Jobs

The most elite computer science and liberal arts graduates work for startups like Redfin, because we give you a chance to build something new, to make a difference, to take a stake in a company that someday could hit it big, to be a part of a close-knit, informal culture. And also because we know how to have fun.

Redfin is recruiting computer science students with strong academic records and a history of entrepreneurial initiative for both its San Francisco and Seattle offices. To apply for a position, submit a resume to collegejobs (at) redfin (dot) com.

Redfin's on-campus recruiting is focused on staffing five positions:

• Intern: interns are exposed to every phase of the business, from engineering to marketing to product management, typically taking on two or three one-month projects over the course of a summer. Because Redfin is a small business, we give interns meaningful projects, and expect them to rally over the course of the summer to make each project a success. The best interns are folks who can make the most of each project, working as a jack-of-all-trades to master new challenges quickly. Interns who perform well will be invited to join Redfin as permanent employees once their studies are complete. Internships are only available to college juniors.
• Test engineer: test engineers work on the widest range of technologies in our business, and have the most strategic impact, using advanced techniques for assessing scalability, performance and quality. The most analytically brilliant Redfin engineers, test engineers build frameworks for automating tests and elucidating devious flaws in product design and coding. As the final arbiter of what services we release to our customers, test engineers are involved with every phase of product development, from design to support, with significant exposure to the business requirements behind every new release of our website. The best test engineers are contrarians, people who think for themselves, trust only what they can measure and always see how things could break or improve.
• Developer: developers are the creative mad scientists who code our site, building algorithms for recommending properties, analyzing vast amounts of tax data, accelerating searches and integrating neighborhood data from the Internet. Involved with each feature from design through testing, Redfin developers take responsibility not only for faithfully coding a product to specification, and not only for delighting consumers, but also for solving a business problem, such as increasing the percentage of successful searches, or maximizing the likelihood that a customer who begins a transaction completes it. The best developers are the ones who become easily obsessed with interesting problems, who bring Henry James's advice about writing fiction to their work as engineers: "be generous, be delicate, and always pursue the prize."
• Product manager: product managers are the artists and the organizers who figure out what customers need, come up with ingenious ways to satisfy them, and then painstakingly design a product engineers can build. It sounds glamorous, but creating product specifications is also a labor of love, based in part on gut, in part on a willingness to grind through details. You have to understand engineering well enough to know what is feasible, with a flair for what's beautiful and an instinct for the simplest, most pragmatic solution. You also have to be persuasive, the kind of person who often gets your way without seeming too pushy. Most product managers aren't entrusted to design an important feature for years, but at Redfin you'll get your shot at the title pretty much straight away.
• Marketing analyst: marketing analysts sit between the market, our technology and our real estate service, shaping how the world sees us, but also how we see the world: an important marketing function is to prioritize the features we add to the site, or to suggest changes based on demand in what services we offer our customers. Rather than taking a dweeb analyst job at a big company, you'll spend your time optimizing advertising campaigns, figuring out how customers move through our website, and driving new initiatives to generate demand. The job involves lots of writing, and not just boring marketing gobbledygook, but writing with a fresh, personal voice and an informal tone that speaks to consumers tired of all the baloney in the real estate market. So, if you're someone who has high grades in the liberal arts, geeks out on the Internet, loves to write and has an analytical bent, you're the perfect person for the job.

To get a job at Redfin, you'll have to visit us in either our San Francisco or Seattle office. You'll spend your day with engineers, product managers and executives, with each interview lasting between thirty and forty-five minutes. We will ask you:

• about your favorite school projects,
• how you would address interesting technical challenges,
• what features would improve our site,
• what creative or entrepreneurial projects you've undertaken,
• what web applications you use frequently and how you would make them better,
• what your intellectual interests are, and also what you do for fun.

It can be nerve-wracking interviewing for a job, but try to have fun. We ask probing questions to see how you think, not just to get right answers. For the interview, there's no need to wear a suit; maybe just your favorite outfit, whatever that is.

During your interviews, you should feel free to ask about our business, what it's like to work here, or any other question that comes to mind. Key Redfin stats include:

There are tons of reasons why you should consider a job at Redfin. Here are a few of our faves:

• you'll get to build the first release of major technologies,
• you'll work with people as dynamic and curious as you are,
• you'll make a difference trying to change a massive industry for the better,
• you'll work with a really tight crew, forming friendships for life,
• you'll get the skills you need to start your own business,
• you won't feel left out of the revolution: you'll make the most of an historic moment in which small companies can use the Internet to do big things.

To apply, submit a resume to collegejobs (at) redfin (dot) com.