Thursday, January 5, 2012

Moving On

There comes a time in every developer's life when it's time to move on. Sometimes it's your choice, sometimes the choice is made for you, either way you're going. This post is about how I've dealt with both situations.

Your Choice

So you've decided it's time for you to move on.
There are a few questions that you need some solid answers to first.
  1. Why are you leaving?
    Think hard about the answer to this question. If the only reason you're leaving is for more money you should do some research to ensure your not already making a "fair" salary. Also, I speak from experience, money can't make you happy if you simply dislike what you do.
  2. What are you looking for?
    Think big here! What is missing from your current environment that you'd like to see in your next? Bigger team? Larger databases? More time off? Whatever it is, make note, because the answer to this question will help you make the best move. Sounds obvious I know, but sometimes the salary offer alone is enough to make you want to say yes. Keep the answer to this question as a benchmark to objectively judge how good any potential job offer is.

Not Your Choice

The choice has been made for you, it's time for you to go.
Whether you've been laid off or fired one thing is almost certain, you'll think they are fools. But guess what, it doesn't matter, you're still not employed and the company will survive without you. The quicker you accept this the better off you'll be.
Some people might tell you that you should start your job search immediately after being handed your walking papers. I would suggest (if possible) taking a day or two to decompress and try to shake any negative feelings about your situation out of your system, they are not helpful when trying to find a new gig.
Your spouse may take your new situation harder than you are. But that's OK. It's your job to support them no matter what. I found that by reassuring my wife that everything was going to be OK actually helped me realize that everything was going to be OK. DO NOT resent your spouse for not coddling your bruised ego, it's possible they are scared, so just relax. Keep cool and when this is all over you'll find that you have a stronger relationship.
Keep moving. Before and during your job search you have to keep moving. Do something! Write some code, write a blog post, go pick up litter, just don't sit idle. I found that messing around with the Project Euler questions was a great way to keep me occupied between calls with recruiters and job interviews.
Sleeping. I should warn you, your quality of sleep will go down the metaphorical shitter. Just accept it. No extra sleeping pills or booze for you. The last thing you need is a drug or alcohol problem. Don't worry though, once you have an offer in hand this to shall pass.

Resume

You've been keeping this thing updated right? I didn't think so.
One thing I've found after having A LOT of people look at my resume is that everyone has their own idea of what makes a great resume. I took the "action->impact" approach to writing my resume. Basically, what did you do and what impact did it have. Here's a sample from my resume:
Designed and implemented a corporate directory XML application for our Cisco Call Manager deployment. The directory was populated by integrating with Active Directory for employee and department information as well as the Call Manager's internal LDAP server for phone number and extension information. The end result was that a user was able to browse through the corporate directory by department on their phone.
Wordy? Sure is, but most people that reviewed my resume didn't seem to mind. Just don't go overboard, no one is going to read a twenty page resume. Listen to your gut here, if you worked with a one hour photo mini-lab ten years ago a prospective employer looking for a developer probably won't care.

Job Leads

In todays job market place you'll probably have to deal with a recruiter. This isn't a bad thing you just have to be smart about it and remember one thing, you don't work for them. You are how they make money, so if they aren't treating you right, walk away.
But if you are lucky enough to have a personal network (no I'm not talking about LinkedIn, but hell it couldn't hurt), it's time to engage it. Time and again I've found that it's more about who you know than what you know. On my most recent job hunt, I had acquaintances or friends at two of the three companies. People are a little less likely to bullshit you if you have a history.

Interviewing

Depending on who you ask, this can be the most nerve wracking part of the entire process.
But it shouldn't be.
A job interview should feel like a conversation about developing software, yourself and the company you are interviewing with. You should obviously avoid using foul language, but if you can't get a good conversational flow going then you probably wouldn't fit in anyway.
In my latest round of interviews I was lucky enough to avoid bizarre interview questions. I understand the motivation behind asking someone "if they were were a breakfast cereal which one would they be", but give me a break, just because you read a book, blog post or pamphlet about this stuff it doesn't make you a PhD in behavior psychology. I digress. If you find that your interview is a series of these questions you should treat that as a warning sign.
Another warning sign. Punctuality. Remember it's not just them interviewing you. If you are scheduled for a two o'clock interview and they put you in a non-descript conference room and make you wait twenty minutes until finally the interviewer comes in with a smug look and no apology, huge warning sign.
But always be courteous. No matter how much you feel an interviewer has slighted you, it does you no favors to tell him/him what to do and where to do it.

Job Offer Consideration

So you've got at least one offer. Consider it carefully, because if everything goes the way it should you'll be there a while.
I recently had three job offers, here are some of the things that I took into consideration when making my decision.
  • Money. Obviously not the most important aspect of the job offer but still important. Think about your last company. How many merit increases in pay did you receive. It's probably the same way at the next company. All I'm trying to say is, you may not get a raise for a couple of years, so make sure you are comfortable with the number.
  • Flexibility. Does the shop you are considering require that you work 50 hours a week? Can you work from home? Can you work 7am to 4pm? These are important questions to ask, because they go towards your long term happiness.
  • Commute. The shorter the better. Need I say more?
  • Benefits. How much is health coverage going to cost you? What about short and long term disability? Paid time off? Holidays? All of these things are super important. Make sure you don't let the salary number blind you.

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