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Amid layoff announcements from Meta, Amazon and even UPS, it's job aggregator Indeed that signals a different concern for entry-level data job seekers.

This week a post on Blind revealed Indeed’s plan to quietly reduce junior roles. They’re not necessarily going to stop hiring or layoff juniors (though they are losing 1300 employees by end of year)—they’re just going to stop paying attention to them.

Specifically, Indeed will no longer require senior engineers to mentor juniors. This might not sound like a big problem, but it has disturbing long-term implications if you're seeking entry-level work in data engineering or an adjacent technical role.

While mentorship may be a chore to some seniors, it plays a critical role in onboarding and “ramping up” a new hire in their first year. Assuming the new employee is somewhat competent and the senior is at least a little patient, this time investment yields dividends in the form of development contributions over a (on average), 2-3 year tenure.

Mentorship is also an important step in the talent development pipeline, beginning with the extensive oversight of interns who, if supervised correctly, can be viable full time employees.

Upwardly, nixing a mentorship from a senior role also provides less opportunities for the professionals who would normally be contenders for team lead and management positions, in essence, plugging the talent pipeline in both directions.

Indeed’s lack of publicity around this move suggests its unpopularity and exposes it for what it is, a “soft layoff” for those who can’t onboard themselves (an insane requirement btw).

Even if you find yourself beginning a role with adequate supervision/mentorship, remember, you are also responsible for your growth. Being someone who can both take initiative and is receptive to feedback is, in my opinion, the gold standard for a new hire. While I don’t think Indeed’s move will be broadly adapted, I wouldn’t be surprised if managers were quietly holding new hires to higher standards now that AI has eliminated technical hurdles junior devs once faced.

For pitfalls to avoid as a junior developer, read my post on how not to annoy your seniors, written when I was still a data newbie. And if you want a senior’s perspective, read my grisled follow up.

If you’re preparing for your first role, after being competent, the best thing you can be is coachable.

Thanks for ingesting,

-Zach Quinn