This is a followup to Some Behaviors of a Catalyst where I said that I didn’t think you needed seniority to be one.

More than 10 years ago, I was interviewing college seniors for an entry-level position. Among the group of very talented students there was one obvious front-runner who we offered the position to (and who accepted). But there had been another candidate that impressed us.

They interviewed well and were qualified for our position. But, we preferred candidates with some C/C++, and they had less than our preferred candidate, maybe none, I don’t remember. In any case, that was probably the deciding factor. But in a lot of other ways, they were outstanding (in the literal sense of the word). They stood out.

Here’s what I mean. A bunch of the candidates had worked together on their senior, two-semester, capstone project. We heard about this project from several angles. Over and over, a candidate would point to another person as the reason the project went well. They would, of course, talk about their own contributions, but they would also specifically point out what this other person had done as well. The thing was, the other person was always the same person, the “outstanding” one.

Even with this clue, we didn’t hire them.

About a week after we had made our decision and the offer, my boss called me in. He said a friend of his (another tech business owner) had sent in an unsolicited recommendation for a student he knew. I think he had them as intern or something. In any case, the recommendation was effusive. The student was, of course, that same one who had been recognized by their peers.

At this point we felt as if we’d be idiots not to hire them, but we didn’t have a position. The good thing about junior developers, though, is that they are cheap and you should always have a position if you see a good one. So, we created a position and made an offer. I think this is the only time I recognized a junior catalyst before working with them—the key is that people like working with them and attribute success to them. When that fact comes to light without seeking it, it’s a good sign.