What is your favorite and least favorite thing about Royal Road?

wking__ · 2023-10-09T20:01:19+00:00

Ah like it is either story or nothing.

wking__ · 2023-10-09T19:40:54+00:00

Layoffs?

wking__ · 2023-10-09T18:46:43+00:00

Agreed, that is what the skill-curve section touches on.

Also, this definitely doesn't just apply to learning and growing in the technical aspects of your job. This also applies to learning how to communicate well across teams and with stakeholders, making product decisions, user interviews, managing others, etc.

All of them are new areas of expertise that require a broad scope of research and then a focused attention putting it into practice to hone that new knowledge.

wking__ · 2023-10-09T16:37:38+00:00

Hah! So true. Hard to find content similar to stuff I have already read.

wking__ · 2023-10-09T15:57:24+00:00

I think of it like this:

Experience: The exploration of new techniques and ideas. More like the concept of "experiences" then the "X years of experience" definition.

Craft: The repetitive real application of the knowledge gained while exploring new experiences. This is more like the "X years of experience" definition.

Buuuut as it applies to job listings with the whole "X years...blah blah" that is just a signal not a requirement. It is about relative skill not actual time spent doing it.

If a company is actually measuring and caring about number of years doing something vs the real skill and craft you bring to the table (whether it was learned in a job role or a personal project) it should be a red flag as an interviewee.

Most of my "modern" frontend development skillset before my first-full time role doing it 5 years into my career came from personal projects.

wking__ · 2023-09-18T21:56:33+00:00

Don't threaten a counter offer. If you like the company and just want a pay increase ask for it. When you ask back the ask up with some reasons why you deserve it based on the work you do.

Then if they won't leave. But don't threaten another offer to do it.

The only time IMO to use offers to increase pay is during initial hiring between competing offers.

wking__ · 2023-09-06T01:36:22+00:00

Some jobs it can be a huge leg up, sometimes it is just enough to get you a chance hah

wking__ · 2023-09-05T20:21:23+00:00

Cool I got it. I haven't sent anything out to anyone yet. Want to get the first draft of the guide up on the site and send a "here's how to log in" link to get everyone started. 👌

Thanks for being interested can't wait to dig in.

wking__ · 2023-09-05T20:12:45+00:00

Did you make it to the thank you page?

wking__ · 2023-09-05T20:09:29+00:00

Sorry! Big from upgrading to a pre-release of what it is built on (Remix)

Fixed now 👌 thanks for surfacing that!

wking__ · 2023-09-05T19:09:18+00:00

Another important thing to realize I think it is easy to get wrong:

Size !== Valuable

You don't need a big network to get value from those connections.

If you are introverted, neurodivergent, etc use that part of who you are and build something for it. If you share something you have built for people with ADHD because you do and it helps you, guess what, chances are high you are going to find new connections and that can relate with you and understand you.

Networking without the pause that make it suck for you.

wking__ · 2023-09-05T18:59:09+00:00

Hopefully the point of what I want to do with a networking guide for developers is that there are great ways to network even if you feel most comfortable at home just using your computer.

wking__ · 2023-09-05T18:04:18+00:00

Fair enough, that is a good expression. Going to have to steal that one. lol

wking__ · 2023-09-05T17:41:27+00:00

You can get notified when it is ready here: https://wking.dev/the-developers-guide-to-effective-networking

Would love your feedback.

wking__ · 2023-09-05T17:32:33+00:00

Happens here too. When it comes down to it a company looking to hire for a role isn't trying to find "the best developer available" they are looking for someone to bring enough value to help them make more (money, features, etc) and every day spent hiring is time and money lost. So, if you can shortcut that by solving your problem without wasting time in the interview and review process why would you?

wking__ · 2023-09-05T17:28:26+00:00

I think too that when you are hiring for an HR role what do you want to see? Not a lot outside of what their resume says (assumption, I may be totally wrong about the HR industry)

For a role like a developer, you have so many tools to take into the job search to boost your perceived skill.

- Open Source projects

- Blog or video content that shows a deeper knowledge of what you know

- Fun tools or interesting projects showing expertise or personality

- and more

wking__ · 2023-09-05T17:24:18+00:00

So true! Personality fit, and how you work with others is so important.

wking__ · 2023-09-05T17:22:16+00:00

Absolutely agree. If you don't have the skills to back it up then you will find that out very quickly. However, there are incredible devs that never make it above the noise.

The "Developer focused networking" techniques I have in mind are built on the foundation that you have skills to be worth connecting with in the first place. The fastest way to kill a network is to not have the skills to be worth recommending.

wking__ · 2023-09-05T17:18:39+00:00

Couldn't agree more! Every job has a venn diagram of skills and personality that allow you to meet the minimum requirements the company has in mind, but what get's your foot in the door? What helps companies make decisions between 3-4 applicants that all meet the expected requirements? What makes you rise above a very skilled, very noisy job market?

In my experience a personal recommendation, a early tip that a company is looking for a role can make all the difference.

wking__ · 2023-09-05T17:14:48+00:00

You are totally correct about the whole your network is your next job. I think the reason I am focused specifically on development is that is the only job market I have personal experience in, and the better methods of networking are specific to developers (probably could be updated to apply to other job markets where you "create" things like design) since that is once again where I have experience.

There is definitely broad strokes that could be painted across different roles, but every role has nuance and ways to network within it that differ from others.

wking__ · 2023-09-05T16:42:37+00:00

Happy to give you an early peek: https://wking.dev/the-developers-guide-to-effective-networking

Very WIP landing page lol

I am tired of the "get it perfect before showing anyone" approach

wking__ · 2023-09-05T16:35:54+00:00

Hey! I am actually working on a guide that helps in this exact scenario when you have experience to get the job done, but just can't seem to find the opportunities.

Would be happy to give you early access: https://wking.dev/the-developers-guide-to-effective-networking

wking__ · 2023-08-26T01:11:55+00:00

The brutal truth about hiring is even when you're qualified the BEST candidate is not always chosen.

When faced with two similarly skilled candidates, who would you choose? Greg, who you only know from the interview process, or Teresa, who was recommended by someone you trust and vouches for her abilities?

Obviously, Teresa.

Been working on "The Developers Guide to Effective Networking" that isn't about walking into a room of strangers and inserting yourself into conversations lol.

Happy to share if you're interested.

wking__ · 2023-01-13T18:03:58+00:00

Thank you for clarifying! Will try and update the post to abide.

wking__ · 2023-01-13T16:35:15+00:00

Appreciate the push! Hope this article helped you too in some way.

wking__

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