SOFTWARE CAREER SUCCESS THE LEAN STARTUP WAY

Mei Lu

Founder & CEO

Jobfully.com | Geekology.biz

ABOUT ME

TL;DR

I’m a software jobs and careers geek

ABOUT ME

Education -

MS, Computer Science, University of Pennsylvania

MS, Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University

ABOUT ME

Software Development Engineer / Manager -

MicroStrategy, MIT, Qpass, Manugistics, SoftMed, etc.

Tech Recruiting -

SF Bay Area Tech Companies

Startup -

Jobfully.com: Help developers and software engineers take control of their career and make the right career move

Geekology.biz: Help technical recruiters “speak geek” and better understand software talent and jobs

WHAT DO THEY HAVE TO DO WITH EACH OTHER?

SOFTWARE CAREER&

LEAN STARTUP

LEAN STARTUP

LEAN STARTUP

Lean = minimum waste

Goal: accelerated success

LEAN STARTUP LANDING A JOB

How does apply to ?

How It Works >>

BUILD-MEASURE-LEARN

LEAN STARTUP KEY CONCEPT#1

BUILD-MEASURE-LEARN

The Build-Measure-Learn loop emphasizes speed as a critical ingredient to product development.

This rapid iteration allows teams to discover a feasible path towards product/market fit.

LEAN STARTUP CYCLE

Ideas

Data

Build

Measure

Learn

Product

CAREER GROWTH CYCLE

Career

goals

Feed-

back

Build

Measure

Learn

YOU

CAREER GROWTH CYCLE

Career

goals

Feed-

back

I want to be a developer

I want to build data models

I want to make beautiful products

Build

Measure

Learn

YOU

CAREER GROWTH CYCLE

Career

goals

Feed-

back

Build

Measure

Learn Coding Bootcamp

Personal projects

Internships

YOU

CAREER GROWTH CYCLE

Build

Measure

Learn

Career

goals

Feed-

back

Technical knowledge

Coding skills and experience

Soft skills (teamwork, communication, etc.)

YOU

CAREER GROWTH CYCLE

BuildLearn

Measure

Career

goals

Feed-

back

Get certified

Submit resume

Interview

YOU

CAREER GROWTH CYCLE

Build

Measure

Learn

Career

goals

Feed-

back

Phone interviews

In-person interviews

Job offers

YOU

CAREER GROWTH CYCLE

Build

Measure

Learn

Career

goals

YOUFeed-

back

Gaps in knowledge?

Specific experience missing?

“Unfamiliar” culture?

POTENTIAL PITFALLS

Career

goals

Feed-

back

Build

Measure

Learn

YOU

MINIMUM VIABLE PRODUCT

LEAN STARTUP KEY CONCEPT#2

MINIMUM VIABLE PRODUCT (MVP)

An MVP is the “version of a new product which allows a team to collect the maximum amount of validated learning about customers with the least effort.”

In job search

Minimum Hire-able Condition (MHC):

An MHC is when a candidate “possesses enough skills to perform the work at a proficient level and can receive validation from employers with the least effort.”

POTENTIAL PITFALLS

Career

goals

Feed-

back

Build

Measure

Learn Coding Bootcamp

Internships

YOU

• Done enough?

• Over killing?

• Doing the right things?

Personal projects

POTENTIAL PITFALLS

BuildLearn

Measure

Career

goals

Feed-

back

Get certified

Submit resume

Interview

YOU

• Under prepared

• Lost opportunities

• Permanent-ish record

WHAT DO EMPLOYERS WANT?

Technical Chops

Industry

Experience Soft Skills

brilliant

loner

sales &

marketing

worker

beeDREAM

CANDIDATE

WEB DEVELOPMENT

image source:

https://medium.com/swlh/the-

full-stack-developer-is-a-myth-

4e3fb9c25867

DevO

ps

Ba

ck-e

nd D

ev

Front

-end

Dev

UI/

UX

Pro

d

mg

mt

Full

sta

ck d

ev

DATA SCIENCE

ACTIONABLE METRICS

LEAN STARTUP KEY CONCEPT#3

ACTIONABLE METRICS

Actionable metrics can lead to informed business decisions and subsequent action.

In job search

Actionable feedback

Actionable feedback can lead to do-able actions to fill gaps in becoming MHC.

POTENTIAL PITFALLS

Build

Measure

Learn

Career

goals

YOUFeed-

back

Gaps in knowledge?

Specific experience missing?

“Unfamiliar” culture?

• No learning

• Mis-interpreting

• Blind spots

ACTIONABLE FEEDBACK

Uncover blind spotsEmployer evaluation criteria

Career choices

Career paths

Identify gapsEmployer evaluation criteria

STEP-BY-STEP PROCESS

APPLYING LEAN STARTUP TO YOUR CAREER IN TECH

REACHING MINIMUM HIRING CONDITION, FAST

1. Research employer hiring criteria

2. Define actionable feedback

3. Develop build-measure-learn strategy

4. Execute Build-Measure-Learn

Prioritize gaps

Design plans and determine timeline

Implement action items to fill gaps

5. Reflect and identify next action

6. Pivot, if necessary

MEI@JOBFULLY.COM Find me on LinkedIn and

Twitter @meiiam

WHAT ARE YOUR CAREER GOALS, PLANS AND STRATEGY?

LET’S TALK.