As a developer and as ParisRB’s organiser, I often get asked if I want to be a partner in a new startup adventure.

First, I’m already a partner and already in an adventure.

You probably already know:

• it’s hard to find good devs,
• you probably can’t judge a developer’s skill if you haven’t worked with them

So is it a well-known case of incomplete data and Market for Lemons?

Joel Spolsky says YES in his article Finding Great Developers, and Dan Luu says NOT ONLY, since finding a good company is ALSO a Market for Lemons, from the developers’ point of view, so you’re not doomed to hiring lemons.

— — —

So you’ve put up a job offer which:

• is the same as every other we get each week
• uses words which do not convey equality
• or words easily mistaken for abusive
• might just be looking for a Gullible Young

And then you ask me for referrals, but:

• I probably don’t have enough info to bother them
• top-talent referral is worth thousands (and you’re offering hundreds)
• repeatedly bothering one’s ‘network’ loses it (this is mostly why I don’t network on LinkedIn. BTW what is “networking”?)

— — —

I do wish you the best of luck and hope we all grow the community, providing everyone with exciting opportunities that match their current life, values, constraints, and taste.

Companies with hiring problems will turn to other technologies, which…

• is not in our best interest either if they are “the good ones”
• is pretty much the point if this is one of “the bad ones”

But how do we, the devs, know? We don’t! But when we have more than one company asking per week… we set up easy filters.

Yes, you have something like a few seconds to a few minutes, to get a first impression right. Yes, this is unfair. Yes, this is avoidable. Yes, you can practice it.

— — —

I’m not doing this to repel you or to sound like a passive-agressive smartass. I will be glad to help if only… you help me helping you.