Questions people ask
Straight answers, in plain words.
Short answers to the questions I get asked most, in plain words. If yours isn't here, text me: 978‑808‑1859.
If you're hiring
What does Mirror charge?
You pay for performance. The fee is a contingency fee: a percentage of first-year salary, earned only when your hire starts. Nothing up front, no retainer, no exclusivity. The percentage is a fifteen-minute conversation; the fee is due net 10 from the start date, and paying on time is what keeps the guarantee in force.
What's the guarantee?
One hundred days, and it pro-rates one percent a day instead of falling off a cliff. If a hire leaves on day forty, you're covered for the remaining sixty percent. We pioneered the one-hundred-day no-cliff guarantee, the first of its kind in the industry. Most contracts hide the risk in the fine print; I'd rather say it out loud.
How fast will I see people?
Warm introductions within about 72 hours of a real conversation about the seat. You'll meet a handful of people, typically three to five, each with a custom-written vignette and my honest take. Not a stack of résumés, not a dashboard.
How is this different from a job board, LinkedIn Recruiter or a bigger agency?
They all buy the same pile: hundreds of AI-polished résumés and a few bots. I'm not searching. I'm messaging people I've known for years about a seat I understand, and most of them aren't looking, which is exactly why they're worth meeting.
Who do you place?
Senior engineers and up: backend, frontend, full-stack athletes, platform and SRE, data and ML infrastructure, AI engineers, and the people who lead them, from tech lead to CTO. Not junior hires, and not volume. The job boards do fine for those.
Do you work outside Boston?
Yes. Mirror is in Boston, and most of my searches today are remote or in US tech hubs. Where the person sits is a filter you set, not one I impose.
Do you place AI and machine-learning engineers?
Yes. The engineers building with large language models today are, more often than not, senior people I've known for years who moved into it. Applied AI, ML infrastructure, data platform: same approach, same network.
Will you vet candidates technically?
Yes. I came out of a software agency and have spent twenty-five years inside engineering teams, so I can talk through someone's work before you do. A code test if you want one, and every candidate comes with a written vignette, not just a résumé.
What do you need from me to start?
Fifteen minutes and an honest conversation. What does this person really do on day one? What's the team like, what's the stack, what's the range, what's keeping you up at night? Skip the formal job description; the more honest you are, the better I match.
What if Mirror isn't the right fit?
I'll tell you. Honest advice is the whole business, even when it costs me a fee. If you need juniors, volume, or the lowest price in the market, I'll point you somewhere better and we'll talk when the next senior seat opens.
Who is Jonathan?
Jonathan Soo Hoo is my partner at Mirror. He does the research and the first outreach on many searches, and every message he sends was written for the person reading it. If you hear from him, that's why.
If I messaged you
Why did Brian message me?
Because I know someone you should meet. I only reach out when it's worth your time, and I tell you who the company is in the first message. No stealth startups, no keyword soup.
Will you tell me the company and the salary range up front?
Yes, in the first message, along with the team, the stack, the stage, and what the role actually does on day one. Other recruiters tell me this is crazy. Engineers tell me it's rare.
Will my résumé be sent anywhere without my say-so?
Never. I only submit you to an opportunity you've reviewed and asked me to pursue, and the company knows you agreed before they see anything. I assumed every recruiter worked this way; I was wrong.
I'm not looking. Should I still answer?
Yes. Most of the people I've placed weren't looking. Tell me what you're working on and what would make you pick up, and I'll keep you in mind for the right thing, not the next thing. No pressure, ever.
Does it cost me anything?
No. The company pays the fee when you start, and I'm not paid unless it works. That's also why you'll get honest advice from me even when it costs me a placement.
What happens once I decide to go for it?
I run your fan club. I'm as involved in the interview process as you want me to be: advocacy, preparation, tips, and steady support through whatever comes up, including the offer and the counteroffer.
Do you only place Rails engineers?
No. Mirror's roots are in Rails, and plenty of the people I know came up on it, but today I place senior engineers across stacks: Python, TypeScript, Go, Java, Rust, Elixir, and the AI and platform work built on top of them.
Talk to Brian
Tell me what you need. I’ll think of someone.
Skip the formal job description. The more honest you are about the seat, the stack and the room, the faster a warm intro shows up. If I can help, great. If not, I’ll point you in the right direction.
I read these myself. Jonathan Soo Hoo, my partner at Mirror, does the first outreach on some searches; if you hear from him, that’s why.