Estimate on how long job postings stay open across different categories

Re:Estimate on how long job postings stay open across differ... by ricksunny on Monday February 16, 2026 @01:00AM (#47031367)

happy to display that I'm clued-out, but what does 'meta' mean in this context? Clearly not the company, nor the general 'meta' modifier to something to describe qualifying criteria about it, like meta data for phone calls. it sounds closer to the term 'alpha' that investors use to describe competitive advantage (and even that term I wonder about).

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Re:Estimate on how long job postings stay open across differ... by etskinner on Monday February 16, 2026 @01:15AM (#47031474)

Meta is short for metagame. In videogames, and even in some sports, there are decisions made above/outside of the typical strategy of the game which players call metagame. For example, drafting players in football is metagaming. Or choosing what pickleball paddle to use is metagame.

An expanded view of that is that there's usually a "current" meta strategy that people tend to adhere to, kind of like a convention. And if you stray from that, you lose, even if your strategy would succeed in a vacuum.

For example, if the current meta is for employers to mainly use referrals/networking to hire, it would be a bad strategy to apply to postings.

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Re:Estimate on how long job postings stay open across differ... by ricksunny on Monday February 16, 2026 @01:31AM (#47031577)

Thank you! Very helpful clarity, indeed sounds like an incredibly useful term!

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Re:Estimate on how long job postings stay open across differ... by WiggleGuy on Monday February 16, 2026 @01:04AM (#47031410)

Very popular term in gaming

https://www.digitaltrends.com/gaming/what-does-meta-mean-in-...

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Re:Estimate on how long job postings stay open across differ... by ricksunny on Monday February 16, 2026 @01:34AM (#47031600)

Thank you! (Starts down fresh rabbit-hole...)

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