We have an immediate need to develop iPhone and Android mobile applications. We are looking for either an independent contractor or small agency to design, develop and test a couple mobile applications for an exciting southern California startup. The partner must have a proven history of successful mobile product delivery and be able to show existing applications. Please submit your resume and examples to biz@tadlockenterprises.com.

One of my clients here in southern California has an immediate opening for a full-time .NET developer. If you’re interested email me your resume at biz@tadlockenterprises.com.

Brand new startup seeks junior to mid level software engineers to help build its new product from the ground up and from a legacy free codebase.  Learn from a talented, experienced team as you contribute to all facets of the product’s underlying technology.
Ideal candidates will
•    Have solid understanding of OO fundamentals
•    Be highly effective communicators
•    Have worked in a disciplined team development environment (specifications, source control, bug tracking, unit testing)
•    Be comfortable with the development of and challenges of web based applications
•    Stand out as quick learners
•    Be able to function independently as appropriate and responsibly while handling multiple tasks
Skills
•    2-3 years .Net Framework (2.0, 3.0, 3.5)
•    2-3 years C#
•    HTML/XHTML
•    1-2 years of ANSI or T-SQL
•    Advanced CSS a plus
•    Advanced JavaScript and/or JavaScript library experience a plus (e.g. jQuery, YUI, Prototype)
•    ASP.Net MVC a plus
Role
•    Work on multiple small projects related to the development of a MVC based web application
•    Develop data queries as needed to support the main application or in the creation of new internal and administrative tools
•    Integrate with multiple 3rd party services and APIs, including the usage of several open source libraries (Subsonic, Moq, Ninject, Solr)
•    Assist senior members of the team in designing technical specifications, designing implementation and architecture details, and assessing new technologies and tools

Local candidates only; no recruiters or agencies.

We’re looking for a great technical project manager for a 3+ month contract in the San Fransisco area for one of our clients. They will be responsible for the day to day technical management of a large e-commerce website project for a major retailer. They will be working with the internal product and engineering teams and a couple outside vendors to manage this project to completion. This includes task management, issue assessment and mitigation, technical analysis and project management. If you are interested send your resume to biz@tadlockenterprises.com.

Requirements

• 5+ years working in a software engineering or project management team
• 3+ years working in a technical project management role
• Experience working with online e-commerce websites and content management systems
• Proficient in project management tools including Excel and Microsoft Project
• Working knowledge of development tools and technologies
• Able to effectively interface with and manage external vendors
• Able to communicate with executive management teams
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills

We’re looking for a mid-senior level ASP.NET developer for a full-time role for a client in southern California. This is a brand new, funded start up focused on social gaming, personal finance management and personal improvement. This is a rare opportunity to be a part of a kick ass team from the very beginning. You’ll be working with the latest technology .NET 4.0, ASP.NET MVC, SQL 2008, TFS 2010, jQuery… If you’re up for it, email me your resume at biz@tadlockenterprises.com.

Requirements

• 4+ years experience with web development using ASP.NET; ASP.NET MVC experience is a huge bonus
• Very proficient with JavaScript (jQuery) and CSS based layout
• Solid understanding of C#/.NET; .NET 3.5 experience a bonus
• Understanding and appreciation for UI design and user experience (UX)
• Working knowledge of Photoshop would be nice
• Able to work independently in a fast paced startup environment

The company is located in the Los Angeles / Orange County area.  Compensation is competitive and includes salary and early stage equity.

SpaceX the private spaceflight company out of Hawthorne, CA has several open positions for senior and junior .NET developers. If you’re interested email me your resume at biz@tadlockenterprises.com and I’ll forward it on to the internal team.

Here’s a good little article on recruiting philosophy…

http://agilesequent.wordpress.com/2009/12/03/it-turns-out-great-talent-is-not-always-next-door/

I just received an email from a friend who works at Amazon. They are bulking up their team and have a bunch of open roles. If you are interested and are good (seriously), send me an email at biz@tadlockenterprises.com and I’ll forward it on. If you get the job you will owe me dinner.

I hope this note finds you well. For the past few years I’ve been working in the Third Party Merchants space at Amazon. This group is responsible for about 1/3 of unit sales and will generate several billion in sales this year. This group is also one of the fasted growing businesses within Amazon. In 2010 (and beyond), we will be launching many large, complex, new features to accelerate our growth. As a result, we need to hire several talented and passionate technical folks to help us succeed. We are looking for the following skill-sets:

- Software Development Engineers (10)
- Technical Program Managers (5)
- Senior Manager, Technical Program Management (1)
- Senior Operations Manager (1)
- Quality Assurance Manager (1)
- Database Administrators (2)
- Software Test Engineers (4)
- Senior UX Designers (2)

All of these positions are located in Seattle.

I end up doing a lot of interviews and reference checks for my clients. I’m very comfortable with the whole process, but today I heard of a great question to ask when doing a reference check on someone. A bit of back story first… By default a candidate will give references of people they know will give favorable reviews; we all know this. So the goal of a reference check is to get that person to tell you the actual truth about the person rather than the normal fluffy stuff. One way is to straight out ask what the candidate is not good at. This might work, but an experienced person will gave some reasonable comeback that doesn’t make the candidate look too bad. So you have to get tricky with it.  So here it is…

“<candidate name> sounds pretty good. What people and processes would we need to surround them with to make them the most effective in this role?”

I love this question. It seems so harmless; but it reveals a candidates flaws and gaps in skill set. You should be able to determine whether they are hands on or not if they need “people under them to help them out”. You should be able to tell if they are a true leader or not if “they would work well with a strong visionary”. You get the point. Anyone else have great questions?

Thanks to Scott for this!

Are you looking to work for an awesome brand new startup in southern California? Are you a kick ass product manager? Contact me at biz@tadlockenterprises.com if you’re interested.

Responsibilities

As Director of Product Development you will serve as the product’s evangelist and thought leader focused on delivering innovative product improvements.  Working closely with the CEO and cross-functional teams you will develop and execute the product strategy in accordance with the company’s overall vision and strategy.

Specifically, your role will span these areas:

1.    Develop and implement company’s overall product development strategy
2.    Create detailed product development roadmap
3.    Determine and drive product launch strategy and tactics
4.    Establish metrics to measure product’s effectiveness and adjust product strategy, roadmap and development efforts appropriately
5.    Conduct extensive market research including competitive intelligence in personal finance, small business finance, banking, risk scoring and analysis, social gaming and motivational incentive programs
6.    Produce detailed product documents outlining the product’s functional requirements and features for technology team and user-interface designer
7.    Work with technology team to translate product roadmap into release schedules
8.    Develop detailed plans for integration with all distribution channel partners including social media outlets
9.    Assist in other areas on an as-needed basis (e.g., business development, strategy, marketing)

Requirements

1.    Entrepreneurial instincts and a desire to change the world
2.    Enthusiastic self-starter, not afraid to manage up
3.    Ability to understand the macro-level picture and how that translates into the optimal way to position products in the market
4.    2-5 years of experience in product management in consumer web or game development
5.    BA/BS degree from top school – CS/EE/Engineering degree preferred but not required
6.    Must be able to graphically create wire-frames and give interface direction to UI team
7.    Must have proven experience in contributing to a successful project or product in the past
8.    Strong passion for personal finance, entrepreneurship and games
9.    Passion for creating fun, compelling and engaging user experiences
10.    Passion for writing product specifications, white papers
11.    Outstanding written and oral communication skills
12.    Strong organizational and analytical skills & attention to detail
13.    Previous start-up experience is a strong plus
14.    Social networking experience is a strong plus

This position is located in Orange County, California

Competitive salary, stock options & 401k

When the “down-turn” hit, most everyone in the tech community just froze… like a deer in head lights. Some had to move jobs because their companies laid them off or failed completely, but they quickly went to the side of the road and took the 1st safest job they found. Not a bad survival strategy actually. However now that it seems like things are getting better you will start seeing a lot of changes. I expect, and this article below confirms that there will be a mass job shuffle in the coming year as people move out of jobs they really aren’t happy with to jobs that are more interesting; I’ve already seen this start to happen. Salaries on the other hand have not followed suite in their rise… yet. People are 1st going to take jobs that are interesting to them and then they will worry about the 5-10% increase in pay. I expect salaries to rise again in 6 months. Along with all of this the tech job pool is expanding so people that have been on the sidelines are starting to come back in as well. One of my recruiter friends said that for the 1st time this year she actually has to recruit developers because she has more roles than people.

So what does this mean? If you are an employer you better identify your key resource assets, sit them down, talk with them and make sure they are happy with the type of work they are doing. If you’re an employee its time to rethink if you actually are happy at your job, brush up your resume (should be already) and starting sniffing around.  Let the games begin!

Studies: It’s the Fall of Our Employees’ Discontent

EDIT: I couldn’t resist…