Yesterday, we were doing research on Seth Godin’s new internship offering and it brought us to a blog called Joel on Software. From there we saw that Joel’s company, Fog Creek Software, had internships. Unfortunately, all the internships for 2008 are filled. Fog Creek is already accepting (although not yet reviewing) applications for 2009! We were intrigued, so we decided to take a look at Fog Creek’s jobs, a few of which were newly listed just last week. These are serious software development jobs, and might not be perfect for most new grads, but we thought we’d talk about them anyways. If anyone is going to hire based on talent over experience, it’s Fog Creek Software; moreover, Fog Creek offers a perfect example of how great jobs can be found at small, entrepreneurial businesses.

Fog Creek Software is a company by developers for developers. Their business model says that if Fog Creek has the best working conditions, they’ll get the best programmers. If they have the best programmers, they’ll make the best software, and the best software = profit.

To recruit the best programmers, we’ve invested in the nicest work environment we can get. In 2003, we moved into a new office that was custom-designed by a top architect to be the ideal programming workspace, with private offices, windows everywhere, a lounge with a big plasma TV, and every feature a programmer could ever want. We even have twenty power outlets at each desk, at desk height, four with UPS power. That’s how fanatical we are about catering to programmers. Oh, and really comfortable chairs. We never hesitate to buy the tools we need to get our work done (standard issue: two large LCD monitors, one 30”, the other 21”).

Fog Creek Software has three major titles: FogBugz, a project management system; Copilot, a remote assistance service; and CityDesk, a content management system. The amazing thing is that Copilot was created by Fog Creek’s 2005 interns under the code name Project Aardvark. There’s even a movie of the interns’ experiences. With performances like that, it’s no big surprise that Fog Creek hires most of its people through its internship program. That means that you’re looking at a rare opportunity to join Fog Creek’s 20 employees. So what positions is Fog Creek Software hiring for? They’re in need of a Software Developer, a Linux Guru, and a Windows Internals Guru. They’re also looking for a Systems Administrator, which is almost never an entry-level position. This one is. Joel says it’s the chance of a lifetime, and we are sure he’s right. Fog Creek’s descriptions for each of these jobs are fantastic, so we won’t even try summarizing them. Interestingly enough, Joel hasn’t posted these jobs on his blog’s job board, but that’s not something that we’re too worried about.

If you do end up getting an interview with Fog Creek Software, you might want to note that Fog Creek’s other founder, Michael Pryor, runs techInterview. It’s like a cheat sheet for your interviews with examples of puzzles and questions that you might encounter. Even if you’re not interested in a job at Fog Creek Software, this resource should help you interview for a job in finance, consulting, or software development.

Note: On April 25th we revisited entry-level jobs at Fog Creek Software.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

• Fog Creek Software
• Jobs at Fog Creek Software
• About Fog Creek Software
• Joel on Software

Have you found any companies that value talent as highly as Fog Creek Software? Let us know about them, so that we can write about their entry-level jobs.

We've identified Fog Creek Software as having career opportunities in the following categories:

• all employers
• information technology
• New York
• software development

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One response to “Fog Creek Software”

1. Willy Franzen says:

   October 22, 2008 at 7:25 pm

   A reader e-mailed us a link to this story from Inc. Magazine that is just another reason that you should want to work for Fog Creek Software.

   Reply