5 Reasons This Job Ad is Pure Brilliance

Man did this ever ruffle feathers… a small company in San Diego is hiring not ONE but TWO awesome developers. Instead of bothering with a laundry list of must haves and educational requirements, they dropped an F-bomb laden missive on Craigslist targeted at a certain kind of developer. You know, the kind that has a sense of humor.

Sorry mom – this ad is f%#&ing hilarious.

Now I will admit that the sheer number of naughty words in the ad did make me a little squeamish. I have quite the potty mouth myself, but I’m working on it I promise. It was still all a bit much for me. Let’s set that aside for a moment and talk about what I LOVE about the ad –

It’s FUNNY. Even minus the language, it’s still just clever. The intro (digest this ad, accept your fate, and take one last lap around your office to say goodbye to your friends because you're about to upgrade), the picture, the guy (or girl?) at Coachella… it’s just funny. In a world of dry HR speak that passes for job descriptions these days, this is a breath of fresh air.
It’s real. Without giving too much away, it tells you more or less what a day in the life is like. You’re going to work on this, and then depending on you, maybe that. I’m not even a developer but the brief description gave me just enough that I could picture it in the context of what my hires do.
What counter offer? Brilliant. Just brilliant – don’t worry about leaving, bro. You’re getting new friends. And beer. Come on… how many of us STAY because we like our surroundings? And when it comes right down to it, we’re ALL replaceable… so yeah, they’ll find someone else, baller. Don’t look back.
People too. Look, we already know that breaking up with a company is hard, in part because that’s where all my friends are. Well guess what – the people here? THEY FLY KITES TOO. OMG we should be BEST FRIENDS! And don’t even get me started on the monthly Werewolf game. I don’t even know what that is but it just sounds fun. Plus the networking with a building full of startups. You’ve got to be kidding me – what’s not to love??
Growth. And more growth. The ad explicitly says they’re hiring TWO Developers because the work is there. Not because the only Java guy left, not because we need someone to keep the lights on because everyone’s bailing while we spend the rest of our funding. Nope – GROWTH. I like that.

Finally, I love that the hiring process is laid out. Literally step by step, and what happens next. There are even tips on what not to do. Wouldn’t it be GREAT if we could all be that transparent? I know a lot of my recruiting brethren were put off by this, and I get it. It’s not for everyone, including some developers I know. That said, my ONLY critique is the over use of the F-bombs. My opinion? The company still would have made a splash for all the reasons mentioned above. Then again…. It’s got a ton of people talking and sharing the ad, and when you’re trying to hire developers that’s not a bad thing.

Comment by Christopher Warren on April 23, 2015 at 12:31pm: F'n awesome and unique :) but would wonder about the employer as well with this type of ad. Maybe that's what it takes to get really good talent in a tight market?

Comment by Amy Ala Miller on April 23, 2015 at 7:25pm: it's not for everybody that's for sure Christopher - I think the right kind of dev who would be happy in this environment will find it hilarious. Plus they're getting TONS of free press because we're all sharing and talking about it!

Comment by Nicholas Meyler on April 23, 2015 at 7:30pm: I love to make jokes and laugh and make others laugh, but I doubt I would want to work at a company like this. I'd want to have a very serious idea of what the company's mission is, what their competitive advantages are, why the opportunity would challenge me, what I will learn, etc. While I think the job ad is original and creative, I would be floored if any of my clients (serious as they tend to be) would ever run an ad like this. The problem is that running this ad even once brands the company as "jokers".... It will be interesting to see if the company succeeds.

Comment by Maddy B. on May 1, 2015 at 11:07am: It's good if it actually does attract the kind of candidate they're looking for.

I'm all for honesty in job postings, especially if they are transparent about the tough parts of a job. It's always a balance between really selling a job, and being honest about what that product is and who it's suited for. Personally, I read it as far too... bro-y (for lack of a better term), and I suspect it might turn away some people who might do great work for them.

After all, their PPS states they don't endorse or encourage excessive profanity in the workplace -- and yet, here is this ad. If they're hypocritical on the very first point of contact, it doesn't speak well for them as an employer.