How I discovered the best job in the world.

An origin story about lunch, hecklers, and one really bad slogan.

Part 1: Tales too wrong not to be true.

When I founded Mirror in 2006, I didn't know anything about recruiting. Not a lick.

Well, I suppose I had learned one thing in my first four years of growing our software agency: my developer colleagues really hated recruiters.

That made an impression, since developers are just about the nicest people I know.

"What could recruiters be doing so badly to cause my good-natured friends to despise them?"

Turns out, a lot.

Our team talked it out over a long lunch. Something we call "Awesome Lunch Fridays" where the dev staff gets together for great rotating takeout and conversations.

The discussions are enlightening and inspiring, even if the food isn't as awesome anymore (more greens and less carbs, sigh).

I listened to the horror stories.

The tales of jobs and companies that didn't exist. The reluctance of recruiters to actually share the name of the company they were recruiting for. The anonymous well-funded tech startup whose job description sounded like tech keywords in a popcorn machine.

The lunch kept going and, somehow, the stories got worse.

I learned about having your resume submitted to dozens of companies without your consent. I heard of last-minute salary and title changes after many hours of invested time. I even learned of potential candidates submitted by recruiters to my own software agency who mysteriously "disappeared" when we showed interest in interviewing them.

Using fake developers as bait... who would have thought? Not me!

Part 2: The Revelation.

I have to admit, while I listened to these tales I was chuckling at each story, but also thinking seriously in the background...

"I can do way better!"

And, while doing anything better often means not just doing it differently but discovering how to do it differently, here the solution seemed obvious: radical transparency to developers and startups, and a pursuit of long-term relationships at the expense of short-term transactions.

Fortunate that these qualities happened to be my natural inclinations anyhow, I decided to give it a shot. What did I have to lose?

Part 3: First steps (and stumbles).

Well, I did get heckled. Really! Candidly, I probably deserved it.

You see, what did I select as my first slogan for our experimental recruiting venture? The new venture based on radical honesty and optimism?

"We hate recruiters, too."

In my defense, it was true. And, it seemed to resonate with developers who had experienced firsthand many of the insane experiences they shared with me.

However, other recruiters didn't appreciate it and they let me know (loudly!) during a charity event. For cancer research.

Somehow that proved both their point and mine, so I dropped the slogan, and carried on with our mission, joyfully and successfully to this day.

Part 4: The mission takes shape.

Real, Transparent Jobs

The job opportunities I'll share with you are real, and at actively-hiring companies.

They've hired me to help them expand their team by adding new developers that are the ideal technical and cultural fits.

I've been told by developers that this transparency is rare, and by recruiters that this is crazy.

"Couldn't the developers just apply directly to the companies then?"

I suppose they could, but over the years that's happened very rarely.

I believe that's because developers recognize after connecting with me that our collaboration together and my relationship with hiring managers will help them accelerate their careers now and in the future.

In our initial communications, I'll openly and immediately share the names of the client companies that I think you might be interested in. I'm on your team. I strive to provide value in information, opportunities, and advice from the very beginning.

Genuinely Interested Developers

I only submit developers with their consent, and only to opportunities they've reviewed and asked me to pursue for them.

I had naively assumed this was how all recruiters operated, but quickly realized this wasn't the case when we engaged recruiters for our own agency hiring needs.

It seemed a bit odd when, immediately after engaging a recruiter, 20 resumes would land in my inbox. I'd sort through them (essentially, doing the recruiter's job), select my favorites, and request an interview... only too often to hear that:

"The developer actually wasn't interested in interviewing with us."

This was insanity and, unfortunately, quite common I discovered.

So, it goes without saying, we will only submit a developer to a company once they have thoughtfully considered the opportunity (with all of the relevant details, in light of the transparency above) and agreed to move forward.

Authentic Advice & Collaboration

We promise we'll be real, even if it's not good news.

Most recruiters are focused on closing offers at any cost.

Don't we get paid for making placements?

So wouldn't it always be best to make the placement if at all possible?

A bad match doesn't do any favors to anyone, including us.

On our part, we're building long-term relationships with our clients. Relationships are built on trust.

After 25 years in this business, I pride myself on being able to truly tell when there is a good match or when a match both sides are considering might be suboptimal.

Smart job choices now will lay the foundation for future career success for our developers.

It doesn't do a company any good to hire quickly if that speed results in suboptimal fits that will create technical debt and institutional knowledge that bleeds when turnover inevitably occurs.

"I believe the right way and the best way are the same way and we are all better for it."

At the end of the day...

I think I have the best job in the world.

I get to be myself, to provide authentic help and support to people and organizations that I cherish.

And I know from experience that that authentic counsel is not only what I enjoy, but what provides long-term fulfillment that makes this work so satisfying.

I'd very much welcome a connection with you wherever you are on your journey!

THE TEAM

Let's build your future together.

BM

Brian Mariani

FOUNDER

Mirror has granted me the never-ending benefit of working daily with developers and leaders at startups. They make me smarter, energized, and hopeful. I'm deeply thankful for the part I play in the startup and developer journey, and joyful for a chance to support and enhance so many developers' career trajectories.

I believe that software development is the ultimate team sport, where the whole can be exponentially more than any assessment of the individual parts, particularly when individuals can operate at their natural frequencies and maximally create, connect, and grow.

As a child, I learned this lesson with my first love, baseball. In a sport where you couldn't play and scarcely practice without others, I discovered my passion for collaborating with peers in complementary roles and areas of skill. From little league to Brandeis University, my experience playing different positions and roles was seminal in forming my understanding of how people can best begin, contribute, and pivot.

Today, you'll often find me playing or watching baseball and other team sports with my wife Jaime (a high school coach) and our three children. Many evenings one of my children will overhear part of my end of a conversation with an engineer.

Often when I hang up, I enjoy sharing with them stories about the fulfillment the right job can provide, and inspiring examples that reveal no matter where you start, the top is within reach.

JS

Jonathan Soo Hoo

PARTNER

I'm joined by my partner at Mirror, Jonathan Soo Hoo. What can I say about Jonathan? Well first, anytime you get a neuroscience major who says that he wants to explore his passion for helping startups grow, the answer is yes! Here in Boston, he's what we call wicked smaht. But, more importantly than that, he's equally kind and authentic, qualities we believe bring out the best for our startups and developers.

Have you ever talked to someone who you can tell knows a ton about whatever the subject is?

Technology, geopolitics, cryptocurrency, fantasy football, personal finance, and physics: Jonathan can engage on all of these diverse subjects (and more) in smart and insightful ways.

What struck me most is that, when doing so, he's always asking questions, always seeking the other person's perspective, always eagerly learning more, and he never makes me feel dumb if I ask him to explain it to me like I'm a fifth grader.

It's this rare combination of broad knowledge and empathy that makes him so good at what he does, and I'm so fortunate to have him as my partner.

When you receive a message from Jonathan, it's meant just for you. He's learned who you are, has researched you carefully, and knows there's a benefit to a conversation. As a recruiter, I've met and worked with thousands of people over the years and I'm so lucky to be able to collaborate every day with one of the very best in Jonathan. I hope you have a chance to work with him too!

OUR DEVELOPER ROOTS

Mirror was born out of Atlantis Technology, my software development agency. We build software too. That's why we understand what great engineers actually do. When your recruiter has spent 25 years inside engineering teams, not just recruiting for them, the conversation is just different.