I've been in the market for a new contract for a few days now, and I've had a lot of time to look around at the various job listings. I've been watching jobs.rubynow.com, the 37signals job board, and Craigslist. After looking at probably about 50 or so posts, I had seen both the good and the bad, and more of the latter than I would have expected. Everytime I would see an advertisement that really turned me off, I made a mental note and filed it away for a future blog rant. I finally found some time this morning to sit down and write out all of these observations. So without further adieu, here it is, Doug's Guide on How to Scare Off a Good Developer.
- Mention equity as a replacement for cash.
You may be strapped. You might not have enough to pay the highest rates. You might be more able to provide stock options than big paychecks. But don't lead with this. That's like trying to sell a used car by pointing out all of the rust spots, coffee stains, and dents in the first few minutes of your sales pitch.
Your equity, as precious to you as it may be, is likely worth a grand total of $0.00 at the time you write your job posting. Most devs are aware of that. You might get younger developers with dollar signs in their eyeballs and dreams of YouTube or Skype in their heads (hey, maybe that's who you're looking for). But what you won't get is an experienced, mature developer with a large frame of reference within the web world. You won't get someone who is comfortable telling you when you're out in left field. You won't get someone who's in it to make something great (as opposed to just making great amounts of money).
Finally, even if you are on a shoestring budget, do some interviews and ask for rates before you mention a reduced rate + equity scenario. You might just find that some really great developers are not as expensive as you thought, and you could have the win-win of paying their full rate plus giving them a chunk of stock options.
- Mention long hours and hard work, justifying it with The Startup
Excuse.
The Startup Excuse spreads like a virus during these web booms. Even the best CEOs, CTOs, and PMs are not completely immune to it. It goes something like this: "We're a startup, so for this limited time that we're a startup, you have to put in crazy hours (some of which must be unpaid) and make an extraordinary effort. But after X amount of time when we make it big, you will be sitting pretty with us and sipping Mojitos on the beach."
The funny thing is, the Mojitos and the beach never seem to happen. The startup goes broke, an acquisition agreement requires you to stay for 3 years in order to receive your full equity, or, even worse, the startup continues forever without turning a profit.
The thing to remember about these Startup Excuses is that your life is not 3 years from now--your life is right now--today. You already work hard. Maybe you have a family or a hobby that you enjoy. You devote time to these things because they promote a healthy balance in your life, thus giving you the clarity of thought and presence of mind to make great decisions in your job as a developer.
And to all of you who are tempted to use this excuse to rationalize super long hours and wild demands, remember that 40 hours' time from an energetic, passionate, and committed developer are worth 120 hours' time from a frazzled, under-pressure, caffeine-intoxicated developer.
- Challenge or bait your audience with a macho "prove yourself and we'll
let you work with us" approach.
Nothing turns me off faster than some yahoo inviting me to send my code and see if I make the cut. Developers (at least the good ones) don't have a Top Gun, Goose-and-Maverick image of themselves. They're regular, thoughtful people who do good work because they are good at what they do. They're humble and smart at the same time. You want to appeal to these good people by sounding intelligent, reasonable, and excited about what you're doing, not by starting an ego contest before the first interview.
Remember also that, with great developers, it's not about them proving themselves to you--their experience usually speaks for itself. Instead, the best developers are looking for you to prove yourself in the first few lines of your job posting. They're not going to bother responding to something that relegates their profession to the dog-and-pony antics of a pickup basketball game. By coming out with a chip on your shoulder you'll show just how little you understand what a good developer wants.
- Describe yourself as a "successful serial entreprenuer" or an "industry
veteran."
You may have sold a few startups already. You might be a wealthy, beneficent magnate of the Web 1.0 Era. Maybe you have that midas touch. That's good--your experience can be a real boon to developers who have an eye towards business and are looking for a mentor in that area.
But don't forget who you're talking to.
As developers, we're unlike any of your other audiences. We're not investors, we're not potential clients, we're not advertisting execs drooling for the next MySpace. We don't really want to be sold on past business success. In fact, most of us aren't in it to hit the "jackpot" of an IPO or a Google acquisition. Most of us have tried living that way for a time and find it so unrewarding and mercenary that we now avoid it.
Although working with a competent business person is very important, I'd much rather be sold on who you are, what a pleasure it is to work with you, and how your passion about whatever it is you're making is contagious enough that I might catch it from you.
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