4 ms·

I'm the opposite. I don't want to work with people who I "get along with". I want to work with people who will tell me I'm an idiot when I do something idiotic.

I'm the opposite. I don't want to work with people who I "get along with". I want to work with people who will tell me I'm an idiot when I do something idiotic. I want someone who puts all their effort into creating great technology, not someone who puts all their effort into being liked. I have thick skin, so it doesn't bother me to work with an abrasive person. That, of course, only applies to programmers. On the other hand, if I'm hiring a salesman, I'd want that person to be the kind of person who puts all their effort into being a likable person. The same goes for hiring managers. Being a likable person will get you far in many positions in a business. Programming is not one of them.

borski 14y ago
We all have thick skin at Tinfoil - we don't want to hire someone who is necessarily liked by everyone, or who won't tell us what is on his/her mind and be honest. We're incredibly transparent, and whether or not we like someone is certainly not the /only/ reason we would hire someone. Honesty and straightforwardness is a trait we value a lot.
- tptacek 14y ago
  For some reason this thread makes me think of this old HN thread: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2030433 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2030433 'iamelgringo (who I miss!) is telling me that just because I feel like I get a good night sleep on 5 hours or whatever it is I get, doesn't mean my sleep quality isn't horrible due to apnea, and that maybe over the long term the apnea might kill me. I think it's the same with hiring. Everyone thinks they do it well; you look around you, feel like you like everyone you work with, and then write up the process that got you there. What's dangerous is if your current success is a fluke, and the process you set up is a recipe to become insular, or a stepping-stone job for SFBA people, or (worst of all) one of those companies you can't work for if you're a mom --- and I know you personally don't want to be any of these things! You are awesome and I'd love to work with you someday. I just hate the way you say you hire. :)

borski 14y ago

We all have thick skin at Tinfoil - we don't want to hire someone who is necessarily liked by everyone, or who won't tell us what is on his/her mind and be honest. We're incredibly transparent, and whether or not we like someone is certainly not the /only/ reason we would hire someone. Honesty and straightforwardness is a trait we value a lot.

tptacek 14y ago
For some reason this thread makes me think of this old HN thread: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2030433 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2030433 'iamelgringo (who I miss!) is telling me that just because I feel like I get a good night sleep on 5 hours or whatever it is I get, doesn't mean my sleep quality isn't horrible due to apnea, and that maybe over the long term the apnea might kill me. I think it's the same with hiring. Everyone thinks they do it well; you look around you, feel like you like everyone you work with, and then write up the process that got you there. What's dangerous is if your current success is a fluke, and the process you set up is a recipe to become insular, or a stepping-stone job for SFBA people, or (worst of all) one of those companies you can't work for if you're a mom --- and I know you personally don't want to be any of these things! You are awesome and I'd love to work with you someday. I just hate the way you say you hire. :)