This is Signal vs. Noise, a weblog by 37signals about design, business, experience, simplicity, the web, culture, and more. Established 1999 in Chicago. Follow us on Twitter for more information on our products.

Everyone’s resume can look alright, but you can’t fake the funk on a writing sample.

Is this what you guys said you are using for personality tests?

http://www.calipercorp.com/

Would you be able to share any more details of that? Do you have a consultant with that company review the test and work with you guys on this stuff? Or do you just have a standardized test you bought from them that you analyze yourselves?

I’m curious, is one of you criteria for hiring developers that they’ve shipped product? I have a theory that good developers have running apps in the wild… is that a valid requirement in your opinions?

Great to hear the inside workings of your recruitment process.

I’ve been involved in hiring programmers and engineering graduates for years – and it’s encouraging to hear people use methods and criteria other than just interviews to select their candidates.

Interviews alone are actually a pretty poor selection tool in working out whether someone is a good fit for a position.

Adding short work-related tests and personality profiles certainly makes a big difference.

It surprised me a little bit that you didn’t use a structured interview (or maybe you didn’t want to give away your special sauce).

Structured behavioral interviews where you ask about what people have actually done in the past are much more helpful than hypothetical “what would you do in this situation” questions.

Past behavior is the most reliable prediction for future behavior.

Thanks for the insights.

The volume of shitty resumes and canned cover letters is insulting. Is it just me, or is it getting worse?

The amount of bad job postings is increasing too.

Steven@ and Michael@, as long as laziness and sense of entitlement continue to feed-off each other, the number of atrocious resumes and bad postings will multiply. It’s a sad assessment of where we’re headed, but I don’t mind it myself. It makes it easier to spot outliers as a hirer or as someone looking for a place to work.

Are you really surprised that people apply for other companies? I don’t understand why you’re shocked. I’m surprised at your surprise.

I like almost everything I’m hearing about the hiring process, but I really don’t like filling out on-line personality assessments. I’m not saying they aren’t useful, but they kind of creep me out. I’m not completely sure why, maybe it feels a bit invasive, or that maybe I just don’t like the notion that someone thinks they can get a snapshot of my personality through a series of multiple choice questions? I dislike them enough that this might be the end of the hiring process for me as a candidate, though obviously if I want the job badly enough I might go ahead with it… anyway, kind of curious to see how other people feel about these.