So as a software developer I get a lot of different communications from recruiters. Linkedin, emailing, and cold calling are the worst culprits. Now sometimes there can be a good opportunity amongst the slew of people just buckshotting jobs that require skills that are not even applicable to your own skill set. I hope to share some good practices to optimize your time, and success in finding a good opportunity amongst the sea of spam.
Pre-Screening:
This means on that initial reach out. Whether it’s a “wow you’re a great fit for our company” Linkedin blast or a cold call. You as a person have just as much a right to pre-screen companies as they have to do the same for potential hires.
1. Always ask for a job description
This will cut a lot of wasted time. There are so many times where I have gotten a message saying you’d be a great fit, we have cool culture and cookies come join us. Then when you reach out and ask for what kind of technology you would be working with. They say Java, or Cobalt or some other technology that is nowhere on your Linkedin, resume, or even your reading list. Getting a job description will immediately get you a vibe of what the company is looking for, if your skills are applicable and if it’s a tech stack that you are interested in working in.
2. Ask for a pay band.
Most places won’t tell you any actual numbers, and typically you don’t want to reveal yours either for negotiating reasons. However a pay band is perfectly acceptable. This will also help weed out offers. I live in the second cheapest city in the United States. So when I get contacted by a local company I can pretty much rule them out, because if you work remotely for companies in California or New York the normalized pay scale is so drastically different. So finding out a pay band is basically a polite way of finding out if it’s worth your time to keep the conversation going.
During the call :
A basic checklist of things that you should always have covered with your first call with the recruiter to get you set up for success moving forward or bailing out.
- What will I be working on, What is the company or product about, what would my part be in it.
- What technology will I be using, LAMP, MEAN, Rails. This can give you a better idea what to freshen up on before the first interview.
- What is this company’s interview process like? With how drastic some interview processes have gotten now in the developer community from Take home Projects to Live coding in front of a panel. Knowing how many and what the rounds will be is a good way to judge if you want to expend the energy on this company.
- Benefits and Extras – Health coverage, Snack Budget, Company Tesla, Jetpack allowance. All things that are important when judging multiple offers or the value of your current workplace.
- TimeFrame to hire. This will give you an idea of how fast they want to move and can give you a plan on how to plan your exit in a successful interview process.
I hope you find this checklist and tips helpful. If you have any tips to share or if you try it out let me know how it goes in the comments down below!
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