Week 1 - Blog Post: Job Application Experiences

By Nick Young

In this week’s mini-lecture, the case was made that recruitment and selection is the most important function a company has. I get that argument—it’s true that hiring the right people makes a huge difference. But I also think it’s fair to consider the other side. A lot of companies might choose to put their resources into things like marketing or product design instead of recruitment. Why? Because without a good product or a strong brand, there’s no foundation to build on. You can have the best employees in the world, but if your product doesn’t stand out or no one knows about it, you’re not going to get far. Especially for startups or companies in really competitive industries, marketing and product development can feel more urgent than perfecting the hiring process. There are some strengths to that approach. A great product or brand can attract talent on its own. And putting out something new or exciting can help a company grow faster than if they were only focused on internal operations. But there are definitely downsides. If you rush through hiring or don’t invest in finding the right people, you can end up with a team that doesn’t really fit the company’s goals or values. Over time, that can lead to turnover, low morale, or performance issues—even if your product is great. So while I don’t think recruitment always has to be the #1 focus, it shouldn’t be ignored either. At some point, if you want to scale and sustain success, you need the right people in the right roles.

By Nick Young

The last job I applied for was a server position at Berkeley Golf & Country Club in Berkeley, CA. I had just moved back for the summer and was looking for something that would keep me busy and pay well. I submitted my resume online, and not long after, I got a call from Kimberley Chen, the Food & Beverage Manager. She asked me to come in for an interview later that week.

The interview itself was pretty relaxed, but professional. Kimberley asked about my past experience in restaurants, how I work under pressure, and what kind of hours I was looking for. She also told me about the expectations of the job and how important teamwork was at the club. I left feeling pretty good about it—it seemed like a well-run place with a strong team and a high standard of service. I was hired shortly after.

At first, everything seemed to line up with what was said in the interview. The members were friendly, the setting was great, and most of the staff were helpful. But after a few weeks, I started to notice some things behind the scenes—communication between staff and managers could get messy, and some employees didn’t really uphold the same standards we were told about in training. It didn’t ruin the experience, but it definitely shifted how I viewed the job.

After reading the intro to Who: The A Method for Hiring, I could see how even a place like a country club deals with the same challenges described in the book. The authors argue that hiring the right people is one of the biggest problems organizations face, and I’d agree. Even if someone looks good on paper, or even in an interview, it doesn’t always translate to long-term success. That’s something I’ll definitely keep in mind when I’m the one doing the hiring one day.

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