So, you’re pitching me on a software engineering position
Here’s what you should know
Hi! 👋 Thank you for taking the time to reach out to me.
If I’ve sent you this link, it means that I want to talk further about potentially working together but I want you to know more about me and what I’m looking for before we invest our time. This post is less about my technical proficiency and accomplishments and more about me as a collaborator: what motivates me, what I’m good at, what I’m bad at, and where I want to go. (Here’s a more conventional profile that has my professional accomplishments.)
If you’ve stumbled on this page by happy accident and are looking to hire, you should read through and drop a line if you think that we’d be a good match.
TL;DR
My name is Ersin Akinci and I’ve been developing software professionally (mostly web development) for six years. I have a wide and wild intellectual background with a penchant for emotional intelligence. I love working with small and healthy teams that have strong dynamics. I’m currently freelancing and would be open to full-time employment for the right pitch.
Background info about me
Who am I?
I’m an emotionally-aware (classic Pisces, dead-ringer type 4 on the enneagram) software engineer with a deep intellectual curiosity and playfulness. I’ve been writing software professionally for six years, but I’ve been programming since age 8. I’ve been a hacker, a founder, an advocate, and a scholar.
What do I want?
To build world-class products quickly and efficiently with high-performing colleagues who care about each other. Also, to become the best engineer that I can be.
What makes me stand out?
I have an exceptional intellectual breadth and depth combined with a high level of emotional intelligence. I switched careers from a PhD in history to cracking iPhone encryption, then once again to web and mobile development. I still have a child-like sense of wonder at the smallest things.
I’m fundamentally a big picture thinker who’s been tempered by years of practical experience. I excel in uncertainty, especially at the beginnings and middles of things, when I’m supported by a team that believes in me. I’m a master tactician, and I can provide brilliant insights to others who can executing on strategy.
What makes me useful?
On a technical and product level, I’ve worked on everything from e-commerce platforms used by millions of people daily to detailed data visualizations for national non-profits. I feel comfortable with parachuting into any tech stack and firefighting. I also have enough experience to give good opinions on architecture, taking into account scaling, organizational/political constraints and software lifecycles.
On a professional level, I’ve taken on enough roles between freelancing, founding, and working for startups to know what I’m good at and what I’m bad at — and to be honest about it. I know what I need to thrive and I won’t waste your time if I feel that we’re a bad fit.
If you’re a startup, I’m also well-versed in the business side of things. When requested, I regularly provide my clients with helpful “wow, I never thought of that” ad-libbed advice about their business goals, the kind that you want from your early engineers. My philosophy regarding product development is that features should always be informed and driven by business goals and, whenever possible, hard data.
Why we may or may not be a good fit for each other
What roles am I looking for?
I’m happy to work as an individual contributor or a team lead/manager, whether as an individual contractor or potentially as a full-time hire (see below). For corporate positions, I’m undecided/fluid about management track vs. being a long-term individual contributor.
What’s my current employment status?
I’m currently freelancing and have recently found my groove. The path of least resistance to hiring me is for us to structure the engagement as a short or long-term contract. I can work either hourly or fixed-term. I have a small group of amazing clients and I have the bandwidth to add one or two more.
I’m also open to full-time salaried work, but my fear is that I will feel trapped or get bored. My mind runs a mile a minute and I feel suffocated when I’m forced to focus all my mindshare on a single thing. Remote positions help 👍. (Also, if you’re outside of the Bay Area, let’s talk.)
What do I like to build?
When it comes to startups, I like building products that target underserved verticals or vital but low-visibility niches within high-profile areas. I like these types of products because they have high growth potential, they’re developed by domain experts and they tend to have revenue-oriented business models. Here are some recent product pitches that have grabbed my attention:
- A platform for helping pharmaceutical companies find medical study participants in order to increase the rate of new drugs coming to market
- A CAD-like tool for solar panel installers to design the layout of panel arrays in order to decrease their prep time
- A mobile app for beauty professionals to manage their small businesses in order to increase their financial stability
When it comes to freelancing, I like the things above as well as agency/creative work. My most recent gigs have involved intricate data visualizations and consulting for a large mapping platform company on potential improvements to their flagship product.
I’ve always had a strong interest in improving tooling, documentation, developer UX, and technical processes.
For better or worse, I’m not a good fit for “we will change the world”-type pitches.
What do I need to thrive?
- Strong and healthy team dynamics: everyone sacrifices for each other without sacrificing who they are 🤝
- A sense of independence and having enough space to breathe 🌬
- Having others handling design and project management so that I can focus on what I’m best at: engineering 🔧
- Strong financial incentive 💰
- Firm, fair, and empathetic leadership that can keep me grounded 🎯
- Being surrounded by low-ego and kind technical brilliance that I can learn from and contribute to 💥
- The more empathic the team, the better 💛
What do I struggle with (and what am I working on)?
- Finishing/shipping/closing without an external push 🚢
- Maintaining morale when I perceive that I’ve been slighted or not recognized 📉
- Moving decisively as a technical leader and disappointing others 📯
What do I plain ol’ not want to do?
- Be the “startup midwife,” helping brand-new founders create a business from scratch (been there, done that) 👶
- Work with leaders who aren’t self-reflective/are motivated by nothing more than blind ambition 🤑
- Engage in interview processes where whiteboarding algorithms is the key criterion in the technical screening process 🧮
Well, that was a mouthful.
Yes, it was, but I hope that you may have saved some time by learning a bit more about me before we move forward. I try to learn as much as I can about folks who reach out to me when their pitches capture my interest.
Do you think that we have the potential to be a good fit? If so, please let me know!
Best,
Ersin
