I have seen a few attempts/startups attempting alternative ways of identifying candidates. Mindsumo.com [0] is the one I know best (although they pivoted later on) By and large, it still seems to be the same people who come out on top.

[0] https://www.cnet.com/news/mindsumo-the-x-prize-of-hiring/

It would not surprise me if a lot of decent candidates get turned down in the rush to hire star candidates, but I doubt many star candidates are actually being missed by the economy as a whole.

I’m a fan of TripleByte, they’ve continued to iterate and evolve in interesting ways.

Still, its nearly a myth that companies hire based on merit.

Hiring through social networks is much more significant.

A simple example:

Most companies see applying for a job as the first step in connecting with a career opportunity.

Every career coach will tell you not to apply until you’ve networked into the company.

Because this is truly a cultural issue - meaning every company is significantly plagued by it in nearly all of their hiring areas.

Having consulted with hundreds of startups and businesses, and a fair number of Fortune 500s, I’ve personally seen how universal the challenge is.

Here’s an experiment: name one employer that properly vets tech talent for the role and work they do once hired.

Edit: appeasing the autocorrect gods.