

Debunking the Laundry List Fallacy: Why Doing Less is More Impressive  - dangoldin
http://calnewport.com/blog/2008/03/14/debunking-the-laundry-list-fallacy-why-doing-less-is-more-impressive/

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demallien
Interesting idea, but I think this could be dangerous to extrapolate outside
of the target audience (people seeking entrance into university).

For example, most recruitment agencies these days use keyword filters on CVs
to see if you interest them. Laundry lists are the obvious response to this.
the more words on your CV, the more likely you are to not get rejected by the
dumb computer which doesn't have a 'sidechannel'.

Anyway, I'm not sure about the main example given in the article - smart
students not raising their hands in class. I was one of those smart students,
and I always put up my hand when asked. Why? Because if the teacher asked
someone that hadn't understood the material, we would go into a whole long
explanation (repeated) of something I had already understood. Boring! Move
along, get on to some new stuff please! Teachers of course would stop asking
the best students, because teachers want to know (at least at high school) if
everyone has understood.

And of course, in the real world, if students that know the answer don't raise
their hands, it's because it's not considered cool. They are sending a signal
to their peers, not to the teacher.

~~~
kul
my explanation is that i was too lazy to put my hand up

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xirium
> Countersignalling theory predicts that the best strategy for the best
> candidates is to have a short resume.

I believe that it has mentioned on this forum that exceptional people don't a
resume at all and rely entirely on "the sidechannel".

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albertcardona
On skipping the first few paragraphs, the article is very interesting.

It's asking: the more people know who you really are, the less you have to
tell them straight (such as labeling yourself Dr. X or adding ", Ph.D." to
your email signature.)

The article goes on to argue that if you are indeed great but you keep telling
people that you are, the less likely they are to believe you -because so many
mediocre people are shouting that they are great.

They shout, you don't shout, then you're distinguished. Orson Scott Card knew
this and told us all about it.

Makes sense.

