Ask HN: How does a small company attract and keep senior engineers? | Hacker News Reader

Ask HN: How does a small company attract and keep senior engineers?

Since a small company does not have the resources to offer huge salaries, how can it attract talent?

Just one part is listening to employees. If the designer says putting a button in a specific place is bad from a UI/UX standpoint, listen. When an engineer says there's a better way to do XYZ, listen. You don't have to agree or do what they say -- but if you listen well people will generally respect you, it's when managers don't listen and don't give the vibe that they're even trying to listen that they lose talent.

Sift for intelligent and hungry candidates that can grow into the senior roles. You're offering the incentive of greater responsibility and the opportunity to grow beyond their current level. To retain them long term, you're going to have to up the ante on salary etc.

Yea that's what I came to realize for my bootstrapped SAAS. Can't offer the big bucks so decided to forget about hiring senior engineers for now and just focus on hiring smart/hungry/motivated/coachable junior engineers and slowly grow them into the lead role.

The problem is when they grow into the lead role, you need to pay them like leads. Otherwise if they are really that smart, they will realize they are being exploited and jump ship.

I generally agree. I hate the use of the word hungry though. You probably didn't mean it this way, but to me it implies being taken advantage of as a worker.

Perhaps I'm just disillusioned and bitter.

I just meant it to mean "someone with a strong desire to make something of the opportunity offered to them."

im pretty sure 99% of the time no one uses it that way lol.

I imagine there is a pretty big pool of skilled senior engineers that cannot pass stereotypical leetcode interviews, especially at the more competitive companies. That's something you can tap into.

Not all senior engineers make huge salaries. Senior engs with decades of experience at many non-tech companies might make slightly more than a junior or mid level engineer at a mid to top tier tech company. For every elite senior engineer at a competitive elite SV tech company getting 300k+ before hitting the 10 year mark, you have many senior engineers at boring non-tech companies that might be lucky to hit 200k when they retire after decades of work.

(Although it could be argued that such senior engineers are not quite as skilled or "senior" as a senior engineer at a tech company - disclaimer - I speak as a "senior engineer" at a non-tech company myself)

Don’t forget there are other kinds of benefits you could offer. For example, anything related to work life balance: 4 day work week, more generous PTO, reduced summer or winter hours. Get creative with it.

I just started a new job, and one of the things they offer is half days on Friday during the summer.

Also as you mention they have a really PTO generous plan. We also get several of the random bank holidays as holidays.

Another thing I like is they bought us a Linux Academy subscription, and we are given time during the day to us it. Which is nice as I like to learn new things, and this way I don't have to use my time to do it.

I actually chose this job over another that paid more because of little things like this.

I would say competitive compensation/benefits packages are a part. I would like interesting subject matter and respect too. I would also say that it might be good to hire midlevel devs, or at least give them a chance. One man's midlevel might be another's senior.

Logged in just to say this, echoing several others in this thread. Offer them autonomy (trust them), and offer them flexibility -- I am planning to negotiate a 4 day workweek for myself at my job at a tiny company.

Interesting projects and control over the work. Give them choice in technology, layout, stack, etc. Let them make it their project.

Pay a lot of money.

Growth.

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