
What do other developers look for in a job posting? - Falling3
I&#x27;m the lead at a small, but growing company. We&#x27;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&#x27;m concerned he is scaring off potential candidates with requirements like &quot;a relentlessly positive attitude&quot;. I want to take a stab at rewriting the listing, but I&#x27;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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susodapop
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-...](https://www.level12.io/careers/full-stack-web-app-developer-
mid/)

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Falling3
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.

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PaulHoule
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.

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probinso
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

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joezydeco
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.

