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Not a Hacker or a Hipster – How I Got My First Startup Job

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Re: Not a Hacker or a Hipster – How I Got My First Startup Job

#31

Post by bitwize »

35bge57dtjku wrote: post #18
bitwize wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No. In major market cities (SF, Boston, NYC), chances are they're already moving forward with a candidate who does fit the qualifications. Tjey're not hard to fund in those markets.

They are hard enough to find that they are willing to fly in candidates from across the country.

If you're a unicorn-grade developer (God-tier school, significant time solving Major Problems), maybe. My job search experience has been that it's pretty much "perfect match or gtfo". If I had a nickel for every time I heard "While we were impressed with your qualifications, we decided to go ahead with another candidate with more experience in the tech stack we're using. Best of luck in your job search" I could pay my internet bill at least.

Re: Not a Hacker or a Hipster – How I Got My First Startup Job

#32

Post by HemanHeartYou »

slededit wrote: post #12
na85 wrote: post #8

> talk to people around you, they’re surprisingly willing to be involved in what you’re doing if it’s interesting and not too onerous for them. Counters the general assumption that if you talk to strangers they’ll think you’re crazy. Maybe if you're a young woman (as the author is) approaching someone at a coffee shop, then sure. Reverse the genders and watch the interaction take on a dramatically different character…

And yet two guys were able to ask everyone in an entire coffee shop what they were working on with a 95% "super friendly" rate. Perhaps some problems are perceived rather than real. https://medium.com/life-learning/what-are-people-working-on-...

yes two charasmatic good looking men in california, see the keywords?

Re: Not a Hacker or a Hipster – How I Got My First Startup Job

#33

Post by tfm »

na85 wrote: post #8

> talk to people around you, they’re surprisingly willing to be involved in what you’re doing if it’s interesting and not too onerous for them. Counters the general assumption that if you talk to strangers they’ll think you’re crazy. Maybe if you're a young woman (as the author is) approaching someone at a coffee shop, then sure. Reverse the genders and watch the interaction take on a dramatically different character…

Doesn't seem to matter whether the author already knew that she had a knack for talking to strangers without appearing crazy, or held with the "general assumption" and was genuinely surprised when the experiment turned out well. The important thing is that it worked!

Now, perhaps it will not work so well for every person. Perhaps in the general case people will instead recoil in horror at being approached nicely for small interesting favours. Perhaps a more universal lesson to take away from this is that success is more likely if you play to your strengths, and push every advantage at your disposal. The author is a Cambridge Law graduate, so one might safely presume reasonably skilled at speaking - I'm not exactly sure how surprised she was that she could engage strangers in professional conversation at a coffee shop - but the experiment is available for others to replicate! I'm not sure what parameters would have to be changed for the interaction to take on a "dramatically different character" though, maybe don't get drunk beforehand.

Re: Not a Hacker or a Hipster – How I Got My First Startup Job

#34

Post by pc86 »

bitwize wrote: post #31
35bge57dtjku wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They are hard enough to find that they are willing to fly in candidates from across the country.

If you're a unicorn-grade developer (God-tier school, significant time solving Major Problems), maybe. My job search experience has been that it's pretty much "perfect match or gtfo". If I had a nickel for every time I heard "While we were impressed with your qualifications, we decided to go ahead with another candidate with more experience in the tech stack we're using. Best of luck in your job search" I could pay m…

LPT: "More experience in our tech stack" generally means they just didn't like you.

Re: Not a Hacker or a Hipster – How I Got My First Startup Job

#35

Post by MollyR »

slededit wrote: post #12
na85 wrote: post #8

> talk to people around you, they’re surprisingly willing to be involved in what you’re doing if it’s interesting and not too onerous for them. Counters the general assumption that if you talk to strangers they’ll think you’re crazy. Maybe if you're a young woman (as the author is) approaching someone at a coffee shop, then sure. Reverse the genders and watch the interaction take on a dramatically different character…

And yet two guys were able to ask everyone in an entire coffee shop what they were working on with a 95% "super friendly" rate. Perhaps some problems are perceived rather than real. https://medium.com/life-learning/what-are-people-working-on-...

Also there are some big differences in social norms based on which region of the united states you are in.

Re: Not a Hacker or a Hipster – How I Got My First Startup Job

#36

Post by Bartweiss »

slededit wrote: post #12
na85 wrote: post #8

> talk to people around you, they’re surprisingly willing to be involved in what you’re doing if it’s interesting and not too onerous for them. Counters the general assumption that if you talk to strangers they’ll think you’re crazy. Maybe if you're a young woman (as the author is) approaching someone at a coffee shop, then sure. Reverse the genders and watch the interaction take on a dramatically different character…

And yet two guys were able to ask everyone in an entire coffee shop what they were working on with a 95% "super friendly" rate. Perhaps some problems are perceived rather than real. https://medium.com/life-learning/what-are-people-working-on-...

I suspect that in a coffee shop in a good area, it really is this easy, male or female. People are generally pretty social if everyone is on equal footing, not obviously busy, and not creating discomfort.

Anyone who's tried to get petitions can attest that doing this on a street corner is a much different beast, but I think hallway testing (or lead finding, or whatever else) is more viable than most people think.

I'm also reminded of the study about asking people for their seat on a subway - it's almost impossible to ask, but surprisingly easy to succeed.

Re: Not a Hacker or a Hipster – How I Got My First Startup Job

#37

Post by odonnellryan »

na85 wrote: post #8

> talk to people around you, they’re surprisingly willing to be involved in what you’re doing if it’s interesting and not too onerous for them. Counters the general assumption that if you talk to strangers they’ll think you’re crazy. Maybe if you're a young woman (as the author is) approaching someone at a coffee shop, then sure. Reverse the genders and watch the interaction take on a dramatically different character…

> Reverse the genders and watch the interaction take on a dramatically different character.

I dunno, give it a shot. I generally don't have much interest in just randomly starting up conversation, but when I talk to a stranger about something it rarely goes poorly.

Re: Not a Hacker or a Hipster – How I Got My First Startup Job

#38

Post by dominotw »

>After some more standard interview prep and a short interview at Crowdcube a few days later accompanied by my newly filled little black book I got taken on for the job.

Meanwhile, I am being humiliated by stupid whiteboard interviews .

I really need to work on my (non existent ) people skills.

Re: Not a Hacker or a Hipster – How I Got My First Startup Job

#39

Post by dominotw »

odonnellryan wrote: post #37
na85 wrote: post #8

> talk to people around you, they’re surprisingly willing to be involved in what you’re doing if it’s interesting and not too onerous for them. Counters the general assumption that if you talk to strangers they’ll think you’re crazy. Maybe if you're a young woman (as the author is) approaching someone at a coffee shop, then sure. Reverse the genders and watch the interaction take on a dramatically different character…

> Reverse the genders and watch the interaction take on a dramatically different character. I dunno, give it a shot. I generally don't have much interest in just randomly starting up conversation, but when I talk to a stranger about something it rarely goes poorly.

Oh man!!. I tried this once and approached a group of young men at a coffee shop; one of the guys stood up and yelled 'step back terrorist' .

Never again!!

Re: Not a Hacker or a Hipster – How I Got My First Startup Job

#40

Post by brashrat »

CameronBanga wrote: post #10

Few things grind my gears like the idea that a person who cares about products being usable and well designed is inherently a "hipster".

few things grind my gears like hipsters telling me how much THEY care about products being usable LIKE IT'S SOME SORT OF NEW IDEA, like they are the ONLY ONES WHO CARE.

beards and winter hats in summer seem, counter intuitively, to incubate a lot of unique little snowflakes.

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