I wish this post put more emphasis on the difference between “Wanting A, selecting for A and getting B too” and “Wanting B, but selecting for A because it’s more accessible”.
In both cases you get something you don’t want, but for different reasons. The first illustration with the bucket of instances is the first (you don’t want the tag along stuff), but most of the others are the second (you want the tag-along, but have no easy way to select for it, for example because you’re natural selection and thus very stupid).
I do a lot of interviewing candidates for jobs, and it’s essential to be aware of both those concepts. In working on our hiring process, we discuss both concepts, in words very similar to yours.
I’ve heard occasional complaints about certain things we do in our interviews, of the form “what does X have to do with being a good Y?!”. These complaints invariably come from people who didn’t get offers, and give me a warm glow at having made the correct decision.
I wish this post put more emphasis on the difference between “Wanting A, selecting for A and getting B too” and “Wanting B, but selecting for A because it’s more accessible”.
In both cases you get something you don’t want, but for different reasons. The first illustration with the bucket of instances is the first (you don’t want the tag along stuff), but most of the others are the second (you want the tag-along, but have no easy way to select for it, for example because you’re natural selection and thus very stupid).
I do a lot of interviewing candidates for jobs, and it’s essential to be aware of both those concepts. In working on our hiring process, we discuss both concepts, in words very similar to yours.
I’ve heard occasional complaints about certain things we do in our interviews, of the form “what does X have to do with being a good Y?!”. These complaints invariably come from people who didn’t get offers, and give me a warm glow at having made the correct decision.