June, 13, 2024 archives

I thought it might be interesting to go through the 10 positions that job site Otta suggested to me today, and write down some notes as I went through each one.

1. Software Engineer, Chime: This is part of the “I Heart Ruby” team at Chime which supports the larger engineering team in how they use Ruby. Sounds like the type of team I would really enjoy being part of, but my experience with Ruby is very minimal, so not a great fit for me. Not applying.
2. Full Stack Engineer, Stripe: This is on the Connect team. I applied for a different position about six weeks ago on the Developer Products team but didn’t get past the application stage. Stripe is also a Ruby shop, but they don’t mention it in the job listing so I am guessing Ruby experience isn’t a hard requirement. I have updated my resumé since the last time, maybe the newest tweaks will help. Applied (again).
3. Senior Software Engineer, Airbnb: This is on the Guest Displays & Platforms team. It looks like they are a Java/JavaScript shop? Again, nothing in the job requirements. Looks like I haven’t actually applied at Airbnb before now, but I think most of the roles I have seen were more senior, and I have sort of complicated feelings about Airbnb that made it easy to skip over. Applied this time, though.
4. Staff Backend Software Engineer, Self Financial: Part of the Consumer Verticals Card Team. Requirements include “fluency with the development of Python/Flask/FastAPI code” which is a stretch for me, and since it is listed as a Staff-level position, probably not right. Not applying.
5. Senior Full-Stack Engineer, Toku: “Web 3.0” — hard pass. (And fixed my Otta filter to hide that industry along with “cryptocurrency.”)
6. Senior Backend Engineer, HashiCorp : Don’t feel like I meet many of the requirements, and also not wild about the company’s turn away from open source. Not applying.
7. Principal Software Engineer, Voxel51: Not qualified, not applying.
8. Staff Software Engineer, dbt Labs: This role wasn’t right, and I also considered another Senior Software Engineer role but just don’t have experience with any of the components of their tech stack. Not applying.
9. Core Software Engineer, ClickHouse: This is intriguing because I think my experience at MySQL is pretty directly relevant. Applied. (I had to submit it using Firefox because their application system decided I was a bot when I used Safari, even after completing a recaptcha.)
10. C/C++ Software Development Engineer, Percona: This was funny to get right after ClickHouse, because it’s to work on Valkey, another column-store database. The job listing specifically asks for “deep understanding of Valkey/Redis” which makes me hesitant about applying, but I also have connections to Percona so I am going to reach out that way.
11. Backend Software Engineer, DoorDash: This is a role I had actually saved a few days ago, but hadn’t really looked at closely. Now that I did and looking at their tech stack, I just don’t think it’s a good fit for me. Not applying.

So eleven possibilities whittled down to three applications through the usual channels and one possibility to explore via networking. A good day for Otta compared to most, although I think just the decision to write this forced me to look more closely at roles I may have otherwise dismissed more quickly.

The listings on LinkedIn were bleak today, and I didn’t apply to any of them.

I also got a rejection for another position after the initial screening with the hiring manager. Never a great feeling, but one I have certainly had to get used to as I continue to cast a wide net for my next position.