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How Algorithms Rule Our Working Lives
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How Algorithms Rule Our Working Lives

Cathy O'Neil
The Guardian, 2016
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8

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  • Eye Opening
  • Hot Topic

Recommendation

Companies regularly extract information from social media and personality tests before hiring new employees. Computer algorithms use the information to decide who companies should or shouldn’t hire. Math blogger Cathy O’Neil tackles the rise of algorithmic software and explores the dangerous implications of branding this new “pseudoscience” as “scientific.” She balances the benefits of efficiency and perceived objectivity to companies with the flaws and unethical nature of such algorithms. getAbstract recommends this eye-opening challenge to human resources officers and job seekers.

Take-Aways

  • In many companies, algorithms decide which résumés and job applications rise to the top of the hiring list.
  • Companies give personality tests and mine social media profiles and financial data to avoid making “bad hires.”
  • Algorithms can sift through thousands of job applications, picking top-rated candidates in seconds. The software assesses possible risks and identifies potential best hires.

About the Author

Cathy O’Neil blogs at MathBabe.org and is the author of several books, including Weapons of Math Destruction.

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