It comes as no surprise that something in the hiring of Developer Relations practitioners has become a mystery box of confusion. No standard path to follow, interviews ranging all over the map, homework assignments that go nowhere, and most conversations leading to few actual opportunities.

Topics Discussed:

Introduction to the Issue of Hiring in DevRel:

The episode addresses the ongoing challenges in hiring for Developer Relations (DevRel), with a focus on the unique issues facing professionals in this field.

Wesley Faulkner kicks off the discussion, sharing his personal experience of job hunting and highlighting several systemic issues within the hiring process for DevRel roles.

Key Problems with Hiring in DevRel:

PJ Haggerty highlights the broken nature of DevRel hiring, emphasizing:

• Keyword-based filtering in job applications, which often misses qualified candidates.


• A mismatch in expectations for the role, as companies frequently confuse DevRel with marketing, pre-sales, or customer success.


• The flood of inexperienced applicants who may be interested in DevRel but lack the necessary technical or industry experience.

Jason Hand adds that the mismatch between job descriptions and the actual needs of companies is another key issue, as job seekers often face unrealistic expectations (e.g., hiring for a "unicorn" candidate).

Additionally, salary mismatches are discussed, where companies expect highly experienced candidates but offer entry-level compensation.

Challenges with Job Descriptions and Expectations:

Wesley Faulkner points out that DevRel is often not properly listed as a category in job boards or applicant tracking systems (ATS), leading to candidates being overlooked or categorized incorrectly.

The language around DevRel roles varies significantly across industries, and this results in job descriptions being vague or overly broad, making it difficult for potential candidates to identify if the job aligns with their skills.

Hiring Managers' Lack of DevRel Expertise: Even people within DevRel leadership positions (e.g., Directors or VPs of DevRel) often lack a broad perspective of how DevRel functions across different companies, leading to myopic decision-making during the interview process.

The Role of Recruiters and Automation in the Hiring Process:

The episode dives into how AI and automation are increasingly used in the hiring process, but Wesley notes that the vast array of DevRel-related tasks (e.g., social media, technical documentation, community engagement) makes it difficult to define clear keywords for candidates.

Jason Hand discusses how recruiters who lack a deep understanding of DevRel can exacerbate the problem, often overlooking candidates who don't fit the narrow criteria set by automated systems, while also failing to match candidates with roles that align with their skills.

The Myth of the “DevRel Influencer” and Burnout:

The conversation shifts to the misconception that DevRel professionals should be “influencers” with large social media followings. This unrealistic expectation, especially from startups or new companies, distorts the role of DevRel and damages the overall hiring landscape.

Wesley Faulkner also discusses how burnout is common in DevRel roles due to unrealistic expectations and the volatile nature of the profession, where individuals often jump between short-term roles due to a lack of clear objectives or proper resourcing.

Job Hopping in DevRel:

The issue of job hopping is discussed, with Jason Hand and PJ Haggerty pointing out that the DevRel space has a high turnover rate, often due to factors like burnout, misaligned expectations, and lack of investment in the role by employers.

Wesley Faulkner links job hopping to the failure of organizations to resource and value DevRel properly, causing professionals to leave quickly for better opportunities.

Solutions and Hope for the Future:

PJ Haggerty concludes the conversation by noting that despite the frustration, there is hope for the future of DevRel hiring. He points out that as more documentation and resources (e.g., from initiatives like the DevRel Foundation) emerge, organizations will gain a better understanding of the value DevRel brings.

They also stress the importance of clarity in job descriptions and education for recruiters about the true nature of DevRel roles.

Key Takeaways:

• DevRel hiring is broken, with issues including keyword filtering, unclear job descriptions, unrealistic expectations, and mismatched compensation.


• Recruiters often lack understanding of what DevRel professionals actually do, leading to poor hiring outcomes.


• Burnout and job hopping are prevalent in DevRel due to unrealistic expectations and lack of proper support from organizations.


• Clearer definitions of DevRel and better alignment between hiring needs and candidate expectations are essential for improving the situation.


• The DevRel Foundation and other educational resources offer hope for improving how DevRel is defined and valued within organizations.

Action Items:

• Recruiters and Hiring Managers: Educate themselves about the full scope of DevRel roles and ensure job descriptions accurately reflect the true nature of the work.


• DevRel Professionals: Be prepared to answer questions about the specific value you bring to an organization and ensure the role aligns with your skills and expectations.


• DevRel Community: Contribute to resources like the DevRel Foundation to help shape better industry standards for hiring and defining DevRel roles.

Key Words and Themes:

DevRel Hiring

Keyword Filtering

Job Descriptions

Salary Mismatch

DevRel Influencer Myth

Burnout

Job Hopping

Recruiter Education

DevRel Foundation

Automation in Hiring

Unrealistic Expectations

Role Clarity

Transcript

[00:00:00 ] Wesley Faulkner: Welcome back to the Community Pulse. My name is Wesley Faulkner. And today we are bringing in a subject matter. That's near and dear to my heart. And this is hiring in DevRel as a person who's currently looking for a new role. I've seen things that I haven't seen before since the last time I was on the job hub.

[00:00:16 ] Wesley Faulkner: To start this topic, we have Jason Hand and PJ Haggerty here with me for us to have this kind of impromptu conversation to dive deep into the subject and I'll kick us off with the first question. What do you think is broken with DevRel hiring? And we'll start with you, PJ.

[00:00:33 ] PJ Haggerty: I almost want to answer, not flippantly, but seriously, what isn't broken with DevRel hiring?

[00:00:40 ] PJ Haggerty: I feel like that's a shorter list. I think that there's a few things that are wrong. One of the things that I think is a general tech issue is that the filtering and distilling of appropriate people and resumes is based on keyword searches and some SEO and maybe some AI magic in [00:01:00 ] the background.

[00:01:00 ] PJ Haggerty: That's causing people that are completely valid candidates to get booted out of situations. The evolution of DevRel and what that means is becoming a huge factor because I think a lot of people are thinking that it means I get an extra marketer or I get someone who does pre sales or, like we're still fighting this constant battle of defining DevRel.

[00:01:19 ] PJ Haggerty: And I know we talked a little bit in the last episode about DevRel maturity, but I still think that a vast majority of our jobs revolve around explaining what we do. And then you just add to that the glut of people who want to be in DevRel versus the hyper minority of people who are actually experienced in the job.

[00:01:39 ] PJ Haggerty: But because there's so many people there's a big signal to noise ratio issue. A lot of people want to do this. But the actual signal, the people who are qualified, the people who are experienced, the people who can do it is a very limited number of people. And I think all of those things contribute to the currently horrible, frankly, horrible situation in hiring [00:02:00 ] endeavor.

[00:02:00 ] PJ Haggerty: And I know that. Wesley, you're going through it right now. I think a lot of our listeners know I just finished going through it a few months ago, and it was like a 7 month slog of absolutely nightmarish hiring practice.

[00:02:11 ] PJ Haggerty: What do you got, Jay?

[00:02:15 ] Jason Hand: What I got was that, I agree with all of that. And as somebody who was laid off a little over a year ago, spent a good amount of time and energy into the whole process of submitting resumes and going through rounds and rounds of interviews and also doing that while injured, it was not a great experience.

[00:02:35 ] Jason Hand: So I empathize with everybody who's been through a layoff-like situation. Because it is, it's traumatic. And to find them for myself, a place that has been a good landing and a good, just opportunity for me has, I think I've helped, I've seen the full arc, basically. For being super in a low place and then suddenly feeling like, you've returned to what you did [00:03:00 ] previously and landed on your feet.

[00:03:01 ] Jason Hand: So it's a scary thing in general. And right now from a lot of the folks