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a16z Podcast | It's Not What You Say, It's How You Say It -- When Language Meets Big Data
25 segments available
When most people think of big data they think of numbers, but it turns out that a lot of big data -- a lot of the output of our work and activity as humans in fact -- is in the form of words. So what can we learn when we apply machine learning and natural language processing techniques to text? The findings may surprise you. For example, did you know that you can predict whether a Kickstarter project will be funded or not based on textual elements alone ... before it's even published? Other findings are not so surprising; e.g., hopefully we all know by now that a word like "synergy" can sink a job description! But what words DO appeal in tech job descriptions when you're trying to draw the most qualified, diverse candidates? And speaking of diversity: What's up with those findings about differences in how men and women describe themselves on their resumes -- or are described by others in their performance reviews? On this episode of the a16z Podcast, Textio co-founder and CEO Kieran Snyder (who has a PhD in linguistics and formerly led product and design in roles at Microsoft and Amazon) shares her findings, answers to some of these questions, and other insights based on several studies they've conducted on language, technology, and document bias.
Segments Timeline
The Power of Words in Job Descriptions
Kieran Snyder discusses the significance of language in job descriptions, emphasizing that the words we choose can greatly influence the success of attracting qualified and diverse candidates. She highlights the importance of understanding not just what is said, but how it is conveyed, revealing hidden biases in language.
"hi everyone welcome to the a six in Z podcast I'm sonal and I'm here today with Michael and we are talking to Karen Schneider who is the CEO and co-founder of text EO a company that analyzes job listi..."
Predicting Kickstarter Success with Text
Snyder shares insights from her work analyzing Kickstarter projects, explaining how they predicted funding success based solely on textual elements and metadata. She reveals surprising findings, such as the importance of text length and formatting, which challenge conventional wisdom about project presentation.
"who've built products before because you like to think you're leading with a strong vision clearly words matter and another place that that plays out is with hidden biases that are often revealed in w..."
The Influence of Language on Project Outcomes
In this segment, Snyder elaborates on how language can be more influential than the content of an idea itself. She discusses the predictive power of text features in Kickstarter projects and how they can forecast fundraising success, emphasizing the need for careful measurement and analysis.
"work language is just an encoding of concepts right and anything that can be encoded can be measured and so I was sharing the story the other day we were actually originally started out looking at Kic..."
Understanding External Factors in Predictions
Snyder addresses the external variables that could affect Kickstarter project success, such as timing and celebrity endorsements. She explains how their analysis focused on text alone, revealing that many expected factors were less significant than anticipated, reinforcing the power of language.
"this beautiful use of single typography would do best not so you want to look like a ransom note so you want to be posh types you want lots and lots of headings visually wonderful images to be front-l..."
Tailoring Language for Different Industries
Snyder discusses the importance of tailoring job listings based on geography and industry. She shares insights from analyzing over 10,000 job listings, highlighting how language preferences vary across different sectors and locations, and the implications for effective hiring strategies.
"media attention it doesn't make or break you but it can it can help quite a bit and generally how good you are at your social media strategy can can tip the balance a bit but none of those other facto..."
Key Phrases that Attract Candidates
In this segment, Snyder reveals specific phrases and language patterns that have been shown to attract diverse and qualified candidates in job descriptions. She discusses the evolving nature of language in job listings and how certain terms can significantly impact applicant demographics.
"talking about the form of the text like the length and the fonts and the design but like were there particular words that popped out as well in terms of what people said on those Kickstarter descripti..."
The Evolution of Job Listing Language
Snyder explains how the effectiveness of certain phrases, like 'big data,' has changed over time in job listings. She emphasizes the need for continuous adaptation in language use to maintain relevance and effectiveness in attracting job seekers, highlighting the dynamic nature of market trends.
"descriptions for insights about what moves the needle and and the differences and how people communicate what are some of the things I mean just could we have a huge audience this that does job descri..."
Words That Sink Job Listings
Snyder identifies common phrases that negatively impact job listings, such as 'synergy' and other corporate jargon. She explains how these terms can deter candidates across demographics, emphasizing the need for clear and appealing language in job descriptions to improve candidate attraction and engagement.
"well you ever I mean I'm just curious about this were you ever able to find or study associations between people's intent and outcomes and job listings so for example and one of the things that we've ..."
Tracking Language Change Over Time
This segment explores how language evolves and how technology can track these changes. Snyder discusses the limitations of traditional dictionaries and how modern data collection allows for a dynamic understanding of language, reflecting real-time shifts in usage and meaning.
"term because when people include synergy they're also significantly more likely to include you know value add and make it pop right kind of silly but they're all over the place and and it turns out ev..."
Current Trends in Job Descriptions
Snyder shares insights on trending phrases in job descriptions, such as 'at scale' and 'people analytics.' She explains how these terms resonate within specific industries and the importance of staying updated with language that appeals to potential candidates in a competitive job market.
"sure I don't know that you could do it in a static way anymore right I totally internet has just exploded that right exactly is there so if big data is kind of neutral now is there a kind of job type ..."
The Power of Data in Document Analysis
In this segment, Snyder discusses the methodology behind analyzing job listings and Kickstarter projects. She emphasizes the importance of collecting data on outcomes to understand what language works best, illustrating how data-driven insights can enhance the effectiveness of written content.
"other industries which is common that we see that one of my favorite examples that we spend a lot of time talking to HR people is turns out workforce analytics is no longer a good phrase to use you wa..."
Expanding Applications of Language Analysis
Snyder explores the potential applications of language analysis beyond job listings, including screenwriting and marketing. She highlights how the same techniques can be used to optimize various forms of content aimed at persuading or selling, showcasing the versatility of natural language processing.
"training data set and then we apply really classical natural language processing techniques so we look for patterns until we say okay these are the ones that were successful we're successful is define..."
The Future of Natural Language Processing
This segment delves into the evolution of natural language processing and its current capabilities. Snyder discusses the significance of empirical strategies and the availability of vast data sets, explaining how these advancements enable more accurate predictions and analyses in various industries.
"useful technology let's talk about where this fits and let's actually go let's purposely use some jargon here and let's talk about where it fits in the tech trends like where that fits in that space s..."
Domain-Specific NLP Techniques
In this segment, Snyder addresses the need for domain-specific training in NLP. She explains how while some techniques are universally applicable, the nuances of language in different industries require tailored approaches. Snyder discusses the importance of understanding the specific goals and benchmarks for text analysis in various contexts.
"big the techniques you're describing is it the same underlying technique apply to all different domains but do you have to also train each corpus on a different domain like they're special lasers insi..."
Democratization of Data through Cloud Computing
Snyder highlights how advancements in cloud computing, particularly through AWS, have democratized access to data and computing power. She explains how this shift has enabled startups and smaller companies to leverage NLP technologies that were once only accessible to larger corporations.
"in the past it seemed like only really big companies could do this because they had like the type of computing hardware and power processing power to pull this off like what's changed that AWS is what..."
Innovative Uses of Text Analysis
Snyder shares insights on the diverse ways people are utilizing text analysis tools, from job listings to academic syllabi. She recounts a professor's experience using the tool to identify gender bias in course materials, illustrating the versatility and applicability of NLP in various fields.
"of put any Kickstarter projects up there yourselves just to give it a whirl we were asked this a lot during our fundraising we did we'll get pitch decks by the way one of the things I would go back to..."
Insights from Pitch Decks and Fundraising
In this segment, Snyder discusses the importance of text attributes in pitch decks and fundraising efforts. She shares observations on how the structure and wording of pitch decks can influence investor perceptions, emphasizing the need for careful consideration of language in these critical documents.
"we're seeing people put marketing content through pitch that content through so to your question about did we initiate any Kickstarter campaigns we didn't because we weren't making sure guys would be ..."
Gender Bias in Job Descriptions
Snyder delves into her findings on gender differences in job descriptions, validating previous qualitative research. She discusses how subtle differences in wording can significantly impact the diversity of applicants, highlighting the importance of language in attracting a balanced workforce.
"and found some patterns in the synergy line of questioning whether it was there were their words or phrases you should never include in your pitch deck you know I don't know I don't know I guess there..."
The Intersection of Qualitative and Quantitative Analysis
Snyder reflects on the integration of qualitative insights with quantitative data in her research. She discusses how her work on performance reviews has informed her understanding of language's impact on hiring practices, emphasizing the value of combining both approaches in analyzing text.
"all we've talked to a lot of industries outside of tech and so well in technology we want to hire more women when I talk to people who are hiring ICU nurses or elementary school teachers bias goes the..."
Gender Bias in Performance Reviews
In this segment, Snyder shares her research findings on gender bias in performance reviews, revealing stark differences in the language used to describe men and women. She notes that terms like 'abrasive' are disproportionately used for women, while men are described with more positive terms, highlighting systemic biases in language.
"something that was traditionally in the qualitative domain yeah conversation analysis yes it's true I mean so you know I've looked at in some of my prior research I've looked at some other document ty..."
Resumes: A Tale of Two Styles
Snyder discusses her analysis of resumes from men and women in technology, uncovering systematic differences in presentation. Men's resumes tend to be shorter and detail-oriented, while women's are more narrative-driven, raising questions about how these styles are perceived by employers.
"really interesting I looked more recently at resumes so I collected 1100 resumes from men and women in technology about half of each and found for men and women who have very similar backgrounds very ..."
Optimizing Resumes for Job Seekers
This segment focuses on practical advice for job seekers based on Snyder's findings. She discusses the importance of narrative versus detail in resumes and suggests that candidates should stay true to their storytelling style while seeking companies that value their unique approach.
"narrative but one of those kinds of resumes gets flagged as positive much more frequently right in tact especially we look really for what did they deliver how quickly and tersely can they communicate..."
The Balance of Optimization and Authenticity
Snyder raises concerns about the potential pitfalls of optimizing language to the point of blandness. She argues that while it's important to tailor language for effectiveness, maintaining authenticity is crucial for standing out in a competitive job market.
"STEM fields - I bet finance you would see some similar patterns we do see tech and finance pattern together quite a bit in in other document types that's interesting by the way that those two domain w..."
Expanding the Use of Language Tools
Snyder shares surprising insights about how people are using Textio's language optimization tools beyond job listings. She highlights diverse applications, including resumes and marketing content, indicating a growing interest in leveraging language analysis for various business documents.
"or bland or you know okay not to point fingers but I'm thinking of demand media for example I collect all this data and what people like or want or and then spew out on the other side something that n..."
Future of Language Technology in Job Applications
In this concluding segment, Snyder discusses the future potential of language technology in job applications. She envisions tools that could help candidates craft resumes tailored to specific job opportunities, emphasizing the importance of storytelling while ensuring the content aligns with employer expectations.
"put through some of the crazier things we've seen so we've seen resumes which kind of makes sense we've seen lots and lots of marketing content we've seen people putting their product descriptions thr..."