Robert Sweeney

I received my offer from Netflix 24 hours after I interviewed with them. The offer was double my current salary. They didn't even ask what my current salary was. They offered top of market right out of the gate.

Their process was:
1. Call from recruiter
2. Tech screen from hiring manager
3. Onsite interviews
4. Offer

The entire process only took a week.

Offers should take 48 hours at most. More than that is a red flag. It means the company is old and slow or isn't prioritizing hiring you.

A company will never treat you better than when they are trying to hire you!

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If you are struggling to hire tech talent, www.facet.net can help you avoid mistakes like this.

#softwareengineering #recruiting #startups

A LOT of people are being laid off right now. Here's the letter that I wish I had gotten in 2018, right after I lost my job:

Hey Robert,

You will be okay. In fact you will be better than okay. I know it's hard to believe, but getting let go today will be the best thing that has ever happened to you.

The reason this hurts so much is because you over-invested in your career. You made a lot of sacrifices (long hours, missed family time, low pay), and your reward was being let go. Make a commitment now to not give free labor to your employer! Sacrifice for your loved ones, not your employer.

You feel like a failure. You aren't. Being let go does not take away all that you've accomplished in your career. Being let go does not define you. It happened - own it. You are a badass.

Take advantage of the free time you have now to strengthen your family and help others.

Make changes now to give yourself time to find your next calling. You are going to LOVE your next job. This experience will allow you to help millions of people. You can't even imagine.

The next few months will be tough, but it's temporary. You will get through this and you will realize you are stronger than you knew.

From,
Your future self
#layoffs #covid19

I don't hire bros.

Bro culture is common in tech, especially startups. Bros are vulgar. Bros think jokes that demean women are funny. Bros make lewd comments. Bros harass women. Bros think it's okay to share obscene content with their co-workers. Bros bully their coworkers. Bros are sexist.

Bros have a code - they stick together when one of them acts badly.

Bro culture is toxic. Bros make good employees want to quit.

If you work at a company that has bros, stand up to them. Tell them that you are not okay with they way they treat you. Tell them their behavior is not welcome at your company.

If your company HR or management protects bros, for any reason, leave.

I don't care how good you are at your job. I don't care if you close millions in sales. If you act like a bro, you will be terminated. We have zero tolerance for bros at Facet (www.facet.net).

Bros have to go.

#culture #startups #leadership

I don't believe in rewarding only certain employees for their job offer negotiation skills.

Microsoft offered me $72,000 back in 2004. I was still in college and there were not very many jobs in tech at the time. It was the only offer I had and I was thrilled…but I felt like I was supposed to negotiate. Companies never start with their best offer, right?

I told them I was expecting more and that I would think it over.

I didn’t sleep at all that night. I was so afraid they would withdraw the offer that I arranged a call with the recruiter early the next morning. I told her I would take $73,000 and held my breath. Her response: “Well, I already got approval for $74,000 so how about we go with that.”

I immediately accepted and was SO relieved that I hadn’t blown it.

Two of my classmates accepted the first offer at $72,000. That didn’t seem fair at all.

Negotiating a job offer is terrifying for candidates, so at Facet (www.facetdev.com) we always start with our absolute best offer. The little bit of money we might save by starting low is not worth the loss of trust that inevitably will happen when employees find out someone else got more for the same job.

#softwareengineering #hr #recruiting

Startup founder: We're going to offer you $90K and 1M stock options.

Candidate: But I told you I was currently making $115K...

Startup founder: Yeah, but we're giving you 1M stock options.

Candidate: OK, that sounds like a lot, but how many total shares are there? What percentage of the company would I own?

Startup founder: I can't tell you that.

Candidate: Uh, then how am I supposed to know how much those 1M stock options could be worth? What's the current price of the stock?

Startup founder: I can't tell you that either. But we're backed by some great investors!

Candidate: Yeah, I think I'm going to pass.

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That candidate was me 13 years ago. The startup shut down a few years later.

There's no valid reason for a startup to hide what percentage of the company they are giving you. If they won't tell you how many total shares there are, they are hiding it because they don't want you to know how little it is.

#startups #founders #jobinterviews

I struggle with social anxiety. Sometimes it gets pretty severe and I have panic attacks.


I’ve always been afraid of talking to people. I’m the kind of person that will pretend not to notice a friend on the street because I am afraid I will be awkward or won’t know what to say.


I’ve gone to networking events and been completely paralyzed by fear, unable to talk to anyone. I will go home feeling so disappointed in myself. Why can’t I just say “Hi, I’m Robert”?!?


About a year ago I decided to try using LinkedIn to help overcome my fears and generate some business for my new company. (www.facetdev.com) I started sharing my successes, failures, and the occasional rant.


The results are hard to comprehend. My stories have been read by over 60M people. I, a socially awkward introvert, was named a LinkedIn Top Voice for 2019. I’ve received hundreds of messages from people I’ve never met, thanking me for sharing my stories and helping them get through a tough period in their life.


I’ll be honest, all the attention scares me, but I love the changes it has caused in me. If I can tell 5M people that I was fired, then I can say “hi” to a stranger.


I went to a networking event last week and the fear was gone. Finally.

It's never too late to believe in yourself.

The first time someone turned down a job offer I made, I took it personally. He had compensation demands that I thought were unreasonable.

I was sure he would regret it later when he saw the news about our company selling for billions of dollars.

In fact, I kept a list of people that turned down the opportunity to work at my startup. I used it as motivation to work harder. I wanted to prove them all wrong.

You can guess what happened - they forgot all about my startup, and my startup eventually failed.

I was dumb. I acted petty.

Now I have a different approach. When someone turns down a job offer I tell them that the offer stands - indefinitely. As long as we have an open position, they can accept the job at any time. We think they are amazing, we want them at our company, and if we have to wait a while, we'll take them when they are ready.

I got a text this morning from someone that turned down a job offer I made a few months ago. She's ready to join www.facet.net now.

I'm thrilled! :D

#recruiting #leadership #startups

Brothers protect sisters.

Sadly, my only sister passed away this year. She was only 38.

We were close. She was the person I went to when I needed someone to understand me.

I’ve had a hard time accepting it. My heart aches every day.

I’ve seen #givethanks trending on social media the past couple of days. The stories I’ve read have lifted me up. I want to add my story.

I am sad for the loss of my sister, but I am grateful that she was a part of my life. I thank God for the time we had together and the love she gave me.

I invite you to #givethanks too. Maybe this movement can add a little bit more hope and love to the world.

After hours of googling, you FINALLY find the EXACT error message you’ve been struggling with on stack overflow…

…Only to scroll down and see there are no answers yet! 😩💔

#softwaredevelopment