Hacker Newsnew | past | comments | ask | show | jobs | submitlogin
Does Entrepreneurial Experience Dim Future Job Prospects? (douglashannah.com)
12 points by teuobk on Aug 8, 2013 | hide | past | favorite | 3 comments


They cite three possible explanations:

1. Possible undesirable discrimination (no objective reason)

2. Self-employment might be a valid signal they would not “fit” in the organization

3. Entrepreneurs may lack skills that can only be gained in employment

It is good to note that this was done through online job boards, and only accounts for an invitation for an interview. They applied to 100 positions (2 CVs each) over two years, and had a 11% total positive response rate. They also note that 70% of the positions were advertised by recruiters.

While the sample size is low, online job boards have always had a low response rate. And, recruiters might feel they can't sell/profit-from a self-employed person as well as a traditional wage earner.


This study was done in the UK. I wonder if it'd be different in the US.

Also the sample size should be increased by a factor of 10.


"Also the sample size should be increased by a factor of 10."

You could say the same for just about any study. Obviously that would be a good thing. I don't know what the relevant p-values are, here, but my guess is that it's statistically significant. (I'm sure the full paper will include more statistical analysis of significance.)

I think more interesting would be to see how this varied across sector - these were all HR positions. It may be that the results would be quite different in, for example, programming positions.

In any case, it's an interesting question to be asking, and I'm glad people are doing research in it!




Consider applying for YC's Summer 2026 batch! Applications are open till May 4

Guidelines | FAQ | Lists | API | Security | Legal | Apply to YC | Contact

Search: