Every position we open at Basecamp receives hundreds of applications. Our secret recipe: 1) Pay well, 2) Hire remotely, 3) Explain the position thoroughly, 4) Have a reputation for being a good place to work, 5) Stop dog whistling overwork with “strong work-ethic” bullshit.
Here’s the last opening we had for a senior programmer at Basecamp. We were absolutely spoiled for choice. So many incredible candidates. We only needed one programmer but could easily have hired a dozen. It’s not rocket science. m.signalvnoise.com/basecamp-is-hi…
We ended up hiring @jorgemanru out of Spain. Jorge has been just amazing, but he didn’t live within a commutes distance of a Chicago office. He didn’t have an American Ivy League diploma. He does wonderful work, but not by working 80-hour weeks.
There is no shortage of incredible talent, but there is absolutely a shortage of companies willing to pay market rates, hire wherever the talent is, offer a compelling workplace, and not be total shitheads. It’s a real problem! But a fixable one. Be better, do better, hire better
“How many times have you heard a company claim that they only hire the best? The top of the top. The crème de la crème. Most of them, by sheer necessity of math, are delusional.” m.signalvnoise.com/we-only-hire-t…
“At Basecamp, we have no illusions that we’re going to hire “the best”. In fact, even thinking about candidates in such absolute terms is nonsense. The world is full of people who are stuck doing mediocre work in a shitty environment” m.signalvnoise.com/its-high-time-…
When we had two open positions in customer support earlier this year, we received over 2,200 applications because our starting salary is $70,000, our benefits are great, and service is a career at Basecamp. MARKET MATCH! m.signalvnoise.com/basecamp-is-hi…
Seriously, unless you’re hiring for an extremely exotic position, there will be potentially millions of qualified candidates in tech. If you’re failing to attract people, look inwards rather than outwards. The problem isn’t them, it’s you!
