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.
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.
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.