Hello world, it’s about time I posted on the Ooga blog. My name is Jon and I go by the title of Talent Czar for Ooga Labs.

I keep hearing from other companies and headhunters that there’s a talent war going on for the best engineers.  My job is easy because we offer something completely different. I probably speak with a dozen engineers from top schools a week.  I just have to lay out the facts about Ooga Labs:

• We’re a team of super intelligent nice people that love to code and build stuff (RoR, PHP, Java, CSS, Python).
• You get a wealth of learning because there are multiple starts under one roof with an open and transparent culture.
• We build mission-driven companies that can change the world.
• We’re viral experts, a successful team and proven management.
• We’re a flat organization, working in small intimate teams in cool offices downtown SF.
• You get equity in every company you work on.
• We’re privately funded; it’s all about the product and our customers.
• We’re a think tank environment with stimulating projects.

The most common comment I get from candidates is about James’ “Don’t make my Mistake” open letter to graduating seniors calling on them to come to the Bay Area and join a startup.  It’s a good (and short) read, and expresses well some of the personality and drive that you feel when you join the team here.

So contact me if you’re a software engineer or web designer/UX person and you think there is any reason we should be talking.  jwong at oogalabs.com

 — Jon Wong, Talent Czar