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Attention, Rockstar Developers: Get a Talent Agent

Posted by timothy on from the there-will-be-no-green-m&ms dept.

ErichTheRed writes OK, we all know that there are a lot of developers and IT people in the field who shouldn't be, and finding really good people and hanging onto them is very difficult. However, I almost fell out of my chair reading this breathless article suggesting that developers hire agents. I grant the authors that recruiters are sometimes the only way to cut through the HR jungle in some companies, but outside of the hot San Francisco startup market, can you imagine a "10x rockstar developer" swaggering into a job interview with his negotiating team? I'm sure our readers can cite plenty of examples of these types who were only 10x in their own minds...

4 of 145 comments (clear)

  1. F' Em' by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Never trust anyone who calls Programmers "Rockstars, Code Ninjas, Gurus" or any other derogatory dumb ass hipster name. Being a "Programmer", "Developer", "Hacker", or a "Coder" is awesome enough. There is no need to attach prepubescence boy names to the job. You're not a "Teenage Multiplatform Ninja Coder!" Grow up and stop disrespecting the field. Seriously, you don't see Doctors, Lawyers, or Mechanical Engineers using such language to recruit.

    (Plus people who call programers "rockstars" probably use Macs an live in San Fran. That alone makes them retarded.)

    1. Re:F' Em' by 91degrees · · Score: 5, Informative

      You'll get an occasional "Guru" - that is an expert in a specific field, who is recognised for their in-depth knowledge an decades of experience, in a very specific field. People like Bruce Schneier and John Carmack.

      I do agree that it's still a silly term.

  2. Something missing here, I'm afraid... by bogaboga · · Score: 5, Insightful

    and finding really good people and hanging onto them is very difficult.

    ...and finding really good people and hanging onto them is very difficult, if in addition to not giving them freedom, you do not pay them as well as the competition...

    I thought that last bit is missing. Anyone agree?

  3. That seems awfully narrow advice. by Chris+Mattern · · Score: 5, Funny

    What if you're not working on the next Grand Theft Auto?