What do other developers look for in a job posting? | Hacker News Reader

What do other developers look for in a job posting?

4 pointsFalling35 comments

I'm the lead at a small, but growing company. We're trying to add to our dev team, but have a very hard time getting candidates who are anything but very junior - usually code school grads without much experience. Mid-level developers seem very tough to come by. Our CTO currently writes all of our job postings, but I'm concerned he is scaring off potential candidates with requirements like "a relentlessly positive attitude". I want to take a stab at rewriting the listing, but I'm struggling a little on specifics to focus on that will do a better job at getting the attention of the right people.

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I try to answer two questions quickly: Am I competent enough for this position? And can I see myself working there? Both are easier to answer if the posting gives solid examples, like a description of a recent project or the markets you serve. I want to understand your desired outcomes, not "required" skills.

More often than not, some "required" skills in the description become negotiable during the interview. But outcomes aren't negotiable because outcomes drive revenue.

I wouldn't abandon a job description for including the phrase "relentlessly positive attitude". But it's pure fluff and I would skim it looking for a concrete description of the work.

Recently I was impressed by this job posting from a small outfit in Kentucky [1]. It's a little long for my taste. But it was easy for me to answer my own questions.

[1]: https://www.level12.io/careers/full-stack-web-app-developer-...

That's really helpful; thank you! I'm going to borrow a few phrases and ideas from your post. Your "two questions" approach is a really good insight for the kind of information that needs to be present and obvious in whatever we go with. I appreciate the feedback.

You will get better advice if you share more about your company and possibly the specific job postings.

There is a "market for lemons" situation in hiring that works on both the company and the developer side.

If Developer A is a bad developer then Developer A is going to spend more time on the job market. If company B is a bad company it is going to have high turnover. The selection is strong enough that during the recession some companies would only want to talk with developers that already had a job.

The value that Developer A brings to Company B is a function of both A and B, however, which makes the effect even more pronounced. A developer could have very imbalanced strengths and weaknesses and still do great at Company B because the team makes up for it. Company B could be a disorganized mess with a toxic supervisor to boot that will take in great developers, burn them out, and leave them nervous wrecks. In fact, "functioning as a team" is the real magic. If you have a group of average developers who are perfectly coordinated you can beat a group of dev's who all want to be the prima donna.

The most important thing to me as a senior developer is a company that will respect my personal time.

I want a company that treats me like an employee, not a friend. I don't need perks in the office.

When I apply to a position I expect that my unlisted experience is as valuable as the listed requirements. Have a list of technology that is comprehensive but make it clear what fraction of those should be prerequisite. (I encourage people to apply at 1/2 to 2/3 usually). If you choose to require a cover letter, be specific about what you're looking for in the letter.

Use a litmus test like a 10 minute coding challenge as part of the application process if you want a first level filter.

Also, use a tool like hemmingwayapp or textio to clean the post. You don't have to take all of its advice, but it helps to understand what in the text may be at distracting

If you want experienced candidates, you can't bottom fish.

In the embedded space, I regularly see listings that say "Senior Embedded Dev needed: 3+ years experience in C and blah blah blah"

So what you're telling me is either A) you have no idea what a senior developer carries in terms of experience because the market has compressed the experience bands or B) you want senior competence at a junior rate.

Almost always, without fail, it's B. So I'm going to ignore the ad.

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