Pingsta is seeking senior software geeks with ninja PHP+RoR+AJAX+Algorithms skills - to apply email

Are you interested in working for a fast-growing technology company
with lots of energy, passion and excitement?

At Pingsta, we place utmost emphasis on hiring smart and talented
people that see every challenge as an opportunity to excel and thrive
in intellectually stimulating environments free of politics, where all
opinions and contributions are respected and rewarded.


Benefits

Pingsta offers highly competitive salaries, stock option packages and
perks such as:

* Medical, dental and vision plans.
* 22 vacation days per year, plus 8 floating national holidays.
* Employee assistance program
* Tuition reimbursement
* Complimentary breakfast, lunch and dinner
* Complimentary beverages and snacks
* Complimentary Shiatsu massage
* Generous maternity and paternity leaves
* Onsite dry cleaning and laundry service
* Free parking
* Subsidized gym membership
* Widescreen LCD monitors and your laptop of choice
* Employee referral bonuses
* Job satisfaction from helping to make the world a better place


Pingsta is an equal opportunity employer.


Senior Software Engineers

Pingsta is seeking experienced Software Engineers to join our
development team. The position is full-time and is based in our Palo
Alto, CA offices. The successful candidates will report directly to
the CTO and help build the next-generation system behind Pingsta's
products, create cutting-edge collaborative tools, straddle
information retrieval algorithms with fearless drive and creativity
and build highly scalable web applications.

Responsibilities:

* Design software components in C++, Java, PHP and Ruby on Rails
* Create web applications primarily using PHP and Implement web
interfaces using XHTML, CSS, Javascript and AJAX
* Incorporate cross-functional ideas and innovations
* Conduct design and code review


Requirements:

* B.S. Computer Science or related field
* Expertise in C++, PHP, AJAX, Ruby on Rails, Perl, JavaScript,
XML, CSS
* Excellent working Knowledge of Python, Unix, Linux, Windows,
Apache
* Excellent working Knowledge of relational databases and SQL,
preferably MySQL
* A strong sense of ownership, urgency, and drive.
* Great interpersonal skills along with excellent written and
verbal communication.
* Agile multitasker that copes well in interrupt-driven
environments


Location:
Palo Alto, CA

Application:
Please email a plain text (ASCII), HTML or PDF version of your resume
(CV) to play at pingsta dot com


Pingsta does not accept resumes from recruitment agencies. Thus,
please do not send agency resumes to our jobs aliases and employees as
we will not be responsible for fees related to unsolicited resumes.

Re: Pingsta is seeking senior software geeks with ninja PHP+RoR+AJAX+Algorithms skills - to apply em

On Thu, 27 Sep 2007 01:35:19 +0200, eninja wrote:
> Are you interested in working for a fast-growing technology company
> with lots of energy, passion and excitement?

Nope.

> At Pingsta, we place utmost emphasis on hiring smart and talented
> people

Smart and talented people should know better then to post a message like
this...

> that see every challenge as an opportunity to excel

Pfff. A problem is a problem to be fixed, excelllence has nothing to do
with it.

> and thrive
> in intellectually stimulating environments free of politics,

Yeah sure, show me an environment with people without politics, and I'll
show you a flying pig.

> where all
> opinions and contributions are respected and rewarded.

All my opinions are rewarded due to my PHP excellence? Whooohooo. Here's
my first: public transfer in Holland should focus more on competetive
prices rather then luxury comfort. Money please...

> Pingsta offers highly competitive salaries,

Well, OK

> stock option packages

No way.

> and
> perks such as:
>
> * Medical, dental and vision plans.

Ah, targeted at US citizens I see.

> * 22 vacation days per year, plus 8 floating national holidays.

OK, now I'm really sure it's US citizens...

> * Employee assistance program

What? I get an assistant? Or what?

> * Complimentary breakfast, lunch and dinner

Offering dinner means overtime, all the time...

> * Complimentary beverages and snacks

Coffee, all I need...

> * Complimentary Shiatsu massage

Ah, there's the reason for the overtime.

> * Onsite dry cleaning and laundry service

People really shouldn't have a life outside the company, should they?

> * Free parking

Damn. People, I might be an ignorant dutchman here, but where the hell
would you work where they actually charge you for parking?

> * Subsidized gym membership

Keep them fit, well, it's admirable, nothing to say about that

> * Widescreen LCD monitors and your laptop of choice

Whoo widescreen. As long as they're tiltable to highscreen it's OK. It's
not like I'm going to watch movies there.

> * Employee referral bonuses

Sucking them in....

> * Job satisfaction from helping to make the world a better place

OK, so please tell me what you actually do?

> Pingsta is an equal opportunity employer.

I'd like to have a higher opportunity then less skilled competitors.

> Pingsta is seeking experienced Software Engineers to join our
> development team. The position is full-time and is based in our Palo
> Alto, CA offices. The successful candidates will report directly to
> the CTO and help build the next-generation system behind Pingsta's
> products, create cutting-edge collaborative tools, straddle
> information retrieval algorithms with fearless drive and creativity
> and build highly scalable web applications.

*marketing blurp*. What's the actual work?
--
Rik Wasmus

Re: Pingsta is seeking senior software geeks with ninja PHP+RoR+AJAX+Algorithms skills - to apply em

Well, quoting you, Rik, I might be an ignorant portugueseman here, but
I just loved their conditions. I just can't accept it because of the
Degree and the AJAX part (Dang I really have to learn JS). Else I
would accept it right away. They offer stuff you don't see here in
Portugal ANYWHERE.

And they posted here because there are tons of PHP developers here,
great place to post at. Except for getting posts like yours.

And of course all their post was marketing blurp, but hey, without it,
the world wouldn't be where it is right now ;)

Re: Pingsta is seeking senior software geeks with ninja PHP+RoR+AJAX+Algorithmsskills - to apply ema

Hi, Rik,

Some comments from the real status here in the U.S.

Rik Wasmus wrote:
> On Thu, 27 Sep 2007 01:35:19 +0200, eninja wrote:
>> Are you interested in working for a fast-growing technology company
>> with lots of energy, passion and excitement?
>
> Nope.
>
>> At Pingsta, we place utmost emphasis on hiring smart and talented
>> people
>
> Smart and talented people should know better then to post a message like
> this...
>

No shit.

>> that see every challenge as an opportunity to excel
>
> Pfff. A problem is a problem to be fixed, excelllence has nothing to do
> with it.
>

Translation: you're overworked and underpaid.

>> and thrive
>> in intellectually stimulating environments free of politics,
>
> Yeah sure, show me an environment with people without politics, and I'll
> show you a flying pig.
>

None with more than 5-6 employees, I can assure you :-)
>> where all
>> opinions and contributions are respected and rewarded.
>
> All my opinions are rewarded due to my PHP excellence? Whooohooo. Here's
> my first: public transfer in Holland should focus more on competetive
> prices rather then luxury comfort. Money please...
>

A real problem amongst many companies, unfortunately. The "boss's
pet's" contributions are rewarded; others are considered "wave makers"
and other non-team players.

>> Pingsta offers highly competitive salaries,
>
> Well, OK
>

You get more than the $10/hr. paid to H-1B visa holders, unfortunately.

>> stock option packages
>
> No way.
>

What's 10% of nothing?

>> and
>> perks such as:
>>
>> * Medical, dental and vision plans.
>
> Ah, targeted at US citizens I see.
>

Pretty standard except in very small companies and shady operators. Not
necessarily U.S. citizens, however.

>> * 22 vacation days per year, plus 8 floating national holidays.
>
> OK, now I'm really sure it's US citizens...
>

No shit.

>> * Employee assistance program
>
> What? I get an assistant? Or what?
>

No, it's a mental health program here where you can get up to six or
eight (I forget which) free visits with a psychologist to find out
you're being overworked (and underpaid).

>> * Complimentary breakfast, lunch and dinner
>
> Offering dinner means overtime, all the time...
>

Nope, no overtime. Rather, they expect you to work 60-70 hours/wk at a
fixed rate (salary)

>> * Complimentary beverages and snacks
>
> Coffee, all I need...
>

That in itself could save me a couple $K/yr :-)

>> * Complimentary Shiatsu massage
>
> Ah, there's the reason for the overtime.
>

You got it!

>> * Onsite dry cleaning and laundry service
>
> People really shouldn't have a life outside the company, should they?
>

Nice if you have to wear a suit to work, or don't have a washer/dryer.
But I got over that years ago.

>> * Free parking
>
> Damn. People, I might be an ignorant dutchman here, but where the hell
> would you work where they actually charge you for parking?
>

Actually, in Silicon Valley, like Washington, DC (where I am), New York
and other areas, this is a pretty good benefit. Here parking can easily
cost you $10-20/day. And your choice is to drive, walk or take the
Metro. But if you're not near a metro station or not into hiking
20mi/day, you would also have to take a cab - which could run you more.
Not really a matter of choice if you want a job. (BTW - ares of NYC
can be *much* higher).

>> * Subsidized gym membership
>
> Keep them fit, well, it's admirable, nothing to say about that
>

Not bad - gym memberships here cost $50-100/mo. But how much is the
subsidy? 10%?

>> * Widescreen LCD monitors and your laptop of choice
>
> Whoo widescreen. As long as they're tiltable to highscreen it's OK. It's
> not like I'm going to watch movies there.
>

I agree. Wow - not!

>> * Employee referral bonuses
>
> Sucking them in....
>

Yep. Got a friend (soon to be ex-friend) who wants to be a slave, also?


>> * Job satisfaction from helping to make the world a better place
>
> OK, so please tell me what you actually do?
>

They just told you - they make the world a better place! :-)

>> Pingsta is an equal opportunity employer.
>
> I'd like to have a higher opportunity then less skilled competitors.
>

Actually a legal requirement in the U.S. Refers to no discrimination
due to race/color/creed/etc.

>> Pingsta is seeking experienced Software Engineers to join our
>> development team. The position is full-time and is based in our Palo
>> Alto, CA offices. The successful candidates will report directly to
>> the CTO and help build the next-generation system behind Pingsta's
>> products, create cutting-edge collaborative tools, straddle
>> information retrieval algorithms with fearless drive and creativity
>> and build highly scalable web applications.
>
> *marketing blurp*. What's the actual work?

Being pushed so hard you have no life outside of their company. In
fact, I'm surprised they didn't advertise the cots in their office,
shower facilities, etc.

Side note: In case you're wondering - I've had it up to my eyeballs with
companies like this. From their comments I could easily qualify for the
job. But unless they're offering at least $200k/hr, I'm not interested.

--
==================
Remove the "x" from my email address
Jerry Stuckle
JDS Computer Training Corp.
jstucklex@attglobal.net
==================

Re: Pingsta is seeking senior software geeks with ninja PHP+RoR+AJAX+Algorithmsskills - to apply ema

Well, here are the comments of another "ignorant dutchman":
> On Thu, 27 Sep 2007 01:35:19 +0200, eninja wrote:
>> Are you interested in working for a fast-growing technology company
>> with lots of energy, passion and excitement?
>
> Nope.

I really wouldn't know what the sentence would mean. If they are
fast-growing, I would not want to work there until the company has
stabilized.
If they are a *real* technology company, excitement is what you are
payed to avoid. Most technology is used to silently handle
responsibilities of a company. Especially in web projects. Most sites I
build are "machines" in the sense of an ATM or a ticket machine. It
should not blow up or display flashy messages, it should just work. It
should handle its responsibility even when things go utterly wrong. In
that case particular, it should show no energy, passion or excitement.
It should keep its head cool. Like the developers that built it.

>> At Pingsta, we place utmost emphasis on hiring smart and talented
>> people
>
> Smart and talented people should know better then to post a message like
> this...

If they want to hire people from all over the world, it would not be
*that* dumb. But somehow I don't think they do.

>> that see every challenge as an opportunity to excel
>
> Pfff. A problem is a problem to be fixed, excelllence has nothing to do
> with it.

They don't want you to glue broken things. They want flashy bandages
that glow in the dark...

>> and thrive
>> in intellectually stimulating environments free of politics,
>
> Yeah sure, show me an environment with people without politics, and I'll
> show you a flying pig.

They don't say that they have such an environment. Just that they are
looking for people who would thrive there. Because they want politically
ignorant people? By the way, I vote for the flying pig...

>> where all
>> opinions and contributions are respected and rewarded.

Let's just stop here, otherwise this post gets way too big. All
companies I know claim to have an "informal worksphere". No company in
the world is going to say that they are rigid or blunt-headed. I usually
ignore those kind of sentences.

It is nice to see all the flashy language without any content. I still
haven't got the faintest idea what the company or the job would be like.
Reading their post is like looking at a mask.

They seem good at selling things. This is precisely the reason I left my
former employer: they were really good at selling things too, but I had
solve the shit afterwards.

Kopje,
Dikkie

Re: Pingsta is seeking senior software geeks with ninja PHP+RoR+AJAX+Algorithms skills - to apply em

> They seem good at selling things. This is precisely the reason I left my
> former employer: they were really good at selling things too, but I had
> solve the shit afterwards.

+1 xD