Human resource managers will tell you that hiring for a newly launched startup is a challenging undertaking because most prospective employees strive for job security and stability in a firm; also, it is difficult for employees to predict if a new company will thrive or fail in the long run.
The inverse is also true: many employees join startups in exchange for employee stock options or even ownership in the company. As a result, it is not surprising to see job advertising go viral on the internet, as human resource managers strive to be innovative with these listings. Amazon’s first-ever job posting from 1994 suddenly went viral on the internet, although not for the reasons stated above, but because of the company’s current global dominance (and for a foreseeable future).
In a recent tweet, business journalist Jon Erlichman published a screenshot of Amazon’s initial job listing, which was signed by none other than Jeff Bezos. According to Erlichman, Jeff Bezos first advertised a job position for his newly formed company on August 22, 1994. The tweet received over 9000 likes and 1000 retweets.
“Well-capitalized start-up needs very competent C/C++/Unix coders to help pioneer commerce on the Internet,” stated Amazon’s inaugural job posting. You must have expertise designing and building large and complicated (but maintainable) systems in around one-third the time that most competent people believe is doable. You must have a BS, MS, or PhD in Computer Science or a related field. Excellent communication abilities are required. Knowledge with web servers and HTML is advantageous but not required.
