Hiring (Superstar) Programmers

Ross Turk wrote, "We've been looking for senior engineers to work on SourceForge.net for a while now, and it's been a lot more difficult than it was a few years ago. Has the tech market improved so much that working on a prominent website is no longer enough to attract the best talent? Is everyone else running into the same problems, or is it just here in the Valley and other high-tech corridors?" This is a question that I've seen coming in a lot; the economy has not picked up everywhere — so how are other people handling this? Going outside the traditional Valley/Route 128 corridors? Outsourcing? And how do you find people — beyond just using job boards? (Full disclosure: That's our job board thingie, as you probably have figured out.) Or do job boards alone work? Some people have been swearing up and down that CraigsList works — and there's always something to be said for nepotism.

Comments

O RLY?

[Anonymous Coward]

Actually, we've all retired on our stock options.

Same Problem

[Anonymous Coward]

We have this same problem at Sony, noone seems to want to work for us.

In my personal opinion...

[hullabalucination]

The reason you're having problems attracting good candidates is that sign in the hallway leading to the interviewer's office. It reads:

ATTENTION:
Beatings will continue
until morale improves.

Thank you.
The Management

* * * * *

A man's got to believe in something. I believe I'll have another drink.
--W.C. Fields

Engineers ?

[in2mind]

From summary:

We've been looking for senior engineers to work on SourceForge.net for a while now,

On the link:

We're continuing to grow here at SourceForge.net! We have recently opened a position for a Senior Java Developer, and are accepting applicants. Think you got the stuff?

Since when are Java Developers "Engineers"?

Re:Just post it to slashdot!

[licamell]

Not when this is what you have listed under Careers:

NTH Tier Solutions Careers
Please be patient while we build

Wow! Sourceforge?!?

[Monkeyman334]

Man, it would be super easy picking up women at bars if only I worked on a super popular site like SourceForge. The only thing that would get me more chicks is if I worked as a Slashdot editor.

Very clever /.

[i_want_you_to_throw_]

Run a story about needing Programmers right after your SysAdmin nominations story

1. Need tech help
2. Run SysAdmin nomination story
3. Harvest talent
4. PROFIT!!!!

Actually what makes this funny is that sysadminoftehyear is /.'ed apparently.

Dilbert covered this (of course)

[Beryllium Sphere(tm)]

Somebody pointed out that Dilbert's company set salaries based on the industry average but claimed to want only the best employees.

The PHB acknowledged the point, saying that they were looking for the bright but clueless set.

Re:Hubris!

[Captain Hook]

This is exactly what I was going to post. Where's mod points when you really really need them? (Maybe if they lasted more than a couple days, I could save them for posts that really deserve them.)

What they need is a superstar programmer who can work out how to change that line in the configuration ;)

You must have missed the memo...

[Junta]

It's not Dotcom2, it's Dotcom 2.0..

Re:All the smart people have left IT

[Ana10g]

Now, forgive me for sounding ignorant, I've only had one cup of coffee yet this morning. By IT, you mean internal hardware / software support, network and infrastructure deployment and maintenance, etc, right?

Reason being, as an application developer, I've not seen a lot of the crap you describe (well, more rather, I'm the one with the hammer breaking all the mice for you to fix). There is crap as an app dev, but it's more along the lines of unrealistic schedules, dumb PHBs that still think spiral development is the wave of the future, and unrealistic expectations. If you can cut through that crap, then it's smooth sailing through the shit sandwich :)

I'm no economist, but that's just common sense to not buy more than one can afford!

I'm an American. Your laws and logic do not apply to me here.