We’re ninety minutes into a one-hour interview when the CTO says “We like your breadth of experience. Now we’d like to test your depth. If we gave you a quick programming assignment, which would you prefer — writing an iOS app, or an Android app? You should go with the one you’re stronger in.”
I’m a much stronger iOS programmer than an Android one. The smart move would’ve been to answer “iOS,” and be done with it.
Instead, I replied “Yes, but you want a guy who can lead a team of both iOS and Android developers. You really should give me both.”
The CTO raised an eyebrow, gave me a look, made a note on his pad, and said “Hmmm…I think I will.”
This is either a “total baller move” (to borrow a turn of phrase the kids are using these day), or the end of that job prospect. But for the job that they’re trying to fill, taking on that challenge was the right thing to do.
In the spirit of this story, I’ll close with the inspirational Han Solo desktop wallpaper shown below. It has a single profanity; if you’d like a profanity-free one, check out the LinkedIn version of this post.
Does your organization need a Han Solo?
I’m looking for my next great job! If you’re looking for someone with desktop, web, mobile, and IoT development skills who can also communicate to technical and non-technical audiences, or a marketer or evangelist who also has a technology background and can code, you should talk to me.