The Long Day's Journey Into…

Is it syncronicity, schadenfreude, or something else when the Nobel Prize in Economics (which is not really a Nobel Prize at all, but I digress) is awarded for research on how economic policy affects unemployment?

Because, just before I learned of the award, I’d decided to go with one of them fancy-all resume services to see if I could kick up the old documentation and paperwork. I dunno, do you think a rainbow and some unicorns would make the resume look better?

Anyways, back when I used to do more hiring myself than looking for work, I understood innately that employers do a terrible job of selecting candidates for open positions. In fact, I remember reading a paper that said we’d do just as good a job, if not better, if we just put all the resumes we received on the wall, put on a blindfold, and threw a dart. And then hire whomever’s resume got hit by the dart.

The nobel prize touches on that, somehow. The recipient’s work found a certain Goldilocks middle-ground to the job search process, noting that a safety net that provides job-seekers the opportunity to evaluate opportunities without undue pressure (like unemployment insurance) can help them from making rash decisions. But that too much leisure and leeway in the job search process can lead to inefficiency. As always, moderation in everything but moderation itself, I suppose.