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A non-"rockstar" hiring process and parallel job track (with potential for cross-over) so they can get in people who are happy to do "boring" work on an interes

by asark 8y ago

A non-"rockstar" hiring process and parallel job track (with potential for cross-over) so they can get in people who are happy to do "boring" work on an interesting product might do it. Probably can't be in the Valley or anywhere else ultra-high COL. I think part of the problem is they (seem to?) only staff folks who both can and are inclined to leave quickly if they don't get to do the fun stuff. Again, though, may not make sense for them from a $$$ perspective. Jank and rough edges galore may be something they're willing to live with. [EDIT] How this works in my head: Manager: Could you take a look at the Android developer documentation? Some of it's badly outdated and have you actually tried using it? A lot of the advice is... kinda bad. Also maybe look at a few of these UI components we had the Summer interns make, they've got bizarre implementations and are difficult and inconsistent to customize. Oh and god have you looked at our issue tracker? Has anyone, actually? Like, ever? Developer: Hey so have you heard of this place called Amazon? Manager: Uh I mean how about we start a fourth greenfield instant messaging product instead? Developer: That's better. Amazon? Who's Amazon?

Joky 8y ago
Actually there is little thinking about "Amazon" or other competitor: internal mobility is easy. So replace "Amazon" by "this other team is doing a cool new project", and you can get transferred in a matter of weeks, most of the time without going through a heavy interview process. And all of this isn't only motivated by "not doing boring tasks", but also because this is what drives promotions / career advancement. So "launch a feature/project, get rewarded, and switch team" seems like a trend, and it does not encourage to think about long term maintenance / etc. (It isn't a generality either, but it is a bit of a trend)

by asark 8y ago

Joky 8y ago

Actually there is little thinking about "Amazon" or other competitor: internal mobility is easy. So replace "Amazon" by "this other team is doing a cool new project", and you can get transferred in a matter of weeks, most of the time without going through a heavy interview process. And all of this isn't only motivated by "not doing boring tasks", but also because this is what drives promotions / career advancement. So "launch a feature/project, get rewarded, and switch team" seems like a trend, and it does not encourage to think about long term maintenance / etc. (It isn't a generality either, but it is a bit of a trend)