I know this is a very generalized question, as it depends on the company, product, position, etc. But in general, what sets someone apart as ready for a senior position over an intermediate or junior position? Experience I would think would be a big one, but say you have a candidate that shows problem solving abilities to solve code problems, but is newer to the tech field vs someone who’s been in the field x years, does the first guy have a shot without really knowing the ins and outs of working as a software engineer, hoping to pick it up quick?

  • tinker_james
    1·
    1 year ago

    If you’re talking a straight up senior individual contributor without mentorship, leadership or ownership responsibilities attached, then I agree with what others have said about autonomy. A senior is given a problem or task and comes back some time later with the completed solution. If there is feedback, a senior will get clarification, go away again, and come back with an updated solution.

    In my experience, this has required:

    • Technical competence and confidence (research, coding skills, digging into source code if documentation is sparse, having a good understanding of the big picture as well as the implementation details)
    • And equally as important (in bigger orgs), being able to seek out help/answers for org specific things that aren’t googleable without hand holding. (example: getting a name of a potential subject matter expert from a tech lead and take it from there – initiate the conversation, vet out the content, get a solid understanding – without hand holding from the tech lead)

    To more directly answer your question: Time isn’t necessarily a factor. Demonstrating that the way you approach problems/tasks and the actual results you produce can be trusted and relied on firmly plants you senior territory imo.