Hired Candidate Spotlight - Andrew Yee

Now a Software Engineer 3 in sunny California, Andrew found his remote role at TrueCar through Hired

Hi Andrew! We’d love to hear about your background! What has made the biggest impact on your tech career?

I believe the biggest impact is from the companies I’ve joined. They’ve steadily pushed me to greater heights in my career. I went the traditional path of getting a Computer Science degree at a four-year college but honestly, I felt the degree wasn’t enough. In my opinion, if you want to succeed, hard work in the industry is what really counts.

Great point! Our State of Software Engineers survey data shows they are increasingly self-taught or learn through other channels, like bootcamps. What would you like to learn more about?

I would like to learn more about development solutions. During my years at different companies, each one had their own way of onboarding a new employee and run the company app in their local environment. So far, my experiences weren’t smooth and took over a day to get a machine set up for development.

Sounds like there’s lots of opportunity there! What led you to pursue a career in tech?

I started as a Student Web Developer for California State University (East Bay) during undergrads. It was a great experience to work with a team of web developers. It helped me understand all the components making it possible to maintain the school’s website. I wanted to continue on the path of web development and I find myself still learning in my field.

That sounds awesome. Your skillset has probably evolved during your career, but if you chose to specialize in one area, what was it and why?

I consider myself a frontend engineer but I’ve always worked in a full stack setting, where I was required to contribute to our backend codebase. I ultimately specialized in frontend because of all the exposure I had during my early days of coding. It became easy for me to pick up.

Is your new role different from previous ones?

Not really. It’s similar to my previous role in that I’m working on the same tech stack on the frontend.

What are some things you’re looking forward to in your new role?

I’m most excited about the new features TrueCar is creating. It’s definitely one of the best feelings as a developer when your interest aligns with the company’s roadmap. I am happy with what I am doing and it helps me be a better engineer because of it.

That’s so great to hear. What was your job search like before you joined Hired?

I have tried other recruiters, applying on company websites, LinkedIn, and reaching out to friends but Hired is as simple as it gets. Nothing beats how easy and simple it is to connect with companies who are interested in you like Hired does.

That’s why we’re happy working here! This is your second time finding a new engineering role through Hired. What would you tell a job seeker who’s curious about Hired?

I would tell them Hired is an amazing platform for experienced candidates. I remember as a new grad, with zero experience, I didn’t match with any companies. After a year or two, however, I came back to Hired and saw how great it is. I landed a job using Hired and now four years later I’m back, finding my new job on Hired.

We’re so happy for you. We definitely see an ebb and flow of interview requests between junior and senior talent sometimes. Any general advice you have for other tech professionals?

Be as transparent as you want on Hired’s platform. Sometimes in the beginning, I noticed I was not as open with the “wants” and “needs” from a company when speaking to recruiters. On Hired, however, I found it was very easy for me to convey which companies I am looking for, what my preferences are, and luckily there were plenty of matches.

That’s great advice! We highly recommend job seekers fill out their profiles as completely as they can. It really helps! Thank you again, Andrew and congrats on your new role with TrueCar!

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