An understated job advertisement

https://www.linkedin.com/jobs2/view/9887522?trk=job_nov&_mSplash=1

by ChristianMarks • 13 years ago

24 50 13 years ago

linkedin.com

coldcode• 13 years ago

Rule #1, never work for a company with Penny in the name.

asgard1024• 13 years ago

This reminds me of:

Wanted--Acrobat capable of crossing a slack wire 200 feet above raging furnace. Twice nightly, three times on Saturday. 53 Salary offered &sterling;25 (or $70 U.S.) per week. No pension and no compensation in the event of injury. Apply in person at Wildcat Circus between the hours of 9 A.M. and 10 A.M.

See http://diki.heliohost.org/parkinsonselection.htm

scrumper• 13 years ago

Thanks for sharing that, a fun read.

happywolf• 13 years ago

That is a lot to ask for, and my first thought is: what happens to the company if the person holding this position leaves?

Dividing this job into two positions will sound more reasonable.

wil421• 13 years ago

Or what happens when the person holding that position quits due to stress.

patmcguire• 13 years ago

It might be the case that that's what happened, and the job description is basically "New Karen."

philbarr• 13 years ago

They're certainly setting themselves up for letting someone get their feet under the table, have everything set up so that they're indispensable, and then turning round and saying, "So, NOW let's talk about that salary."

Which is probably exactly what anyone with the kind of brains and experience they're asking for is going to do.

stygiansonic2• 13 years ago

They may not get a lot of applicants, but at least they are being honest with the job description.

dccoolgai3• 13 years ago

It's Penny Arcade. Even with the stern warnings laced into the advert, they'll get too many applications to sort through. They are the literal purveyors of geek cred....this is the geek version of "Devil Wears Prada". If I lived in Seattle, I might even think about applying.

stygiansonic2• 13 years ago

Can't tell if you're being sarcastic, but I think the "geek cred" thing would wear thin pretty fast after having no work-life balance and being paid below-market for what your abilities are.

bcoates• 13 years ago

In "The Devil Wears Prada" aren't the employees all entry-level, trying to break into a competitive industry?

This application is confusing because they're demanding several years of professional experience on a large-scale website deployment for a job that would be most appealing to someone who didn't have that yet.

pjungwir• 13 years ago

I thought this was the opposite of honest, actually:

we’re not a terribly money-motivated group

If they aren't money-motivated, wouldn't they pay an above-average salary? They're spinning their cheapness as a virtue. I guess at least they feel uncomfortable enough to make excuses for the low salary: hypocrisy is the tribute vice pays to virtue.

derefr2• 13 years ago

I took that to mean "we haven't actually done much to exploit our extremely well-travelled site for profit, so we don't have as much money to go around as you'd think."

scrabble• 13 years ago

I followed their comics and news posts for years, and it seems like Khoo, Gabe, and Tycho are quite well off. Seems like maybe they just don't want to share the wealth.

pallandt• 13 years ago

Soo...lots of responsibilities and a warning to probably not expect an adjusted salary to match them ('Annual Salary: Negotiable, but you should know up front we’re not a terribly money-motivated group'), with these 2 as a minimum:

- A BA/BS or greater degree in Computer Science or a related field

- A minimum of 3 years in development and project management, preferably in a professional workplace

In Seattle no less, with the expectation that you'll be on call 24/7 should they need you to fix something. I don't live in the U.S, but I have a hard time seeing how a truly qualified professional with a minimum of 3 years of experience in all the domains they mentioned would sign up for such a job if they really cared about their career progression, even if it is for Penny Arcade. This type of position sounds like it was almost intentionally designed for a high turnover of employees.

Guvante2• 13 years ago

Looks like they were trying to leverage their name to find someone who wanted to work at Penny Arcade, versus someone who wanted to fill the position.

Can't blame them for trying :).

mcguire• 13 years ago

"preferably in a professional workplace"

But see...

"- You should have no problems working in a creative and potentially offensive environment.

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highbees• 13 years ago

And you're on call to perform low skill IT support on top of it all.

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russfrank• 13 years ago

This sounds awful.

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Xdes• 13 years ago

After I finished reading that the only thing I could think is the next guy is gonna burn out fast.

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artumi-richard• 13 years ago

It looks like they want someone clever, but they won't be getting clever people with expectations like that. Unless desperate.

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polymatter• 13 years ago

or a liar

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gesman• 13 years ago

> Annual Salary: Negotiable, but you should know up front we’re not a terribly money-motivated group. We’re more likely to spend less money on salary and invest that on making your day-to-day life at work better.

So I go to the local food store and tell cashier and store manager that instead of paying for their products with money, instead, "I could make their life better!"

Will it work? If yes, then I'll apply.

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Guvante2• 13 years ago

Salaries are always a range. If you are in the range and they provide good benefits it can work out.

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leke2• 13 years ago

You could be a great customer in return for their services :)

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notahacker• 13 years ago

If you weren't money motivated, surely you'd be happy to consider something unpaid instead?

I wasn't sure whether to laugh or cry at the long and diverse list of qualities you need to get a chance to spend three unpaid months growing the revenues of this "well funded" startup. "MBA a plus"

They won't spend the money you earn them on you, but they do "know how to have a laugh": http://workinstartups.com/job-board/job/4640/business-develo...

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codeonfire• 13 years ago

Is this a joke? Serious question. I was looking for the part where they go a little too far and spoil the joke, but it never happened.

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7Figures2Commas• 13 years ago

PLEASE FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER AT @RKHOO FOR UPDATES IN CASE EMAIL GETS SENT TO SPAM FOLDERS, ETC.

If you do not have a Twitter, please note that you can tune in to KCTS 9 public television at 11:35 pm every evening through December 20 for broadcast updates about the position.

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sethish2• 13 years ago

I came to make a snarky comment about the job requiring you to be ok with working with Mike Krahulik, who I consider despicable. But their job posting does the job for me:

We’re terrible at work-life balance. Although work is pretty much your life, we do our absolute best to make sure that work is as awesome as possible so you at least enjoy each and every day here.

*Edit: Originally reversed the author's pen names. Now using real name.

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pgl2• 13 years ago

Why do you consider "Tycho" despicable?

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sethish2• 13 years ago

Are you actually asking me why I consider Mike Krahulik despicable? If you are not aware of the issues surrounding him, I am happy to link you to some of the better articles.

If you are aware of the controversy and are baiting me, I am not interested.

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emillon• 13 years ago

This was covered on PBD:

http://programmersbeingdicks.tumblr.com/post/68153753288/pen...

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EGreg• 13 years ago

Translation: not enough money to hire four peopls.

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deleted_account5• 13 years ago

This thread is full of 9-5 crybabies. I've interviewed at so many places where all these requirements are implied, but never spelled out. At least PA isn't coy about who they want to hire.

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tptacek• 13 years ago

I think I'm going to stick "9-5 Crybabies" in the "who we're looking for" section of my next job ad. Thanks!

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deleted_account5• 13 years ago

Be sure to add in "Bed-wetters need not apply" or else you'll be sifting through a mountain of resumes.

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CodeMage2• 13 years ago

Oh, okay. I guess that makes it all right, then.

I would like to suggest watching the following talk by Mike Monteiro: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6h3RJhoqgK8

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deleted_account5• 13 years ago

I somehow manage to watch that video once a year or so, but I am missing something. How does a presentation on how to collect payments as a freelancer apply to this?

Listen, I get the "charge more than you think you're worth," but I suspect there is a huge contingent of developers who would attach a significant dollar value to many of the intangible perks that PennyArcade has to offer.

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Kluny• 13 years ago

#nameofmynextband

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leke2• 13 years ago

I would love have an example of how they use a chunk of your salary on making your day-to-day life at work better...

We’re more likely to spend less money on salary and invest that on making your day-to-day life at work better.

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An understated job advertisement

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