Technical Recruiting in the Flyover Zone
Good engineers like working on intellectually stimulating, ambitious technical problems that will expand their minds. They also like having other really bright, hardworking engineers with them in the trenches. At Space Monkey, we’ve got both.
But we’re also located outside of the Bay Area, which some claim to be a recruiting disadvantage. We disagree. We’ve been able to recruit not only some of the most sought-after talent in our own backyard, but we’ve also been able to convince people from coast to coast to relocate. A full quarter of our current staff moved to Utah in order to join Space Monkey.
So how does a tech startup outside of the Bay Area attract good talent? By playing to its strengths:
Space Monkey is trying to change how the world stores data, forever. Saying that you’re “changing the world” can be cliché in startup circles, but only if you don’t really have a bigger purpose, a larger mission. At Space Monkey, we sincerely believe there is something wrong with a world where datacenters consume more electricity than all the world’s nations individually (only the United States, Russia, Japan, and China consume more than the Cloud). Solving that problem while also simultaneously addressing the most common pain points with consumer cloud storage (speed, price, and quantity) imbues our team with a purpose that really will make the world a better place — and not just for our customers; reducing energy waste affects everyone on the planet.
Geography. Rather than defend why we’re not located in Palo Alto or Boston or New York, we highlight the things that make our location better than those places.
For example, here’s the view from a spot that is literally 15 minutes (5 driving plus 10 hiking) from my front door:
And here’s another, this one a 30 minute drive up the canyon to one of the most accessible peaks along the Wasatch Front:
There are hundreds of spots like this within a short drive of Utah population centers — view from Buffalo Peak TrailWithin a half-day’s journey, you can also be at any of the Mighty Five national parks (Arches, Canyonlands, Capital Reef, Zions, and Bryce Canyon). Yellowstone, the Grand Canyon, and a number of just-as-impressive state parks are also within easy reach:
And I haven’t even mentioned the skiing yet. Most of Utah’s residents live within a 20–40 minute drive of a ski resort. This makes it possible to easily get to the slopes on a weekend, or even after work for a few hours of night skiing. And if you want to know how good the snow is before you head out, just look out the window — local storm conditions echo canyon resorts.
Of course there’s lots more to do in a town like Salt Lake than hike, camp, and ski. In the summer, mountain biking is even more accessible than skiing is in the winter. Local events such as the Sundance Film Festival are perennial draws. A much longer list of local activities, places to visit, and events can be found here.
The cost of living in Utah is often a shock to those used to coastal prices. A lower cost of living translates into higher effective wages, larger homes and yards, and if managed wisely, many other opportunities. It really is a great place to live, and a wonderful place to raise a family.
The tech scene is hot in Utah. Historically, these valleys birthed titans in their verticals, from Novell and WordPerfect in their day, to Overstock, Omniture, Qualtrics, Ancestry.com, Vivint, FusionIO, and many others today. The University of Utah was one of the first four nodes on the original ARPANet, foundation of the Internet itself. Some of the foundational work in Computer Graphics was laid at local universities, and today, those universities have become the source of innovation for the country’s top animation studios and effects companies. Software, hardware, and biotech are leading industries in Utah. The state has over 7,000 tech-focused companies and 14.3% of total payroll goes to the technology sector. Why is this important to Space Monkey recruiting? Good engineers like to know that they have options, even if they don’t plan on needing to exercise them.
And one of the best things about working at Space Monkey? All the pictures and videos you take of the adventures you have while living here — whether they be outdoor majesties or trying to get a selfie with a celebrity in Park City — are automatically saved to the Space Monkey network where they become nearly indestructible, universally accessible, and sharable.
All the photos in this blog post were originally taken with my camera and automatically stored in Space Monkey.
Did I mention that we’re hiring?
Originally posted on July 30th, 2014 by @alenp
