The Perfect Job

For everyone looking for ThePerfectJob, let's take a vote.

The scale:

: A = Absolutely essential. I won't take a job that doesn't have this.
: B = Bonus. I'd love to work at a place that has this.
: C = Could go either way.
: D = Detraction. I'd seriously hesitate to work at a place that has this.
: E = End of interview. I wonder what the in-flight movie will be on the way back home.

People:

Getting along with everyone technical - BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBB-CCC-D
Getting along with anyone technical - AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-C
- Everyone does PairProgramming - BBBBBBBBBBB-CCCCCCC-D
- Having someone to pair with most of the time - A-BBBBBBBB-CCCCCCCCCCC
- Having someone to pair with sometimes - AAAAAAAA-BBBBBBBB-CCCC
- Following a team of mentors - BBBBBBB-CCCCCCCCCCC-DD
- Having a mentor - AAA-BBBBBBBBB-CCCCCCC-D
- Having challenging peers - AAAAAAAAAA-BBBBBBBBBB
- Having a student - A-BBBBBBB-CCCCCCCCCC-DD
- Leading a team of newbies - BBB-CCCCCCC-DDDDDDD-EEE

Leadership:

Having a good manager:
- one who is concerned with me, personally - AA-BBBBBBBBBB-CCCCCCCC
- one who can get obstacles out of my way - AAAAAAAAA-BBBBBBBBBB-C
- one who has time to talk - AAAAAAAAAA-BBBBBBBB-CC
Having good upper management/president/CEO/etc. - AAAAAA-BBBBBBBBBBBBB-C
Having good technical leadership - AAAAAAA-BBBBBBBBBB-CC

Problem-solving:

Challenging business problem - AAA-BBBBBBBBBBBBBBB-CC
Company's product contributes to society - AAA-BBBBBBBBBBBBB-CCCC
Company open-sources some code - AA-BBBBBBBBB-CCCCCCCC-D
Company is innovative as a whole - AAAAAA-BBBBBBBBBBBBB-C
Freedom to be creative, personally - AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-BBB-C
SmallReleases/Incremental problem solving in general - AAAAAAAA-BBBBBBBBBBB-C
OnsiteCustomer (or at least an honorary OnsiteCustomer) - AA-BBBBBBBBBBB-CCCCCCC

Technical:

Automated Tests (Unit and Acceptance)
- 100% passing, 100% coverage, before I even get there - BBBBBBBBBBBBBB-CCCCCC
- Coworkers who will write them if coached - BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBB-C
- Coworkers who will at least run them before checking in - AAAA-BBBBBBBBBBBBBBB-C
Refactoring
- ExtremeNormalForm, before I even get there - BBBBBBBBBB-CCCCCCCC-DD
- Healthy amount - AAAAA-BBBBBBBBBBB-CCCC
- CopyAndPasteProgramming - CCCCC-DDDDDDDDDD-EEEEE
- Organizational refactoring (eliminating dead projects, bad ideas, etc.) - AAA-BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBB-C
Tools
- Latest and greatest - BBBBBBBBBBBB-CCCCCC-DD
- Reasonably budgeted - A-BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBB-CCC
- Fast machines, network, - BBBBBBBBBBBB-CCCCCCC
- root/admin access on the machines I need it on - AAAAAAAAA-BBBBBBBBBB-C
Programming languages
- Close to the machine (C/C++/Fortran/ASM) - BBBBB-CCCCCCCCCC-DDD-EE
- Object-oriented - AAAAAAAAA-BBBBBBB-CCC-D
- New (Python, Ruby, C#) - BBBBBBBBBBBB-CCCCCCC-D

Pace:

Intense pressures - CCCCCC-DDDDDDD-EEEEEEE
Make your own estimates - AAAAAAAAA-BBBBBB-CC-DD-E
FortyHourWeek - AAAAAAAAAAAA-BBBBBBB-C
Flexible hours - AAAAAAAAAAAA-BBBB-CCC-D
A customer who is dying for the stuff that you're working on - AAA-BBBBBBBBBBBBBBB-CC
Able to browse the Wiki, XpMailingList, etc - AAAAAAA-BBBBBBBBBBBBB
Able to browse the Wiki, XpMailingList, etc., and no one ever notices your dip in velocity - BBB-CCCCCCCCC-DDDDDDD
Able to browse the Wiki, XpMailingList, etc., and no one ever notices your increase in velocity - B-CCCCC-DDDDDD-E

Environment:

Office - A-BBBBBBBBB-CCCC-DDDD
Cubicle - CCCCCCCC-DDDDDDDDD-EE
Bullpen - BBBBBBB-CCCCCCC-DDD-EEE
Size of the company:
- 1 person (work alone) - BB-CCCC-DDDDDDDDDD-EEEEE
- ~10 people - A-BBBBBBBBBB-CCCCCCC
- ~100 people - BBBBBBBBBBB-CCCCCCCC
- ~1000 people - B-CCCCCCC-DDDDDDDDDD-E
- ~100,000 people - C-DDDDD-EE
Free soft drinks - AA-BBBBBBBBB-CCCCCCC-DD
Good Coffee! - AAA-BBBBB-CCCCCCC-D
Free food - BBBBBBBBBBBB-CCCCCCC-E

Rewards:

Peer recognition for good work - AAAAAA-BBBBBBBBBB-CCC
Superior recognition for good work - AAAAA-BBBBBBBBBB-CCCCC
Salary/Options/Benefits - AAAAAAA-BBBBBBBBB-CCCC
Opportunities for advancement - AAAAA-BBBBBBBBBBBB-CCC

Other meta:

Good location - AAAAA-BBBBBBBBBBBBBB-C
Short commute - AAA-BBBBBBBBBBBBBBB-CC
Stable company - A-BBBBBBBBBBBBB-CCCCCC
Is a place where you can picture yourself working there for 10 years - A-BBBBBBBBBBBB-CCCCCC-D
Is a place that would be fun for only a year or so - BBB-CCCCCC-DDDDDD-EEEE

Not sure what to call it, but we need a category that measures the company's value. What the company makes (or what service it provides) vs the (+/-) benefit of that product service in the world.

There's a company that specializes in products that generally have no negative applications (they make, inter alia, pet-related products - dishes, feeding systems, etc.). I have no data on what it's like to work there but, all other things being equal, I'd prefer to work for that kind of outfit over a company that publishes or enables porn.

Somewhat less extreme is the difference between, say, gaming companies and coffee distributors. If you feel that coffee is evil (hey - just kidding guys), you might prefer the gaming company. If you feel gaming is evil, coffee might be more your cup of tea.

So, what would you call that? SocialValue?? EthicalFoundation?? IntrinsicSubjectiveness??

-- GarryHamilton

I don't understand what the the scale is measuring. A and E seem to have similar "deal-breaker" meanings (although one is positive and one is negative). It's not clear to me whether the scale is measuring "how much I like this feature" versus "how much does this feature matter relative to the others". -- KrisJohnson

Yes, I think A and E are the "When can I start" and "Not on your life" options. That much is apparent from the scale explanations. But I think these must be absolute rankings, rather than relative rankings. Otherwise, you'd need to 'grade them on the curve', and rank them from 1 to n.

I love the way the choices are mnemonic: (A)bsolutely, (B)onus, (C)ould, etc. Kudos to Ryan for the best vote on wiki yet. -- WardCunningham

(D)on't and (E)wwwww.

Refactored to AbcdeLikertScale. -- JasonGrossman

The only problem I have with votes on this is that if I someday want to change my responses, I probably won't remember what they all are, since my views will have changed without my realizing it. So, what should I do - just vote again?

Sure