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Choose a job title on the "technical ladder" at the far end of realistic, and say that you are aiming for that. "I want to be a Principal Engineer." Given you
by josh_fyi 6y ago
Choose a job title on the "technical ladder" at the far end of realistic, and say that you are aiming for that. "I want to be a Principal Engineer."
Given your preferences and job history, don't say that you want to be a manager, because interviewers will worry that you don't want to do hands-on work. (Of course, other candidates with a clear management path can talk about that.)
Showing respect to the technical ladder will get you bonus points, because executives really want employees to see it as a serious and equivalent alternative to the managerial ladder.
- fsloth 6y agoChoose a job title on the "technical ladder" This is an excellent answer. It also removes those companies from the employer pool that for some reason still don't have a technical ladder.
- josh_fyi 6y agoPreferably research that in advance. But even if a company has not established an official technical ladder, managers appreciate an engineer with a clear desire to advance technically who does not want to be a manager.
- ng12 6y agoI'm pretty bearish on the established technical ladder unless you're very high up it. If your job title contains a number it can only work against you.
- fsloth 6y agoYeah, I had in mind a categorization like "engineer, distinguished engineer, fellow". Basically implications that one can reach vc level impact and compensation on the technical track and that's baked in into the organization. But definetly not a complex level-up game.
- josh_fyi 6y agoMy point is that executives want the tech ladder to be taken seriously. So, mention it in the interview. Whether it actually should be taken seriously depends on the company.