Hidden gem of a very happy workplace - Software Engineer Zagaran Employee Review

Zagaran emphasizes learning and has a wonderful culture. Software engineers benefit from hands-on experience with multiple client projects and internal mentors who prioritize your individual growth as an engineer.

Compensation is competitive, but being a bootstrapped company, less competitive than other VC-backed tech companies.

Coworkers: Smart and fun to talk to Deep technical expertise Thoughtful and flexible Culture: Learning and collaboration are core values. Senior management is interested in discussing new ideas and helping weigh different approaches. There's also some goofiness. Zagaran chooses its clients carefully for values alignment. Projects range from ethically neutral to genuinely good. Hiring: You will be asked to code in a google doc, but there are no syntax gotchas. Care is taken that the interview is conducted consistently. You will meet the whole team (currently about 20 people) before joining. The company is trying very hard to hire, but they won't lower their standard to make it easier. Zaragan almuni find good jobs when they're ready to move on. Smart CS college grads and academics looking to get into software engineering will find a warm reception at Zagaran with lots of opportunities to learn and contribute.

Most hiring comes from fresh college grads at elite universities. Within that group there's good diversity. Probably there are biases baked into the hiring process that disfavor other good candidates. It could be that salaries are not competitive for experienced engineers. As is understandable at a relatively young company, some hr procedures are underdeveloped. There is no codified process for assessing performance or determining bonuses. Management has recently clarified the engineering levels and expectations, which is a step in the right direction.