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Ask HN: Do companies care more about your pedigree or raw skill?

3 points by ryanmccullagh ↗ HN
Specifically for new grad jobs at top companies, what is more important? I would define top company as in the set of unicorn startups that you hear about all the time on HN. There seems to be a pattern among them.

5 comments

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jbrande
Raw skill. Pedigree is a positive indicator but not defining criteria.
akulbe
Depends on the company.
afarrell
In general, it's not about what you know; It's not about who you know; It's about who trusts you to solve their problems.

People try to assess skill, but that is hard and sometimes they rely on pedigree as a way of establishing that they can trust you to solve problems.

rcavezza
I think it comes down to "how likely is this person to do the job and do it well at our company".

afarrell has good advice. If you have worked with people before (or if the CEO is your uncle), they are more likely to think of you as someone who will do a good job.

If you're going in with a blank slate, your communication skills and appearance will matter a lot too.

skylark
For a new grad, your pedigree is the biggest factor in getting your foot through the front door. If you don't have an impressive resume, you might not even get past the first screen.

Lacking that, you can try to get a warm open if you know someone working at the company who can vouch for you.

After that, it's all about your interview chops. Pretty much all SF unicorn startups have the same Google style interview.