Want to attract top tech talent? Offer telecommuting • Hacker News Board

Re: Want to attract top tech talent? Offer telecommuting

#21

Post by pstack » Tue, Apr 19, 2011, 6:16 PM UTC

angrycoder wrote: post #17

I've spent the bulk of the past 8 years telecommuting, even when I've had full time positions locally. It requires a strong commitment to communication and the experience to recognize when the communication is failing so you can get off your ass for a face to face meeting or phone call. I also ending up working a hell of a lot more hours than I would if I just had a desk job. But I wouldn't have it any other way. I d…

Agreed. I haven't been in the market for a job in a very long time, but the quickest way to lose my interest in your position is to tell me I can't work from home. After almost fifteen years, I can think of no other way. (Especially in my case, where my colleagues are all spread across the globe, anyway).

Re: Want to attract top tech talent? Offer telecommuting

#22

Post by metageek » Tue, Apr 19, 2011, 6:17 PM UTC

wyclif wrote: post #9

Startups that demand relocation to NYC or SF are a total show stopper here. Many of us are held hostage by geography-- maybe you own a home, maybe you have kids in a school they're flourishing in, maybe your parents need help. If you're a family man you won't like spending your wife and children's time in Bay Area or Metro NYC traffic. But here's the thing: the technology most startups use means they can transcend ge…

>or are they landlocked?

Nice term.

Re: Want to attract top tech talent? Offer telecommuting

#23

Post by michaelchisari » Tue, Apr 19, 2011, 6:19 PM UTC

I love Chicago, you just can't beat this city for the kind of value you get for the price. The closest competitor is New York in terms of food and culture, but the costs are astronomically higher.

When I'm contacted by a job recruiter for a position that pays more, but requires moving to somewhere like Mountain View, I will rarely entertain the idea. Sure, I'll fly into the office, I'll do it quite regularly actually, but there's no way I'm picking up and moving to a city with considerably less to offer, yet which costs substantially more.

I understand the value of social capital, and working with people face to face. But how often does that really need to happen? As developers, our job is ultimately to write code, and that can happen anywhere.

Re: Want to attract top tech talent? Offer telecommuting

#24

Post by RexM » Tue, Apr 19, 2011, 6:20 PM UTC

shimonamit wrote: post #11

I liked the ending: Maybe if we called it 'cloud commuting', CIOs would buy in.

Same, that was a nice touch.

Re: Want to attract top tech talent? Offer telecommuting

#25

Post by hello_moto » Tue, Apr 19, 2011, 6:20 PM UTC

mgkimsal wrote: post #4

This is sort of a no-brainer. I'm pitched by recruiters about once a week, and they're all for far away positions - typically SF area, but other areas too. I can't sell my house any time soon - the market just isn't moving - so I'm somewhat held hostage by geography. This doesn't mean that I can't travel onsite and visit your office regularly, nor does it mean skype and phone don't work out here in the sticks :) Tele…

The keywords in your post are these: "Strong Procedures".

Most startups/tech companies don't necessary have that.

Re: Want to attract top tech talent? Offer telecommuting

#26

Post by michaelchisari » Tue, Apr 19, 2011, 6:21 PM UTC

wyclif wrote: post #9

Startups that demand relocation to NYC or SF are a total show stopper here. Many of us are held hostage by geography-- maybe you own a home, maybe you have kids in a school they're flourishing in, maybe your parents need help. If you're a family man you won't like spending your wife and children's time in Bay Area or Metro NYC traffic. But here's the thing: the technology most startups use means they can transcend ge…

I want to see if they are set up to do remote work, or are they landlocked?

I love this term. Maybe I'll use it on my resume.

Re: Want to attract top tech talent? Offer telecommuting

#27

Post by enjo » Tue, Apr 19, 2011, 6:22 PM UTC

bphogan wrote: post #14

I would love to do more remote work, but then I hear horror stories about people having problems not being around people. Feelings of isolation set in after a couple of months, and people end up going to a gig where they are around people. To those doing remote work, is this common?

Coworking spaces work wonders for this.

Re: Want to attract top tech talent? Offer telecommuting

#28

Post by mgkimsal » Tue, Apr 19, 2011, 6:22 PM UTC

hello_moto wrote: post #25

mgkimsal wrote: post #4

This is sort of a no-brainer. I'm pitched by recruiters about once a week, and they're all for far away positions - typically SF area, but other areas too. I can't sell my house any time soon - the market just isn't moving - so I'm somewhat held hostage by geography. This doesn't mean that I can't travel onsite and visit your office regularly, nor does it mean skype and phone don't work out here in the sticks :) Tele…

The keywords in your post are these: "Strong Procedures". Most startups/tech companies don't necessary have that.

Many of the people involved have been involved in other operations before. "Strong procedures" should be a prerequisite for funding (for those seeking funding), no?

Re: Want to attract top tech talent? Offer telecommuting

#29

Post by keithba » Tue, Apr 19, 2011, 6:23 PM UTC

atacrawl wrote: post #2

With an unemployment rate of just 4% among tech professionals, and shortages in specific fields, flexibility shouldn't be a last resort. I would have guessed that tech unemployment would be lower than the national average, but 4% is really low.

Keep in mind that there's a natural unemployment rate in any economy. The natural unemployment rate is typically made up of two components: people in-between jobs and people with out-dated skills.

In programming, we'll always have (in any month) some % of workers moving from one job to another (either because they quit, the company they worked for went out of business, or they were laid off - because the company performed badly or their own poor or poorly perceived performance.)

And, in programming, there will always be some set of people who find themselves out of job because the company they were working for no longer needs their Delphi or COBOL or other outdated skill (not to say there are not jobs for those Delphi or COBOL programmers, but there are less and less of them, on average.) Those programmers have to get re-trained, etc.

These two groups make up that 4% - which is around the natural unemployment rate for the economy as a whole on average over the last 70 years (it's around 4-5).

If the unemployment rate was above this (basically at the national avg of close to 9) for programmers, then the difference would be cyclical - missing jobs based on the recession. Because it is so low, I;m wondering if it's we can conclude that programming (in today's economy, at least) is recession-proof.

Re: Want to attract top tech talent? Offer telecommuting

#30

Post by random42 » Tue, Apr 19, 2011, 6:24 PM UTC

dabent wrote: post #20

I have failed to understand why someone in India can do my job, but telecommuting is still frowned upon.

I suppose for the premium amount you are being paid, as compared to the Indian worker, being physically present is a requisite. I cannot say, I disagree with the logic myself.