In another sign that tech recruiting is becoming more competitive, startup Hipster is offering new hires $10,000 in cash, a year’s worth of Pabst Blue Ribbon, a fixed gear bicycle, skinny jeans, big glasses, mustache grooming services, brown boots and a bowtie. In order to qualify, you either need to be a mobile engineer who knows Objective C and Java and has worked on iPhone, Android and Blackberry apps, or a Ruby engineer with experience creating Web apps.
“As you know, recruiting is insanely competitive right now, so we wanted to do something that would break through the noise, and get the attention of the people we’re trying to reach,” said company co-founder Doug Ludlow. Already the company has received more than 240 applications, and Ludlow believes its incentive technique will save money versus hiring a recruiter.
