buying my car, and have no idea. Thats information asymmetry.
Job-matching efforts also suffer from information asymmetry, or what I call the Color
Blue Problem. How do I know that when I see the color blue, its the same as when
you see it? How do I know that when I describe myself to an employer, they know
what I mean? And that when a hiring manager describes what she wants in a job
posting, how do I know what she means?
In practice, it looks* like this:
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Resumes stink. Theyre a simply awful way of marketing yourself for a job. Some of
that is our fault as job-seekers and can be fixed, as I wrote here and here. But an
employer has no way of knowing if most companies on a resume are good or bad (is
working at LaszloCo a good sign?), if a title means anything (VP is a senior title in
tech, but not in banking, and even in tech some companies have one VP for every
20 people and some have one per 300), or even what my words mean (is a superb
programmer the co-inventor of Google or just really, really good at Logo?). And
employers are completely blind to the indefinable things that make you you, such
as generosity, curiosity, or playfulness.
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Its just as bad on the job-posting side. Job descriptions are often written from
generic templates, dont give you a sense of what the job truly requires or what
would make you successful in it, and are just plain boring. Heres an insiders view
of what the process feels like from the other side:
Resume screeners and interviewers deliver the coup de grace: We all think we are
great at assessing candidates. Were not. We are biased, ask bad interview
questions, rarely go back and check if our predictions were correct, and so on. We
only hire the best, right? Then how did all those slackers in Sams department get
hired? More to come on this in a future post, but the point is that the job-matching
process is fragile and error-prone.
The root cause is that we cant convey perfect information about our own skills, nor
can employers convey perfect information about what they need. We both say the
job is a Color Blue job, but we have no way of knowing for sure if we both mean
the same thing when we say Color Blue. Information asymmetry.
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The enormous opportunity to solve unemployment

But what if you could perfectly convey the real you? Not just your training and feats,
but in what kind of workplace you would thrive. Whether you like to work alone or in
groups. Whether you are a specialist or a utility player. Exactly how good you are at
your disciplines. And what if sending this message was believable? If a prospective
employer could know with certainty that they can see the real you.
Now, what if you had the same insight into jobs? Is my prospective manager a
control freak or checked out? Is this job a stretch, just right, or completely out of
reach? Do I have the general attributes that will set me up for rapid promotion, or will
I be stuck in the same job for a decade? Do givers or takers thrive in this company?
In the short-term, much unemployment could be eliminated by doing a better job of
matching people and jobs. By solving the Color Blue Problem.
There has been a visible revolution in the ability to analyze lots of data. Less noticed
are advances in organizational science and behavioral economics, ranging from
Amy Wrzesniewskis pioneering jobcrafting work, to Evolvs work on matching
people to jobs, to Googler Brian Welles work on unconscious bias. (Disclosure: I
was until recently a board member of Evolv and of course work at Google.)
Mapping the reality of what you have to offer against the reality of what
organizations need and who will thrive in that specific context is a hard
problem. But it is solvable. It becomes possible to move beyond four years of public
accounting experience to ability to learn quantitative methods combined with a zeal
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for catching and correcting the smallest of errors, persuade with data, and thrive in
social settings as job criteria, and to then identify people based on who they really
are. For individuals, it becomes possible to find roles where they will excel
regardless of where they went to college, or even if they went to college.
Now, imagine this works. If youre a welder in Detroit, you can find out what skills
are increasingly or decreasingly in demand. Then you can make some informed
choices: Should I move to Atlanta where there will be more welding jobs, or stay put
and go to nursing school since I know there will be demand for those jobs at home?
If I go back to school, which schools graduates are most likely to end up in the jobs
that I want?
Slowly wed become able to not just match people today, but also to tell people
where to invest to be ready for tomorrows jobs.
Hundreds of billions of dollars are
spent each year on recruiting, so
theres a lot of incentive to figure this
out. The trick is you cant do this by
conducting exhaustive (and
exhausting surveys) coupled with
anthropological dissections of every
group inside every organization. Not
practical.
The most efficient way is by looking at large sets of data and inferring relationships,
similarities, and predictors of success and failure. And the only way to do that is with
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permission, appropriate privacy safeguards, and enough value delivered to the

individuals and organizations to make them want to take part.
From a business perspective, the promise of solving unemployment is enormous.
From a social perspective, its exhilarating. And from a computer and organizational
science perspective, its coming into reach.
*Original fresco entitled "Ecce Homo" by Elias Garcia Martinez, as reported by
Heraldo on August 21, 2012.
Photo: Diane Labombarbe / Getty Images
Written by
Featured In
Laszlo Bock
Recruiting & Hiring
3 posts
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197 comments
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Arief Fauzi Rahmansyah

GCCC Hub Asia Pacific at Wincor-Nixdorf
Hy bock, very innovative article. But sadly, when people start their to write their own
article. Many factor can effect that process. For example : Want to make company
impressed and then people will write skill/experience over valued. This puzzle will be
more difficult because people is different one to another. But, your article are really
worth to try.
Like (2)
Reply
11 minutes ago
Mahbub Alam Bhuyan and Bilawal Malik
Show More
Jeff Haden
Ghostwriter, Speaker, Inc. Magazine Contributing
Editor
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Follow
9 Reasons to Quit Your Job As Soon

As You Can
Oct 14 2014
172,802
1,961
528
Quit your job to take a better paying position? Definitely. Quit your job for a great
opportunity? Absolutely.
But there are a lot more reasons to quit your job (once you have something else
lined up, of course.) And they all fall under one main category:
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Lifes too short.

Lifes too short to go home every day feeling unfulfilled. Life's too short to work for a
terrible boss. Lifes too short to go home every day feeling taken for granted, feeling
taken less than seriously, or feeling taken advantage of.
Lifes short to not be as happy as you can be.
Say your grown daughter called and said, I hate my job. Im bored, frustrated, and
feel like I'm going nowhere. Wouldnt you tell her to look for another job?
Shouldnt you follow the same advice?
Here are reasons to stop being miserable and start looking for something better:
1. Your input is disregarded or even not wanted.
Everyone has ideas. And everyone loves when their ideas are taken seriously and
implemented. The feeling that youve contributed in a special way is incredibly
gratifying.
But when your boss or company shoots down or even laughs at your ideas, thats
not only insulting, it's demotivating. And pretty soon you stop caring.
Lifes too short not to care.
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2. You get criticized publicly.

We all need constructive feedback. We all need a little nudge. We all need to be told
when we can do something better and how to do it better.
But we need to be told those things in private.
Lifes too short to walk around waiting for the next time youll be criticized and
even humiliated in front of other people.
3. You never hear the word, Thanks.
Everyone also needs praise. We all need to know when we do something well (and
everyone, even poor performers, do some things well.)
Lifes too short not to be recognized for the contributions you make.
4. Your boss manages up, not down.
You know the type: as a leader they should focus their time and attention on their
direct reports, but they spend all their time following their boss. It seems like your
only job is to contribute to the greater glory and advancement of your boss.
A great boss knows that if her team succeeds and each individual on that team
succeeds then she will succeed too.
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Lifes too short to spend your time developing your bosss career at the expense of
your own.
5. You feel like you have no purpose.
Everyone likes to feel a part of something bigger. Everyone likes to feel they make
an impact not just on results but also on the lives of other people.
Lifes too short to go home every day feeling like youve worked but you havent
accomplished anything meaningful.
6. You feel like a number.
Everyone is replaceable. Everyone, ultimately, works for a paycheck. But everyone
also wants to work for more than a paycheck. They want to work with people they
respect admire and they want to be respected and admired in return.
If your boss doesnt occasionally stop for a quick discussion about family, an
informal conversation to see if you need an help, or simply to say a kind word then
youre just a cog in a larger machine.
Lifes too short to only be a cog in a larger machine.
7. You arent even mildly excited to go to work.
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Every job has its downsides. (Im willing to bet even Richard Branson has to do a
few things he doesnt enjoy.) But every job should also have some fun moments. Or
exciting moments. Or challenging moments. Or some aspect that makes you think,
Im looking forward to doing that
Lifes too short to spend only looking forward to quitting time.
8. You cant see a future.
Every job should lead to something: hopefully a promotion, but if not the opportunity
to take on additional responsibilities, learn new things, tackle new challenges to
feel like tomorrow has the potential to be different in a good way than today.
A decent boss works to improve the companys future. A good boss works to
improve her employees futures too, even if especially if that might mean some
of those employees will eventually move on to bigger and better things.
Lifes too short to live without hope.
9. You dont think you can do anything else.
Thats the best reason of all quit your job. I know what youre thinking, I make too
much in my current job; Ill never find something comparable. Or, There just arent
any jobs where I live. Or, Ive put too much time into this company (or career or
industry.)
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All those things are true if you let them be true.

You can do something else. You can do lots of something "elses."
You just have to believe and trust that your creativity, perseverance, and effort will
take you to new, happier, and more fulfilling places.
Life's too short to just stay where you are instead doing everything possible to live a
better life.
Now it's your turn: what are some other reasons
I also write for Inc.com:
20 Things to Say That Will Dramatically Improve Your Life
7 Traits of People With Remarkable Mental Toughness
10 Daily Habits of Exceptionally Happy People
20 Personal Productivity Tricks Anyone Can Use
If you liked this post, check out my book based on four years of personal and
professional advice --TransForm: Dramatically Improve Your Career, Business,
Relationships, and Life -- One Simple Step At a Time. (PDF version here, Kindle
version here.)
While I could go all hyperbolic on you, here's the deal: If after 10 minutes you don't
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find at least 5 things you can do to make

your life better I'll refund your money.
That way you have nothing to lose... and
hopefully plenty to gain.
Written by
Featured In
Jeff Haden
Your Career
139 posts
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Let's Fix It: Blame Unemployment on the Color Blue | LinkedIn

Let's Fix It: Blame Unemployment on

Write a new post

Let's Fix It: Blame

Let's Fix It: Blame Unemployment on the Color Blue | LinkedIn

Are You Addicted to Business

Let's Fix It: Its Not Personal,

The More Distressing, Less

Why Inequality Matters

Let's Fix It: Blame Unemployment on the Color Blue | LinkedIn

Let's Fix It: Blame Unemployment on the Color Blue | LinkedIn

Let's Fix It: Blame Unemployment on the Color Blue | LinkedIn

Let's Fix It: Blame Unemployment on the Color Blue | LinkedIn

The enormous opportunity to solve unemployment

Let's Fix It: Blame Unemployment on the Color Blue | LinkedIn

Let's Fix It: Blame Unemployment on the Color Blue | LinkedIn

permission, appropriate privacy safeguards, and enough value delivered to the

Recruiting & Hiring

Let's Fix It: Blame Unemployment on the Color Blue | LinkedIn

Add your comment...

Arief Fauzi Rahmansyah

Mahbub Alam Bhuyan and Bilawal Malik

Let's Fix It: Blame Unemployment on the Color Blue | LinkedIn

9 Reasons to Quit Your Job As Soon

Let's Fix It: Blame Unemployment on the Color Blue | LinkedIn

Lifes too short.

Let's Fix It: Blame Unemployment on the Color Blue | LinkedIn

2. You get criticized publicly.

Let's Fix It: Blame Unemployment on the Color Blue | LinkedIn

Let's Fix It: Blame Unemployment on the Color Blue | LinkedIn

Let's Fix It: Blame Unemployment on the Color Blue | LinkedIn

All those things are true if you let them be true.

Let's Fix It: Blame Unemployment on the Color Blue | LinkedIn

find at least 5 things you can do to make

Let's Fix It: Blame Unemployment on the Color Blue | LinkedIn

Let's Fix It: Blame Unemployment on the Color Blue | LinkedIn

Let's Fix It: Blame Unemployment on the Color Blue | LinkedIn

Let's Fix It: Blame Unemployment on the Color Blue | LinkedIn

Let's Fix It: Blame Unemployment on the Color Blue | LinkedIn

Let's Fix It: Blame Unemployment on the Color Blue | LinkedIn

Let's Fix It: Blame Unemployment on the Color Blue | LinkedIn

Let's Fix It: Blame Unemployment on the Color Blue | LinkedIn

Let's Fix It: Blame Unemployment on the Color Blue | LinkedIn

Let's Fix It: Blame Unemployment on the Color Blue | LinkedIn

Let's Fix It: Blame Unemployment on the Color Blue | LinkedIn

Let's Fix It: Blame Unemployment on the Color Blue | LinkedIn

Let's Fix It: Blame Unemployment on the Color Blue | LinkedIn

Let's Fix It: Blame Unemployment on the Color Blue | LinkedIn

Let's Fix It: Blame Unemployment on the Color Blue | LinkedIn

Let's Fix It: Blame Unemployment on the Color Blue | LinkedIn

Let's Fix It: Blame Unemployment on the Color Blue | LinkedIn

Let's Fix It: Blame Unemployment on the Color Blue | LinkedIn

Let's Fix It: Blame Unemployment on the Color Blue | LinkedIn

Let's Fix It: Blame Unemployment on the Color Blue | LinkedIn

Let's Fix It: Blame Unemployment on the Color Blue | LinkedIn

Let's Fix It: Blame Unemployment on the Color Blue | LinkedIn

Let's Fix It: Blame Unemployment on the Color Blue | LinkedIn

Let's Fix It: Blame Unemployment on the Color Blue | LinkedIn

Let's Fix It: Blame Unemployment on the Color Blue | LinkedIn

Let's Fix It: Blame Unemployment on the Color Blue | LinkedIn

Let's Fix It: Blame Unemployment on the Color Blue | LinkedIn

Let's Fix It: Blame Unemployment on the Color Blue | LinkedIn