Management Snake Oil: A Classic Example

I was going through my email this morning and there it was, an email containing a classic sign that some vendor was promising more than any management tool or method can deliver.  The headline was "No More Hiring Mistakes Interviewing the Right Way." 

This suggests they are selling snake oil because they are asserting that, if you use their tool or whatever, you won't make any hiring mistakes.  Perhaps their product or whatever (see here) does reduce the percentage of hiring errors, but there is no hiring method that eliminates all mistakes.  Plus interviews — although useful — are not the best method for selecting new employees (see this classic study for an evaluation of different methods). 

I don't claim to know anything about this tool, but I do know that these folks are making excessive claims that cannot be supported any sound research,  This is yet another instance that supports a great observation from my hero James March, who once wrote me "Most claims of originality are testimony to ignorance and
most claims of magic are testimonial to hubris.”

Comments

40 responses to “Management Snake Oil: A Classic Example”

  1. Bill Bennett Avatar

    I can only assume it is some kind of mind reading device which allows interviewers to see inside a candidate’s head.

  2. Bill Bennett Avatar

    I can only assume it is some kind of mind reading device which allows interviewers to see inside a candidate’s head.

  3. Bill Bennett Avatar

    I can only assume it is some kind of mind reading device which allows interviewers to see inside a candidate’s head.

  4. Bill Bennett Avatar

    I can only assume it is some kind of mind reading device which allows interviewers to see inside a candidate’s head.

  5. Bill Bennett Avatar

    I can only assume it is some kind of mind reading device which allows interviewers to see inside a candidate’s head.

  6. Bill Bennett Avatar

    I can only assume it is some kind of mind reading device which allows interviewers to see inside a candidate’s head.

  7. Bill Bennett Avatar

    I can only assume it is some kind of mind reading device which allows interviewers to see inside a candidate’s head.

  8. Bill Bennett Avatar

    I can only assume it is some kind of mind reading device which allows interviewers to see inside a candidate’s head.

  9. website consultants Avatar

    LOL, do people still use email marketing. (J/K) The only inbox I actively read is set up to only receive messages from contacts. and the rest are usually considered junk.

  10. website consultants Avatar

    LOL, do people still use email marketing. (J/K) The only inbox I actively read is set up to only receive messages from contacts. and the rest are usually considered junk.

  11. website consultants Avatar

    LOL, do people still use email marketing. (J/K) The only inbox I actively read is set up to only receive messages from contacts. and the rest are usually considered junk.

  12. website consultants Avatar

    LOL, do people still use email marketing. (J/K) The only inbox I actively read is set up to only receive messages from contacts. and the rest are usually considered junk.

  13. website consultants Avatar

    LOL, do people still use email marketing. (J/K) The only inbox I actively read is set up to only receive messages from contacts. and the rest are usually considered junk.

  14. website consultants Avatar

    LOL, do people still use email marketing. (J/K) The only inbox I actively read is set up to only receive messages from contacts. and the rest are usually considered junk.

  15. website consultants Avatar

    LOL, do people still use email marketing. (J/K) The only inbox I actively read is set up to only receive messages from contacts. and the rest are usually considered junk.

  16. website consultants Avatar

    LOL, do people still use email marketing. (J/K) The only inbox I actively read is set up to only receive messages from contacts. and the rest are usually considered junk.

  17. DC Jobs Avatar

    Since your website covers topics related to management and gets lots of traffic, and since this product is clearly related to your niche, I would love to know what kind of conversion rate they are seeing from the traffic from your site.
    If it’s much higher than 0.00% I am going to start believing in P.T. Barnum quotes.

  18. DC Jobs Avatar

    Since your website covers topics related to management and gets lots of traffic, and since this product is clearly related to your niche, I would love to know what kind of conversion rate they are seeing from the traffic from your site.
    If it’s much higher than 0.00% I am going to start believing in P.T. Barnum quotes.

  19. DC Jobs Avatar

    Since your website covers topics related to management and gets lots of traffic, and since this product is clearly related to your niche, I would love to know what kind of conversion rate they are seeing from the traffic from your site.
    If it’s much higher than 0.00% I am going to start believing in P.T. Barnum quotes.

  20. DC Jobs Avatar

    Since your website covers topics related to management and gets lots of traffic, and since this product is clearly related to your niche, I would love to know what kind of conversion rate they are seeing from the traffic from your site.
    If it’s much higher than 0.00% I am going to start believing in P.T. Barnum quotes.

  21. DC Jobs Avatar

    Since your website covers topics related to management and gets lots of traffic, and since this product is clearly related to your niche, I would love to know what kind of conversion rate they are seeing from the traffic from your site.
    If it’s much higher than 0.00% I am going to start believing in P.T. Barnum quotes.

  22. DC Jobs Avatar

    Since your website covers topics related to management and gets lots of traffic, and since this product is clearly related to your niche, I would love to know what kind of conversion rate they are seeing from the traffic from your site.
    If it’s much higher than 0.00% I am going to start believing in P.T. Barnum quotes.

  23. DC Jobs Avatar

    Since your website covers topics related to management and gets lots of traffic, and since this product is clearly related to your niche, I would love to know what kind of conversion rate they are seeing from the traffic from your site.
    If it’s much higher than 0.00% I am going to start believing in P.T. Barnum quotes.

  24. DC Jobs Avatar

    Since your website covers topics related to management and gets lots of traffic, and since this product is clearly related to your niche, I would love to know what kind of conversion rate they are seeing from the traffic from your site.
    If it’s much higher than 0.00% I am going to start believing in P.T. Barnum quotes.

  25. Frank Sohn Avatar

    These excessive claims make it really challenging for a customer to determine what is true and what isn’t. It would be really refreshing if people would dare to admit that they aren’t perfect. I’m not, but I can still add value.

  26. Frank Sohn Avatar

    These excessive claims make it really challenging for a customer to determine what is true and what isn’t. It would be really refreshing if people would dare to admit that they aren’t perfect. I’m not, but I can still add value.

  27. Frank Sohn Avatar

    These excessive claims make it really challenging for a customer to determine what is true and what isn’t. It would be really refreshing if people would dare to admit that they aren’t perfect. I’m not, but I can still add value.

  28. Frank Sohn Avatar

    These excessive claims make it really challenging for a customer to determine what is true and what isn’t. It would be really refreshing if people would dare to admit that they aren’t perfect. I’m not, but I can still add value.

  29. Frank Sohn Avatar

    These excessive claims make it really challenging for a customer to determine what is true and what isn’t. It would be really refreshing if people would dare to admit that they aren’t perfect. I’m not, but I can still add value.

  30. Frank Sohn Avatar

    These excessive claims make it really challenging for a customer to determine what is true and what isn’t. It would be really refreshing if people would dare to admit that they aren’t perfect. I’m not, but I can still add value.

  31. Frank Sohn Avatar

    These excessive claims make it really challenging for a customer to determine what is true and what isn’t. It would be really refreshing if people would dare to admit that they aren’t perfect. I’m not, but I can still add value.

  32. Frank Sohn Avatar

    These excessive claims make it really challenging for a customer to determine what is true and what isn’t. It would be really refreshing if people would dare to admit that they aren’t perfect. I’m not, but I can still add value.

  33. Brandon W. Jones Avatar

    I appreciate this post because although there are ways to reduce mistakes and chances for error, there is no such thing as a perfect system that eliminates all chances for errors.

  34. Brandon W. Jones Avatar

    I appreciate this post because although there are ways to reduce mistakes and chances for error, there is no such thing as a perfect system that eliminates all chances for errors.

  35. Brandon W. Jones Avatar

    I appreciate this post because although there are ways to reduce mistakes and chances for error, there is no such thing as a perfect system that eliminates all chances for errors.

  36. Brandon W. Jones Avatar

    I appreciate this post because although there are ways to reduce mistakes and chances for error, there is no such thing as a perfect system that eliminates all chances for errors.

  37. Brandon W. Jones Avatar

    I appreciate this post because although there are ways to reduce mistakes and chances for error, there is no such thing as a perfect system that eliminates all chances for errors.

  38. Brandon W. Jones Avatar

    I appreciate this post because although there are ways to reduce mistakes and chances for error, there is no such thing as a perfect system that eliminates all chances for errors.

  39. Brandon W. Jones Avatar

    I appreciate this post because although there are ways to reduce mistakes and chances for error, there is no such thing as a perfect system that eliminates all chances for errors.

  40. Brandon W. Jones Avatar

    I appreciate this post because although there are ways to reduce mistakes and chances for error, there is no such thing as a perfect system that eliminates all chances for errors.

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