Jumping Ship Survey Responses

This is a complete list of survey responses I received for my Jumping Ship talk.

What do you wish you would have done or asked while you were interviewing for these "worst" jobs/companies?

• What does the process for building and launching a website look like from start to finish with your company?

• Nothing special. I was fresh out of College and had no clue what I was looking for or what to expect. I only knew after a year being at my first company that I didn't want to stay.
• I should have asked about the leadership structure and who would be my supervisor
• I wish there was a way for me to determine how nepotistic and broken a companies development strategy was.
• What is your turnover rate for devs?
• I was naive and too honest. They knew I was just let go from my last job, so they had me where they wanted me. I was going to take whatever he offered and he knew that.
• Why do you think your developers love what they do? Why do you think your people trust you? How do you grow your people and keep them engaged?
• Looked at their process more. Talked more to the developers, to find out what their gripes are.
• Tell me about the last 3 people you had to let go? You can tell a lot about a company by how they handle difficult employee situations. Tell me about your annual performance and salary review(s). Oddly enough some companies don't like to give people regular reviews and salary increases... Can I see where I'll sit and meet the people I'll be working with? Hopefully you can get a chance to talk to your potential co-workers to see if you like them and if they like the company.
• Do you use source control? What are the biggest challenges in your code base? Is there any legacy tech that you'd like to get rid of?
• I wish that I would've asked on solid commitments or time frames for different milestones to head during my time there. It's hard to read people's minds, and it makes it a lot better if I just know what the expectations are.
• My questions would definitely center around culture. How much latitude is there for non-traditional thinking? Is there any budget or time allocated for associates to spend on R&D activities? Are associates given the opportunity to do tasks and add value outside of the traditional job description? And, perhaps most importantly, how often are associates reviewed by managers and peers? Because advancement is possibly the single most important thing that is difficult pin down in many organizations.
• Oh, so many things. It's important to remember that even though you feel like the interviewer is in the driver's seat, you have a lot of power. Demand for talent is high. If they aren't working to impress you and show you how awesome they are, be very skeptical. Ask about things that are important. I wasn't shy when I asked very pointedly (of more than one potential employer), do you guys drink beer in the office? (Ha!) It's interesting to compare their responses, too. Compile a list of questions and ask the same questions every time. These may include: Do you have a BYOD policy? ; Talk to me about when the team works late. What's it like? ; Are developers dedicated or shared across teams? ; What's the average tenure for any employee? ; Why do people leave? ; What kinds of training do you provide? If I want to go to a conference, how does that work? ; This one's important: What can you tell me about your boss - and/or, if interviewing with you potential boss - What's next for you? Tell me about your career path. (So many more...)
• Asked more questions about leadership - how they handle situations, what they do to foster a healthy working environment, what is their management style, how do they handle conflict-resolution.
• Requested to have conversations with people who weren't set up to interview me. Typically, those who are interviewing are those who are in the direct line of management and/or have been coached to give the best impression. It's important to keep in mind that the job interview shouldn't go in one direction — they're not just interviewing you, you're interviewing them, too.
• How do your employees keep abreast of best practices and emerging technologies?

Where there any red flags you missed or should have taken more seriously when you were considering these "worst" positions/companies?

• There wasn't a lot of hard details about the job I was hired to work on, they said they would "figure it out as we went". They hadn't hadn't found a suitable applicant for the job in four months, but a fresh college grad would suffice.

• There probably were but again I had no idea what a good tech job versus a bad tech job even was.
• No, I did not find out until several months in
• There were not at the time. On the surface, things looks great.
• Too much HR involvement during interview process.
• There were needlessly complicated interview processes. The worst one was I interviewed with 3 different people, one after the other, but they told me in advance that they were going to ask me the same 8 questions. The last one was the owner of the company, so I'm obviously exhausted at that point, and now wasn't sure which answers I had already said and started mixing them up.
• CEO was present at all times 'during interviews. CEO complained that his only employee was hours late for work that day. Co-owners interviewed me and gave me virtually no exposure to the team on which I would be working.
• Yes, what seemed like a lack of vision on the technical side, really was a complete lack of vision overall.
• For one position I should have dug into my potential boss's personality and background a bit more. Turned out he was the most dishonest and morally bankrupt person I have ever met.
• Not allowing working remote, ever. Strict start end hours. Non-technical boss.
• No, there were just things that I didn't know existed because they were buried in the background. It wasn't until I got on the scene and got into the work that I found out there were problems.
• Honestly, it would have been the attitudes of those who interviewed me. Are they engaging or wary? Sometimes those who interview can be future peers, so a good working relationship can start at the interview. Don't underestimate the power of your own instincts about people.
• Asking your potential boss about their plans is important. Put them seriously on the spot. I had a boss who hired me to replace them, and then they promptly left. It turned out they weren't very popular and I inherited that empire. Also, NEVER EVER EVER accept promises. Get what you want up front. If you ask a question and they promise something later, get it in writing.
• Not red flags, but I should have picked up on being wooed and told what I wanted to hear.
• Considering the morale of the current staff. Looking back now, everyone seemed so beaten up. Also, the company's CEO loved having inspirational sayings all over the company... on walls, pillars, etc... big bold letters (stuff like "We're different." or "We're a balanced people."). A company that has to constantly say how they're different probably isn't. Differentiation should come mainly in what you do, not in what you say.
• I asked about training and was told "We would like to send our employees to training classes." Note the use of the modal verb "would." Offsite training was never approved, any training I had was on my own time and on my own dime.

What clued you in to this being a good job/company during the interview process?

• They were able to communicate their process clearly and succinctly. I interviewed with a small group of people who were intimately knowledgeable about what I was applying to do. They didn't shy from some of the harder questions, they were upfront and honest about their answers.

• A friend helped me get the interview.
• They were all very enthusiastic about their work and research
• Walking onto the floor where my 'future coworkers' resided. The atmosphere was lively, energetic, positive. People were happy and well accomidated. The encouragement for mentorship in the interview was huge for me.
• Concerned more about fit and aptitude than particulars of experience or specific technical details.
• It was the most challenging interview process, but gave me the best feeling of how working there would be like. We just worked through some high level coding exercises and talked through them. Those conversations are very similar to how my daily work with the company is like because we often have to discuss problems and figure out the solutions quickly and without our egos getting in the way.
• Stacked team with proven track record of experience at known-companies Fast communication and easy to negotiate with
• Incredible freedom for engineering. If we can throw money at a problem to make it go away, let's do that. Let's do things the right way. Let's experiment.
• The people I interviewed with had been there for decades. The interviewers were genuinely nice people and were happy with their jobs.
• Interesting market. Fun interview. Candid. Laid back. Conversational. Honest answers. Not stuffy. No BS.
• Usually came from someone else who work there before. I think networking is very very important in the job search these days also, Glassdoor.
• The questions I was asked and the engagement of those who interviewed me. I was interviewed by people representing a cross-section of disciplines I would be working with every day. I got a great sense of the realities of the organization, as well as the excitement with which they all had about their work and working with me. It was a great vibe.
• An insanely chill, conversational interview is a good thing. When I hire, I usually know before you walk in the door whether or not I'm planning to hire you. I already profiled you. Now I'm selling you on why you should accept the offer.
• Leadership - the way they described team members, their roles, how they worked, and the best ways to communicate with them.
• People who believed in the product and actually used it. Also, people who were critics of their product. They believed in it, but they didn't see it through rose-colored glasses.
• I saw diversity in the various employees and roles as I walked towards the interview. My first interview was with two women, one older and one younger than me. This helped allay a fear that I had that I would be too old for the job and a fear that I would be working with "brogrammers."

How has a potential employer put you at ease and given you confidence that this was a position and company you wanted to work for?

• Being understanding about leaving my position. I was a solo developer at the time and if I were to up and leave without a replacement it would inhibit that company severely. They allowed me ample time to find a replacement and train them.

• I've been given a center role in the development department and am able to help make important decisions.
• When I brought up concerns that I had, they tried to offer me more money, which felt like a way to get me to simply accept a bad situation rather than them addressing the problems.
• Not yet. :-D
• Admitting when a process is still improving.
• Allowing me to meet the team early on really helped give me the confidence that they were people I wanted to work with. Furthermore, they knew that I was knowledgeable in my expertise, so they just asked me pointed questions on what our end-goal was, and I gave them the first solution that I could think of. We talked through the pros and cons and it felt very natural.
• Gave me both a job I knew I could do and a runway to learn a more advanced set of skills.
• Potential employers have to give me the confidence that I'm going to be valuable to them (and not just with money). If you're not valuable to the company you're just cannon fodder and there's no good path for advancement.
• By assuring me that I'd have autonomy, flexibility, trust, and a mission worth pursuing.
• Saying things like "we don't meet crazy deadlines" or we have expectations and here's what they are for you".
• Simple, really. By making the interview a conversation. Instead of just peppering me with questions, the questions or topics led to great exchanges involving everyone in the room. It's how I've interviewed others as a hiring manager before, so it really put me at ease. And showed me a lot about the people I might be working with in the future. Invaluable!
• Asking for something extra is one way to gauge an employer's interest. Whether it's more money, a creative start date (I'd like to take a vacation, then start), or extra vacation time, asking for something gives you insight into how these requests will be handled in the future, and how far they're willing to go to win you over. Getting to meet your team is another great way to build trust. Ask to meet the people you'll be working with.
• Openly discussing the cons of the job/work environment, instead of treating everything as a "positive"
• Someone who was honest and empathetic, who listened and understood.
• Knowing that my values closely resembled the values of the company helped quite a bit.

How do you determine whether to stay or leave a job/company?

• If leaving a job will benefit me on a personal level (money aside). Whether it be for finding a better challenge, escaping a negative work environment, or any reason in-between- the only reason I'd leave for a new job is if it benefited me.

• Am I happy with what I produce and am I able to live a well balanced work/personal life? If I can say yes to that then I'm not trying to leave my current job.

• Depending on how miserable you are, taking job interviews seems like a good first step. If you see something that looks great, then jump ship. If you aren't seeing much else that appeals to you (or doesn't outweigh benefits / costs in terms of happiness, salary, coworkers, etc) then you may need to try to improve your current position instead.

• If you aren't happy, you don't [feel you] have room to grow, you stop wanting to come into work every day, or you cannot express your ideas and bring value through them to other people and the business, then it's time to go.

• Do they value my contributions monetarily? Do they operate top-down? Do I agree with their strategy? Are other great devs starting or leaving? How do my colleagues talk about the job when they are off the clock? How do others respond when I tell them where I work? Do I hate coming to work? OK, that's a few, anyway. :-)

• I decide to start looking for a new job as soon as the question comes into my head. Am I considering leaving this company? If yes, there's probably a good reason behind that.

• Can I grow here? Do I trust the people with whom I work? Do I trust the leadership to drive us forward?

• Are you happy? Is there a lot of attrition? How do you feel you compare to your colleagues at the company?

• Stay if you're still happy to do the work (motivation) and the company still sees value in who you are and what you do (opportunity for advancement, etc.). If you're not happy or the company doesn't value you or your work it's time to leave.

• When you wake up dreading going to work.

• It's really quite simple. I like that Steve Jobs quote where he talks about how he looked in the mirror and ask himself each day whether not he wanted to do what he was about to do that day. And if he said no to many times in a row, then he knew it was time to change direction. Ultimately, it comes down to am I happy with the work and my happy with the compensation and benefits?

• Am I still being challenged? Is the value I add every day leading to other opportunities within the organization? Am I compensated as I should be? Am I allowed to work outside of my "role" in the organization when I have other skills and experience that adds value? And are there advancement opportunities - not just in terms of compensation and title, but also in terms of challenging work?

• When you start dreading Monday, that's usually a sign. Ask yourself why you're still there. Are you still learning? If the answer is no, you have may have exceeded the expiration date on your job. A friend once told me that their time limit was three years, period. Another told me that each on their birthday, they evaluate their job happiness. For me, it's a Steve Jobs quote: "If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?" And whenever the answer has been "no" for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something."

• The same as a relationship - do you have more bad days than good? Are you sad more often than happy? No job is perfect, but there needs to be a balance.

• You gotta pass the mirror test. If there are more than three months where you get up every day in the mirror and say to yourself, "What the hell am I doing?", you gotta leave. I say three months because every gig has a season... and things change. Some days and weeks are better than others. But if you can say it for three months, chances are you've really felt it for longer than that... and life's too short.

• Each time that I jumped ship, I had another job offer. They were not my first job offers, but they were the best. I was no longer happy where I was and felt that my intellectual and financial growth had stagnated; when I got a job offer that could offer both, I jumped.

What two pieces of advice would you give someone who's thinking about leaving their current employer?

• Do your best to not burn any bridges on the way out, even if your previous workplace wouldn't do the same for you. Do it.

• Set a departure date and start planning for it. Get your resume in shape and start looking for a new job a few weeks before the date you set.

• Be honest with them, if you think that there won't be negative repercussions for discussing it. Your employer may be unaware of problems or concerns that you have, so it can be worth it to try to address situations before you just give up and start new somewhere else.

• Update the crap out of your LinkedIn Profile. Start reaching out now. Be prepared to give 100% even after those 2 weeks are given.

• Have another vine to grab before letting go of this one. Trust your gut.

• If you have issues with your current employer and you have tried to remedy them, but they either don't see it as a problem or don't make steps to help, find a company that values you. You know what you are worth and you are the only one who is looking out for your well-being.

• Is there a specific place you'd rather be? Do you have a significant safety net so that you won't panic and take the first job you can get? What would have to change to make you happy and how could that play out? Could you be part of that change?

• Make sure you're going to a better opportunity, not just leaving a bad one. Company loyalty is stupid. You need to be relatively selfish (but professional) when you're evaluating your career and employment. That means if you have a better opportunity elsewhere and you're not getting it where you are you should leave.

• Get a new job first. Speak at a conference and mention that you're looking at the speaker dinner and potentially in your session.

• Network and ask questions. You might be turning down an opportunity because you don't think you can leave. But you might find there's a better ship on the horizon it's worth looking at. And also remember this probably isn't permanent. You could probably find another job after giving the new want to shot and if it doesn't work out, well.

• First, don't burn bridges. Leave any position professionally. Second, don't be afraid to take a chance. Technology skills are imminently transferable.

• If you have a good relationship with your boss, consider telling him/her. They will greatly appreciate your honesty and may be in a position to help you, if you have a good track record. You'll also be doing them a huge favor by giving them a heads up that you're leaving, allowing them to backfill your role. 2. Start looking right away. Send some emails and test the waters. Even though tech skills are in high demand, it can take a long time to find the RIGHT job. 3. Why are you leaving? If you want to stay, but something is wrong, TALK TO YOUR BOSS or HR, or whomever can help. But leaving a good job because of a bad person or situation doesn't solve that problem. If you like your co-workers, consider that they'll be left to deal with it. Some people will tell you that you should never take a counter-offer from your employer when you give your notice and they beg you to stay and incentivize you. But think about it the other way - if you don't tell them there's a genuine problem, they can't fix it. -- Melanie Haas

• List your top 5 priorities of what you care about. Is it leadership? Tech stack? Work time for opensource projects? Look at what your current employer does poorly in regards to those, and use them as criteria starting your job search.

• Be realistic. There's no such thing as a perfect job... but at the same time, there are better fits. Find two or three people that can give you good council — not just what you want to hear, but what you need to hear. You may have unrealistic expectations. Or maybe what you thought you wanted to be when you grew up isn't what you should be. Also, it's ok to take a couple steps back or make a "lateral move." Hitting the reset button a couple times in your career is a good thing.

• 1. Talk to your manager about the aspects of your job or the company that are causing you to question if you should leave your current employer (pro tip: don't tell them that you're thinking of leaving over this). If nothing changes, then the change must be you. 2. Be honest with your employer about what you find unsatisfactory; be honest with your family that you are unsatisfied at work; and be honest with yourself about what is keeping you from being satisfied at work.

What two pieces of advice would you give someone when they evaluate a potential new job and employer?

• Find someone who works at the potential employer who will meet with you for coffee and give you unfiltered responses about the workplace.

• Listen to your gut. Don't budge on salary requirements. Read between the lines. Words like superstar and ninja just mean expectations are unrealistic. Look for places that seem transparent and post realistic requirements.
• Are you going to be bored? Are you going to be frustrated? If so, you might want to keep looking because it's not worth the money.
• Do they foster consistent career growth. Can you help mentor and be mentored. Are they open to change, and use of new technologies.
• Do your research. Imagine you have been working there for a year--can you really see it?
• Ask around to talk to someone who works there who isn't involved in the hiring process - a friend or acquaintance. I often heard things about the company that I would loved to know beforehand, like the boss blowing up at employees, and other red flags.
• Leadership track record; Vibe around the office; Experience of team; Clearness of objectives
• Make sure the opportunity moves you toward your career goals and that you can see yourself enjoying the work, and most importantly the people you'll be working with. You'll likely spend more time with your new co-workers than you will with your family...
• Make sure you care about their mission. Don't do a job you don't believe in. Interest will make all conversations better. Commute matters for happiness. Don't waste your life in a car. Shorter is better. None (remote) is best.
• Start with glassdoor.com and do a little research. Also check out reviews of the company if people had a bad experience with them as customers you want have a good experience with them as an employee.
• First, do whatever you can to find out about culture. Hopefully, you can speak with one or more people who have worked at your target company. Second, it's not all about money. A raise might be your primary reason for looking, but don't set yourself up to hate the new place within weeks of starting a new gig.
• Google them (duh.) Ask around, talk to anyone and everyone you can find who has worked there. Meet current employees. Never settle.
• Ask the management what are the biggest problems for the dev team are, then ask the team members what their biggest problems are. If the answers match up, it's a good sign. If there are no problems and everything's "perfect" beware.
• 1. Talk to your manager about the aspects of your job or the company that are causing you to question if you should leave your current employer (pro tip: don't tell them that you're thinking of leaving over this). If nothing changes, then the change must be you. 2. Be honest with your employer about what you find unsatisfactory; be honest with your family that you are unsatisfied at work; and be honest with yourself about what is keeping you from being satisfied at work.
• 1. Think about the potential new job/employer in the long-term. Do you see yourself with that employer in a year? 2 years? A decade? What would it take you to stay that long? What would cause you to leave? 2. Think about what you hope to gain from that job and that employer: money, prestige, intellectual improvement, moral alignment, etc. Does this job/employer fulfill any or all of these?

What two pieces of advice would you give someone when they are negotiating with a potential employer?

• Don't be afraid to ask for an increase in pay from what your current job is. You are being acquired because of your expertise in a field. If you are improving your career, improve your paycheck.

• Set your minimum salary. Don't sell yourself short. Do not set a max salary however. Simply communicate a number you wouldn't go below.
• Ask about flex time and the ability to work remotely. I don't mind being somewhere 8 - 4 or 5 most days, but it's really important to me to be able to leave at 3 for a rehearsal and make up the hours on a Saturday morning, etc.
• Never give a number first. Always make them deliver the first number. Always research the average pay for the position. Never be afraid to ask for anything.
• Always have more on your list than they do. Everything is negotiable.
• Know what you are worth. Do your research. Also, unlimited time off is also a huge benefit to the employer so they don't have to pay your accrued VTO or PTO when you leave the company. If you don't take much time off work, this may not be a benefit to you.
• Negotiate early and often. Never give your number or previous salaries. Talk in terms of their position not yours. They have plenty of wiggle room, don't let them lie to you.
• Make sure all the terms are very clear
• Many times the easier things to negotiate are the non-salary items (e.g. time off) especially when you have more experience. Make sure you take into account the entire compensation package, a high salary is easily offset by a crappy health insurance plan.
• Don't do so until the end when they're sold on you. Then be specific and list your requirements. Just be honest. "I'm excited, but to make this work, I need x".
• The more armed you are with information the better come prepared know what your worth in the marketplace maybe shoot a little higher than that be prepared.
• In terms of salary, know your floor as well as you know your ceiling. Salary will probably always be a negotiation. Know what you want, but also be aware of what you need. Ask about flex time as well as working remotely if necessary.
• Never accept the offer during the first phone call. Tell them you need time to consider it, and you'll get back to them by __. Then, when you get back to them, ask if it's their best offer. Be willing to wait for answer. Then, before you accept, ask for something extra - generally an extra week of vacation is easy to come by. Or perhaps have them pay for your parking, gym, whatever if there are pay-for programs for which they could feasibly pick up the tab.
• Don't be afraid to ask for what you're worth. It's a competitive market. WOMEN. DON'T BE AFRAID TO NEGOTIATE. If you do and the employer treats you negatively about it, that's not a place you'll be successful in the future.
• I'm a lousy negotiator, so probably not a good person to answer this. I think the main thing is to make sure their offer, outside of compensation, really holds water. If they say they're cool with you working from home some or all of the time, can they back that up? Are there others on the team (not just the company as a whole) who are able to do that?
• Learn what you can from contacts within the organization about existing salary, time off, and other benefits.

What two pieces of advice would you give someone who wants to quit their current job gracefully?

• Give your employer as much notice as possible. The "two weeks notice" is often jarring and interrupts projects. If you know you'll be officially leaving and have accepted a position, give them notice as soon as possible and talk through what you can do to help ease the transition.

• Work hard till the end of your last day. Document and teach as many things as you can. Ask people for their honest opinions of you while it's your two weeks. After it's common knowledge you are leaving - ask co-workers to review your performance and offer a review in return.
• Be honest with your current employer, make sure you don't burn bridges on the way out if possible, and keep in touch with people there that were important to you. It's easy to drift apart once you're not working with them every day.
• Line up all of your projects and work so that you don't leave the company in a crap-storm. You always want your options open. You want the company to say "you are welcome back anytime".
• Be honest. Don't be a dick.
• Two weeks notice is plenty. You might get two weeks severance if you are lucky when getting laid off, so make you at least give your employer the same respect.
• Wrap up your current project or train someone to replace you. Call a meeting at the end of a day (preferably end of a pay period) then you can always disappear if its what they want or stick around for another pay period and say your goodbyes.
• Give enough notice. Don't get emotional, and keep your professional cool. Don't try to negotiate for a counter offer.
• Be professional, positive, fact-based, and unemotional when you quit. You should be quitting for a better opportunity not because you want to leave a bad job (or at least that's what the employer you're leaving should believe). Remember that things change a lot and the employer you're leaving could be a future employer.
• Just say you have an opportunity you can't pass up. It's not about them being bad. It's about a tough decision you couldn't miss out on. Do not burn a bridge.
• No matter what you do, people will take it hard when you leave. It's human nature. Bosses think they failed. Coworkers will be upset. It's important to remember that there's always new people to meet a new relationship to build.
• Work out your notice as if you hadn't given notice. Leave professionally. Also, proactively pass off any and all helpful information to your colleagues. Don't leave them in the lurch. You wouldn't want that to happen if the situation was reversed!
• If you're committed to quitting - actually committed - don't burn bridges. Write a nice resignation letter and tell them specifically not to counter-offer. Then, when the word is out, write a very nice exit email to the whole company. Be sure to give a brief description of who will fill your role, if you know, and say excellent things about them. Speak kindly of everyone, even if you really don't want to. Always offer two weeks, but don't expect it. If they ask you to stay longer, politely decline. Once you've said you're out, better to cut the cord and move on.
• Give two weeks notice, or whatever is necessary to complete your current workload. Provide candid feedback as to why you're leaving, but also offer suggestions for improvement. Frame things constructively instead of accusatory.
• Take the high road. Telling off your boss and co-workers and giving the dual middle fingers as you're slowly walking away from the office as it explodes into a fireball sounds amazing, but your reputation matters. Walking away gracefully without throwing people under the bus goes a long way. It's a small world and people know each other. Don't let your immaturity sabotage your career.
• Your current coworkers are potential employers, coworkers, donors, neighbors, etc at some point in your life. Be good to them before you leave; keep in contact with them after you leave.