Ask HN: How to get a job after you have been a CTO?

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2875452

by anon999999999 • 15 years ago

17 11 15 years ago

news.ycombinator.com

Hoping some of you can give some me some insight into my situation. I am currently a CTO looking to get back into an individual technical contributor role.

I had 7 years of technical experience as a programmer and unix admin. Then I got a chance to work as a project manager where I was quickly promoted to VP Technical Operations and then Chief Technology Officer for the last 3 years. As CTO I recruited a team of around 10 developers and lead product development for company with around 200 employees. We were very successful and the company is being sold.

I have recently applied for systems administration, product manager, project management, and developer positions at larger companies and have been told that I am not a good fit for those roles by the HR recruiters.

Is it true that someone is no longer a good fit in an individual contributor role once they have moved into C-level management? If so, why?

staunch• 15 years ago

The fear is that you're out of touch with producing actual work. Most formerly-technical managers tend to very quickly lose their skills and many don't manage to reattain them.

You could try simply changing the job title on your resume. Titles are mostly arbitrary anyway. Change "CTO" to "Software Developer Team Lead" or "Technical Team Lead" or whatever.

That's not going to help if you don't actually have the ability to do the job, but at least it should prevent you from getting judged prematurely.

kls• 15 years ago

I second this, but i would probably use the term architect as much as I dislike it,if you use a term like software lead and they do discover it was an executive level position they may feel that you are being deceptive. Where architect implies executive level but hands on. After-all the CTO position could be equated to being the top level architect.

BTW I have been the CTO at three different orgs, as well as the VP of tech at a fortune 100 and have had no problem bouncing between technical and executive level positions.

anon9999999993• 15 years ago

Thanks for the insight.

pbreit• 15 years ago

See if you can tone down your resume a bit. Emphasize your talents and experience as an individual contributor.

In the corporate world, you have to understand that you would be a scary hire for a manager because you are in a solid position to second-guess.

anon9999999993• 15 years ago

Very interesting, thanks.

cincinnatus• 15 years ago

I have to ask (as someone who has also been through this curve) have you maintained your skills? If you haven't been producing code on a daily basis for 3+ years you may be in for a rude shock. You can recover but it may take more time & effort than you'd expect.

anon9999999993• 15 years ago

I write code everyday. We are still a small development team, but I am not just looking for developer positions, also jobs as an admin, product/project manager. Do you think coding skills are an issue in those positions also?

masterblaster42• 15 years ago

I've done this transition myself (from being a manager in a 300+ staff IT business (back) to a Senior SysAdmin) & when I left that Company, I deliberately got current training in the area of technical IT that I wanted to return to. I spent ~$15k on various courses (some Redhat, Oracle, VMWare & Microsoft courses) relevant to my desired new career as an IT technologist (in Systems) again, not a 'people pusher'.

I then updated my resume downplaying my Managerial time & emphasising my new & current technical skillsets. I then re-did my LinkedIn profile & network and contacted some people I'd worked with or had worked with/for me and even did some training work.

All successful to get my back into a senior technology role & I've never looked back. What's more, I get paid more now than I did as a C/B-level manager & I enjoy the work far more too.

I say, "Plan it out & go for it!". The world doesn't need more managers, but it sure needs more high-tech & highly skilled workers.

petervandijck• 15 years ago

Don't listen to HR recruiters.

amorphid• 15 years ago

Recruiter here. Contact me and I will tell you exactly how to position yourself.

spacecowboy• 15 years ago

If you were a CTO then you know what it takes to get to where you want to go.

Ask HN: How to get a job after you have been a CTO?

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