WordPress Careers Roundup for the Week of September 26, 2022

Walt Kania explains why you should craft your origin story over at the Freelancery. Walt has good advice, and most of it applies far beyond freelancing. I’ve only seen about three truly helpful books about freelancing on the web, and they were all free — once. Walt’s is the best, hands-down, for any kind of professional contractor practicing a craft. That’s how he approaches copywriting, and so should you — whatever you do. Way Smarter Freelancing: Your Real-World, Hands-On, Field Guide is available for only USD 9.95. READ →

Jussi Pakkanen has some pointed questions for developers to ask a prospective employer during a job interview. Two good ones: Does this or any related team have a person who actively rejects proposals to improve the code base? Explicitly list out all the people in the organization who are needed to authorize a small change, like a typo in a log message. MORE →

Sadly, these “5 Secrets to Getting Hired After 50” from the AARP are mostly about getting past age discrimination, especially the advice to “polish your appearance.” But, “According to some research, once hiring managers were able to interview applicants face-to-face, they were 40 percent less likely to hire older workers than they were to hire a younger applicant with the same skills.” MORE →

Supposedly IBM used to have an a**hole test to see how job candidates behaved in a group that was given an impossible task. Mean, and maybe unfair but also a worthwhile thought experiment or even a fun team-building exercise when no one is being evaluated by HR. How do you think you would behave? MORE →

The Misanthropic Developer casts a cold eye at job listings that mention a “Fast Paced Environment.” Why isn’t this a selling point? “It’s often (correctly) interpreted as code for ‘overworked and understaffed.'” MORE →