First things first: Quick! Look at the AlterConf schedule and see where the nearest event is that you can attend. Mark it on your calendar – maybe even reach out to the organizers to volunteer or speak – then look forward to it with glee. I’ve never said “EVERY event should do this” so often before. Live captioning, ASL interpretation, paid speakers, constant consideration and effort made for accessibility…. the list is unending. You’ll never go to a standard technology event again without noticing all that they (usually) lack.

Alright, enough gushing. (BUT SERIOUSLY IT WAS SO REFRESHING.)

My talk, “Job Listing Minesweeper” was largely a spin-off from the research of the company culture talk I gave at Rocky Mountain Ruby and All Things Open in 2014. While reading through hundreds of job listings, I saw so many repeated phrases and ideas. I saw so many seemingly benign phrases that meant so much more.

I hope that by pointing out just a few of them, both job listing writers and readers can learn a little about what these phrases are actually saying.