Ask HN: Having trouble getting senior applicants, wondering what to do about it

Post by WatchDog » Tue, Jun 21, 2022, 1:59 AM UTC

anon291 wrote: post #267

ghaff wrote: post #178

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As something of a counterpoint, a literal 4-hour assignment isn't that bad--especially as an alternative to a day of interviews. If they give you the assignment and it's immediately obvious that it's actually a 20+ hour assignment, you can always just walk. When I worked for a technology analyst company, we would ask for writing samples--which most potential hires would already have. But, if someone didn't, they'd ha…

No it's not. When i do interviews in-person (even if virtual) , I get the benefit of meeting my future colleagues and learning more about the company. It's much more a two-way benefit, versus an assignment where only one party (the company) gets any information from the other (me). > When I worked for a technology analyst company, we would ask for writing samples--which most potential hires would already have. But, i…

Post by arjvik » Tue, Jun 21, 2022, 2:04 AM UTC

giaour wrote: post #223

ghaff wrote: post #196

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't know what the law is. Years ago, but I've been paid for doing a focus group in cash. So there's presumably some threshold where you can just have essentially a petty cash business expense. Obviously meals and so forth as well. (And, assuming the law hasn't changed, US government employees have to pay for even a modest meal at a company's executive briefing center.) OTOH, I've had 1099s for even very modest si…

> So there's presumably some threshold where you can just have essentially a petty cash business expense. $600

Post by giaour » Tue, Jun 21, 2022, 2:06 AM UTC

arjvik wrote: post #493

giaour wrote: post #223

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> So there's presumably some threshold where you can just have essentially a petty cash business expense. $600

Documented anywhere?

Post by peter422 » Tue, Jun 21, 2022, 2:11 AM UTC

pclmulqdq wrote: post #476

peter422 wrote: post #461

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There is not a single respectable startup in existence that will give a random employee options or stock with liquidation preferences. For 99.9% of startups that would involve making a new class of shares for you, which ain’t gonna happen. Investor is of course completely different for many reasons and I’m not speaking to that. And anyways unless you are leading the round, which you aren’t, you are just getting whate…

Nobody would give you preferred stock, which is why you need to demand an absolutely absurd premium on the amount of common stock that they offer. Also, it generally doesn't need a new class of shares, just a vote by the board. Edit: Just to clarify, if you want to hire a mercenary, you can't do it expecting that they will take the same value of your stock that your true believer investors took without any of the gua…

Post by randomdata » Tue, Jun 21, 2022, 2:17 AM UTC

s0rce wrote: post #326

jiggawatts wrote: post #314

POST THE SALARY. Senior people are senior because of their work experience, which they gain from steady employment. Almost by definition you are looking to entice busy, employed people away from their current jobs. They don’t have the time or inclination to trawl through job ad after job ad. Where your competition will ask for 15 years of experience and then only after hours of calls and meetings reluctantly make an…

I've tried to advocate for this at my organization and been told that we don't want people primarily motivated by money...