# Job Criteria Checklist Quick reference for evaluating whether a position matches your requirements. --- ## Hard Requirements (Must-Have) These are non-negotiable. Skip if ANY are missing or violated. ### ✅ Remote Status - [ ] 100% remote OR - [ ] Work from home (no office required) OR - [ ] Async-first with occasional travel **Skip if:** - ❌ "Flexible remote" but office-based - ❌ "Remote but HQ in [city]" - ❌ "Hybrid" with required office days - ❌ Relocation required --- ### ✅ On-Call Status - [ ] No on-call mentioned - [ ] No pager duty mentioned - [ ] No 24/7 support mentioned - [ ] No "production ownership" in incident response context **Skip immediately if:** - ❌ "On-call rotation" - ❌ "Pager duty" - ❌ "24/7 support" - ❌ "Incident response team" - ❌ "Weekend on-call" - ❌ "Production ownership requires on-call" This is a hard requirement. One mention = reject. --- ### ✅ Salary - [ ] Base salary $130K+ (minimum) - [ ] Salary is transparent or negotiable - [ ] If equity offered: solid base salary (not equity-heavy) **Check:** - [ ] Posted salary is $130K+, OR - [ ] Company pays that range for the role, OR - [ ] Willing to negotiate to $130K+ **Skip if:** - ❌ Salary $120K or below - ❌ "Competitive" with no range - ❌ Mostly equity, low base --- ### ✅ Role Type - [ ] Backend Engineer OR - [ ] Platform Engineer OR - [ ] Infrastructure Engineer OR - [ ] Site Reliability Engineer (if not heavy on-call) **Skip if:** - ❌ Full-stack (unless clear backend focus) - ❌ Junior Developer - ❌ DevOps only (different focus) - ❌ Systems Administrator --- ### ✅ Technology Stack - [ ] At least one: Python, Go, Rust, Java, C - [ ] REST APIs mentioned or implied - [ ] Modern infrastructure tools (Docker, Kubernetes, AWS, etc.) **Preferred stack:** - ✓✓ Python + REST APIs + Kubernetes - ✓✓ Go + REST APIs + Kubernetes - ✓✓ Rust + REST APIs + distributed systems - ✓ Java + REST APIs (learnable from Python) - ✓ C + systems programming (learnable) - ✓ JavaScript/TypeScript (if full-stack opportunity) **Skip if:** - ❌ Only C++/C# unless very compelling - ❌ Only legacy languages (COBOL, Fortran, etc.) - ❌ Frontend-heavy with minimal backend --- ## Strong Positives (+1 point each) ### Company & Culture - [ ] Explicitly mentions "async-first" or "async culture" - [ ] Remote-first company (not traditional company with remote option) - [ ] Company founded specifically as remote - [ ] Multiple office locations or fully distributed team - [ ] Clear communication about work-life balance - [ ] "No crunch" or "sustainable pace" mentioned ### Role Quality - [ ] Clear role description and responsibilities - [ ] Growing engineering team (hiring actively) - [ ] Opportunity to learn new tech mentioned - [ ] Mentorship or growth path mentioned - [ ] Architecture/design work emphasized - [ ] API design or system design mentioned ### Compensation & Benefits - [ ] Salary at top of range ($180K+) - [ ] Equity offered (if profitable/stable company) - [ ] Generous vacation/PTO (unlimited or 25+ days) - [ ] Professional development budget mentioned - [ ] Flexible hours mentioned - [ ] Parental leave or family benefits ### Mission & Impact - [ ] Mission statement aligns with your values - [ ] Company solves real problems (not just hype) - [ ] Profitable or well-funded (stability) - [ ] Growing rapidly (opportunity for impact) - [ ] Social impact or meaningful work mentioned --- ## Red Flags (-1 point each) ### Culture Red Flags - [ ] "Startup hustle" or "high energy" mentioned - [ ] "Move fast and break things" philosophy - [ ] "Startup mentality" emphasized - [ ] "On-call is learning opportunity" framing - [ ] Heavy emphasis on long hours - [ ] "Passionate" mentioned 5+ times - [ ] "Rocket ship", "unicorn", "rapid growth" without context ### Role Red Flags - [ ] Vague role description - [ ] Too many responsibilities (5+ distinct areas) - [ ] Heavy on meetings or "collaboration" - [ ] Management/mentoring heavily emphasized - [ ] "Wear many hats" or jack-of-all-trades - [ ] Recent team departures (from research) - [ ] High turnover rate (5+ people left in 1 year) ### Compensation Red Flags - [ ] Mostly equity, low base salary - [ ] "Equity is the real comp" messaging - [ ] Salary negotiable only "for right candidate" - [ ] Significantly below market ($100K for your experience) - [ ] No mentioning of benefits - [ ] Unlimited PTO (often means less vacation) ### Company Red Flags - [ ] Negative Glassdoor reviews (3.5 stars or below) - [ ] Comments about work-life balance issues - [ ] Recent major departures or layoffs - [ ] Funding running low or burn rate high - [ ] Legal issues or regulatory problems - [ ] Poor remote culture reviews ### Remote Red Flags - [ ] "Remote but in [time zone]" requirement - [ ] Occasional "required" office days - [ ] "Mostly remote" with unstated expectations - [ ] Timezone restrictions - [ ] Limited async communication - [ ] Heavy emphasis on meetings/sync time --- ## Fit Score Calculation Use this to score positions 1-10: ### Start at 5 points (baseline) ### Add points for: - [ ] +1: Preferred tech stack (Python, Go, Rust) - [ ] +1: Explicitly remote-first / async culture - [ ] +1: Salary at top of range ($180K+) - [ ] +1: Mission alignment (meaningful work) - [ ] +1: Strong company fundamentals (profitable, stable) - [ ] +1: Team stability (low turnover) - [ ] +1: Growth opportunity (learning or advancement) - [ ] +1: Excellent benefits (25+ PTO, parental leave, dev budget) - [ ] +1: API/system design work mentioned - [ ] +1: Architecture/infrastructure focus ### Subtract points for: - [ ] -1: Secondary tech stack (Java, JavaScript) - [ ] -1: Traditional company with remote option (not remote-first) - [ ] -1: Salary below $150K - [ ] -1: Mission not aligned - [ ] -1: Early-stage startup (high risk) - [ ] -1: Team appears to be high-churn - [ ] -1: Limited growth opportunity - [ ] -1: "On-call" mentioned (ALSO SKIP THIS, hard requirement) - [ ] -1: Heavy management expectations - [ ] -1: Vague role description ### Final Score - **9-10:** Perfect match — Apply immediately - **8:** Excellent fit — Apply enthusiastically - **7:** Good fit — Apply with customized materials - **6:** Okay fit — Apply if meeting quota - **5:** Neutral — Consider if other criteria stand out - **Below 5:** Skip — Not a good use of time --- ## Quick Evaluation (2 minutes) Use this if you want to quickly evaluate a position: ``` 1. Remote? YES / NO → If NO, skip 2. On-call? YES / NO → If YES, skip 3. Salary $130K+? YES / NO → If NO, skip 4. Backend role? YES / NO → If NO, skip 5. Has Python/Go/Rust? YES / NO → If NO, maybe skip 6. Red flags? YES / NO → If YES, skip If all ✓ (except #5): → Verify on company site → Add to dashboard → Build resume ``` --- ## Position Evaluation Template When you find a promising position: **Basic Info:** - Company: _____________ - Role: _____________ - Posted: _____________ - Salary: _____________ - Link: _____________ **Must-Have Check:** - [ ] Remote: YES / NO - [ ] On-call: None / Minimal / Mentioned / Mentioned heavily - [ ] Salary: $_____ (meets $130K+? YES/NO) - [ ] Backend role: YES / NO **Tech Stack:** - [ ] Languages: _____________ - [ ] Frameworks: _____________ - [ ] Infrastructure: _____________ - [ ] Fit: ✓ Preferred / ✓ Acceptable / ✗ Not ideal **Culture:** - [ ] Red flags found: YES / NO - [ ] If YES, list: _____________ - [ ] Strong positives: YES / NO - [ ] If YES, list: _____________ **Fit Score:** 1-10 ___ - [ ] Apply immediately (9-10) - [ ] Apply with care (7-8) - [ ] Apply if quota allows (6) - [ ] Skip (5 or below) **Decision:** APPLY / SKIP **Reason:** _____________ --- ## During Application After you decide to apply: 1. **Use /build-resume** to generate customized materials 2. **Double-check on-call** in full job description (final check) 3. **Verify on company site** before submitting 4. **Log in tracker** with date, company, role, fit score 5. **Set follow-up reminder** for 1 week after --- **Last Updated:** March 18, 2026