The δeltas Newsletter—Hiring Niches
My first interview and advice for hiring managers.
It was already a pretty embarrassing day. My dad just finished teaching me how to shave for the first time and I was making good progress.
That’s when the phone rang. The person on the other side asked to speak with me. I was a lanky 16 year-old nerd. This was unusual.
It was a job interview.
At the time, I was passionate about writing demos. This was a thing back in the 80s and 90s, when computers were much less powerful than they are today. A demo was a software program that pushed the boundaries of what was possible to do with the existing hardware.
It was not just technical, it was a piece of art, combining music and hand-crafted graphics in meticulous synchronization.
Groups of artists, musicians, and coders got together to craft these demos.
I loved (and love) writing code.
I also didn’t know any artists or musicians. So I focused on the coding part, honing my craft.
That person on the other end of the phone? Pavel was the main coder of an existing group, and he was looking for another coder.
He came across my name through some of my posts on a local Bulletin Board System, or BBS. I would dial in at night when the phone rates were lower and no one else in my family was using the phone. It was a great place to share tips and tricks and learn from others across the country.
After talking for a while, Pavel asked me to send him some of my work. I think it was a Bump-Mapping example that got me through the door.
That was my first interview. A phone screen and then a homework assignment.
More importantly, it was my contributions to a niche and local community that actually got me noticed.
While this is a deeply personal story, I know that there are many lessons here for software managers.
Here is a question that I often ask managers that I coach:
“What is the most important part of your job?”
Many managers answer with: “People.”
That’s where my follow-up question tends to show their revealed preferences. It goes something like this:
“Over the last week, how much time did you personally invest in hiring for your team?”
That’s where the numbers and hard facts reveal the truth.
Many managers say that people are the most important part of their team. But what they do is different altogether. I was that manager for far too many years.
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This is an excerpt from The δeltas Newsletter, which is available exclusively to members of the Management Deltas community. Members also enjoy monthly meetings, world-class guest speakers, exclusive discounts, and a welcoming, supportive, and diverse group of peers.