johnro

Category: Career

  • What I Admire Most: Not the Loudest Voice, But the True Leader

    What I Admire Most: Not the Loudest Voice, But the True Leader

    Daily writing prompt
    What is something others do that sparks your admiration?
    View all responses

    If you had asked me this question twenty years ago, my answer would have been immediate, and, looking back, a little superficial.

    When I was young and perhaps a bit naive, I admired performers. I looked up to the people who could stand in front of a crowded room and command attention. I admired the speakers who could think on their feet, the debaters who could win any argument, and the “strong” personalities who never seemed to back down.

    To my younger self, that was leadership. It was about the spotlight. It was about volume. It was about winning.

    But as I’ve gotten older, my definition of “admirable” has shifted entirely. I’ve realized that what I was admiring wasn’t leadership; it was just charisma.

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  • Overcoming Public Speaking Anxiety

    Overcoming Public Speaking Anxiety

    When I first started out as a software engineer, I thought I could just keep my head down and focus on code. And for a while, that was true. But as I advanced in my career, I noticed the role was changing. Software engineering isn’t just about writing code—it’s also about communicating, collaborating, designing systems, and getting your ideas across clearly.

    That means that yes, public speaking becomes part of the job. Not in a “you’re on stage every week” kind of way, but in the occasional presentation, design review, or knowledge-sharing session. And because those opportunities are infrequent—especially for ICs—it’s hard to get into a rhythm. You’re often dusting off your presentation nerves every single time. Unless you’re at a higher level where you’re constantly in meetings, cross-team discussions, and stakeholder presentations, public speaking tends to feel more like a pop quiz than a practiced skill.

    I’ve always hated public speaking. But as I’ve grown in my career, I’ve been asked—sometimes “voluntold”—to speak up more often. So I’ve been learning to cope with the discomfort.

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  • Catching Issues Before Customers Do

    Catching Issues Before Customers Do

    About ten years into my career, I had the opportunity to work on a large-scale, business-critical talent management software system. One part of the platform I focused on was the application workflow — the feature where candidates applied for jobs.

    This workflow might sound straightforward, but it was mission-critical. If it broke, candidates couldn’t apply, customers missed out on talent, and everyone lost valuable time. The challenge was that candidates themselves rarely reported errors; instead, our clients would eventually notice and file a bug report. By then, the damage had already been done.

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  • The Importance of Networking for Landing Jobs

    The Importance of Networking for Landing Jobs

    When I look back on my career, one pattern stands out clearly: most of my jobs came through networking, not cold applications. In fact, only a handful of times have I landed a role purely on my own. More often, it was a referral, a past colleague, or a connection who opened the door.

    Even my very first part-time job came through referral. My second, a full-time role, was the same. The job after that was one of the few I landed on my own. Then came two more through referrals, then another I got on my own. My current role came through a recruiter reaching out directly. Across all these transitions, one thing is consistent: networking has helped me move quickly from job to job, leaving no gaps.

    And it wasn’t just about getting offers faster. It was about people I had worked with before recognizing me as someone reliable and easy to work with, and choosing to vouch for me. That’s a powerful thing.

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