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DecentRecruiter

27 karma · joined July 6, 2023

Recruiting Engineers for startups since 2010.

Career goal: fit the words "disrupt, DORA, democratize, DEI" into one coherent sentence. And live to tell about it.

linkedin.com/in/bradlazarus/

brad@tomesei.com

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DecentRecruiter··on Data showing the 2024 tech job market is far stronger than 2023
This is great.
DecentRecruiter··on Ask HN: Who is hiring? (April 2024)
You've trolled multiple companies here, while you've been unemployed for 20 months.

Your bitterness is not helping anyone, especially yourself.

DecentRecruiter··on Ask HN: Who is hiring? (April 2024)
Tall order, but a large budget for the role would improve your odds; what's the rough salary range?
DecentRecruiter··on Andy Bechtolsheim charged with insider trading
Keeping score is still the primary driver.

Wealth and power, it's all relative. And the competition only becomes fiercer as those measures increase (the top performers being the most competitive).

The person with $5B is not thinking in terms of "enough." Their sights are set on surpassing the $6B guy.

DecentRecruiter··on Show HN: I built a web app where you can see what tools indiehackers are using
Gotcha. I think the indie community could find it fun and useful - reminds me of a single spot that aggregates those occasional HN posts: "what are you using to build your 1-person startup, hobby, side project?"

However, if you're planning on monetizing: the competition is fierce. The industry is called Technographics. For example, Wappalyzer can segment millions of companies using thousands of tools (here's their list: https://www.wappalyzer.com/technologies/). You'll see 40 A/B testing tools, 104 Live Chat tools, 63 Issue Trackers. It's intense.

Edit: I just saw Twelve.Tools. Even though you didn't know the websites I mentioned, it's clear you DEFINITELY know technographics! Great site.

DecentRecruiter··on For young people, the job search has never been so miserable
I wouldn't call it morally indefensible for companies to make layoffs after the hiring irrational exuberance that occured in 2021. They're trimming fat.

I would use that label for a Private Equity firm leveraged buyout, followed by a complete gutting of employees, then a quick flip for profit.

DecentRecruiter··on US salaries are surging for in-office jobs
In-office employers are raising compensation to compete against remote companies. Especially in tech, they need to up the ante if they're going to attract top talent.
DecentRecruiter··on For young people, the job search has never been so miserable
Stock market: investors like that companies are correcting for the over-hiring that peaked in 2021 - lower costs & higher productivity.

Housing prices: have barely increased since late 2022 in most major cities (falling in cities like Austin). Still, you're right, they're unreachable for most.

Gold: it's not the traditional safe haven investment it used to be. Its correlation with stock prices is much higher than it was in the old days.

Bitcoin: I will never understand!

DecentRecruiter··on Show HN: I built a web app where you can see what tools indiehackers are using
Nice! How would you say this differs from Wappalyzer, Builtwith, StackShare or similar tools?
DecentRecruiter··on Ask HN: How to succeed with an AI SaaS? (I have no audience and limited budget)
Fingers crossed it's satire, or my mind will just shatter.
DecentRecruiter··on 10% of retirees have $1M+ in savings
In 50 years, $1 million will be worth around $225,000 (assuming 3% inflation).
DecentRecruiter··on 10% of retirees have $1M+ in savings
Useless statistic - people unable to retire are not part of the survey.

A more valuable stat would be % of people over 65 with $1M+ in savings.

DecentRecruiter··on Dell Says Remote Employees Won't Be Eligible for Promotions: Report
It's the other way around: Dell is making public a policy that's unwritten at tons of companies.
DecentRecruiter··on Dell Says Remote Employees Won't Be Eligible for Promotions: Report
This is the unwritten policy at many companies; Dell is just announcing it.
DecentRecruiter··on How we engineer feedback at Figma with eng crits
It a signaling device to tell the world that you're innovating and/or not falling behind.

Insert the buzzword in your pitch deck, marketing materials, or job posts and you'll see an ROI increase.

Gotta ride the wave, especially to survive or thrive during this tech rut.

DecentRecruiter··on Show HN: I made a website even my tech un-savvy parents can use to find a laptop
This potentially solves another critical problem.

It's a nightmare for less savvy (generally older) people to evaluate any product, due to the proliferation of SEO tactics. It's especially harmful in cases where the price is tied to the complexity of the product.

For instance, my parents click sponsored Google results all the time. Sure, part of it is naivete, but it's also avoidance of the mental gymnastics necessary for the non-digital native generation to understand the constantly evolving SEO game.

DecentRecruiter··on The Case Against Homework
Sadly, I'm both grateful & frustrated that my brain only excels in rote memorization.

I have no critical thinking and problem-solving skills.

I didn't fully realize the repercussions until interviewing for management consulting jobs; it was humiliating. I became a CPA in my first career, which aligned much more smoothly :)

My brother-in-law earned his degree at a top Liberal Arts college and I witnessed what it means to actually be taught "how to think." He's an interesting case to me, however - a genius at that thinking style, but merely above-average in rote memorization.

DecentRecruiter··on Job seekers could soon face an 'employer's market' as unemployment rate rises
As an HN reader with a tech mindset, I was like "soon?!?"

I guess the study is valuable since the overall job market has been strong this past year.

DecentRecruiter··on Why Signal 'turned our architecture inside out' for its latest privacy feature
Hi. I've never used Signal, but have considered it.

Can you explain the downsides? An ELI5 would be ideal as I'm non-technical, but I understand if that's asking too much :)

Thanks!

DecentRecruiter··on Biden proposes 30% tax on crypto mining
This is national policy-making, so why would a country care about the effect outside of its borders?

I understand that US national policy is not done in a vacuum, but it seems reasonable for a nation to start with its best interests in mind.

What do you think?

DecentRecruiter··on Adding "before:2023" improves Google web searches
Interesting. I failed Kagi - it's just SO easy to stick to what I'm used to. The mere act of trying it forced me to step back and evaluate my whole Search mindset, ultimately deciding "eh, Google is good enough."

While pricing is one barrier, I feel inertia is the prime destroyer of an innovation in a space like Search. While it can super successful among a niche user base, I'm not sure how it can gain widespread adoption.

DecentRecruiter··on Ask HN: Which job sites are you using to look for new jobs?
Impressive. How do you know if it's a new vs. reposted job?
DecentRecruiter··on Ask HN: Which job sites are you using to look for new jobs?
Wow. If this is how you write in your non-native language, you must be a virtuoso is your own!

What's your native language?

DecentRecruiter··on Show HN: Developer portfolio that's a 2D game
Awesome. From the perspective of tech recruiter for startups, I can say that Hiring Managers just love this stuff. It really sets you apart!
DecentRecruiter··on How to know if a job makes a difference
Yes. The book is fascinating and heartbreaking:

Master Mind: The Rise and Fall of Fritz Haber, the Nobel Laureate Who Launched the Age of Chemical Warfare.

"The road to hell is paved with good intentions.

DecentRecruiter··on Bay Area tech workers are seeing 'salary stagnation,' new report says
This is just another correction from the 2021 bubble, no?

It sucks, but better this than the layoff form of re-balancing.

DecentRecruiter··on The end of Airplane.dev
That's what the stock market is, right?
DecentRecruiter··on Ask HN: How's the current state of hiring in the LLM field?
Excellent advice.

Question: in what ways does insurance domain knowledge set you apart?

I understand certain industries benefit from Engineers with domain experience (e.g. Healthtech companies needing HIPAA knowledge).

I'm curious as to what particular skills insurance companies need from Engineers?

DecentRecruiter··on For the Love of Money (2014)
Where is Sam (author) 10 years later?

He left Wall Street in 2014 and founded a nonprofit to help low-income individuals more easily access healthy meals...

But pivoted it to a for-profit entity that has raised $100 million.

DecentRecruiter··on Ask HN: Why would a for-profit company choose the Org domain?
Right - it's the common perception part that bothers me.

Your thoughts?

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