Downlevel Atlassian

New / Design
Rick-009

New Design

 Rick-009
Feb 20 27 Comments

My friend got offers from Atlassian (SF) and Spotify but one level down. At Atlassian, she applied for P5 Sr. Designer and got offered, P4 Designer. The recruiter provided excellent feedback on the interviews, but they mentioned most of the interviewers thought she was one level down as she only has 1 YOE as a Senior designer.

Similar situation at Spotify. She applied for Sr. designer, but they are also offering her the Designer position. Salary is lower than Atlassian (238k).

She is working as Sr. Designer in a Startup. She is just worried because of down leveling other team members will not respect her, and on the other hand, she is also looking at she may be able to get a promotion within one year in both companies by showing value and results.

Do you guys think she should take the roles or stay at her current place? Which company, Atlassian or Spotify?

Any pros and cons on downlevel?

YOE: 4
TC: 215k
Atlassian Offered TC: 245k

#design

Spotify Atlassian
27

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 TOP 27 Comments
  • 4 yoe is low for senior level. Lots of companies would downlevel her and the fact that she's already got 2 is probably an indication of something. If she truly is senior level she'll get there by promotion.

    That being said the Atlassian comp is on par with our p4 swe comp which is more than I would have thought. 245k is a strong offer.
    Feb 20 6
    • New / Design
      Rick-009

      New Design

       Rick-009
      OP
      It was not about YOE. She got feedback that it might take her to grow in the Senior role (up to a year) as she worked in a small design team. They loved her enthusiasm and passion for the design field, so they would still want to hire her and meet the salary expectations that she was asking for.

      Update: she has stopped considering the Spotify offer.
      Feb 20
    • Amazon
      Styxl

      Go to company page Amazon

      Styxl
      That makes sense, but if "4 yoe is low for senior level", then I contend they shouldn't have interviewed her for the Senior level. I looked at Atlassian's Sr Product Designer job description, and Senior level clearly states 6+ YOE. That said, this isn't a case of "downleveling" then, if the candidate didn't meet one of the core minimum qualifications.

      Also, she didn't need to go through the entire interview loop just to inform her that she's actually still entry/mid-level. Most of that information could have been pulled from her resume and portfolio.
      Feb 21
  • HSBC / Product
    d400004

    Go to company page HSBC Product

    PRE
    Tesla Motors
     d400004
    it really depends on what startup she's working in. experience at small firms sometimes aren't valued 1:1 as those gained at big shops imo, even if the responsibilities are similar.
    Feb 20 2
    • New / Design
      Rick-009

      New Design

       Rick-009
      OP
      Good point that she is only working in a smaller org compared to Atlassian and Spotify. The current org only got 300+ employees and a small design team.
      Feb 20
    • HSBC / Product
      d400004

      Go to company page HSBC Product

      PRE
      Tesla Motors
       d400004
      ok yeah that's a super small shop
      Feb 20
  • Senior in some bigger companies is a big title.

    I joined Spotify as a Sr. with around 10 years of experience. Some Seniors were a lot less experienced (which was frustrating) but I was coming from an agency and they wanted more product background.
    Feb 20 2
    • New / Design
      Rick-009

      New Design

       Rick-009
      OP
      Makes sense! Now another key question Atlassian or Spotify? For the longer run, which has more growth chances and Employee centric culture.
      Feb 20
    • I have no clue :) I have a very partial and not particular pleasant experience at Spotify, but there’s a lot of cool work depending on the team you are in. My main problem there was that people have very low motivation and they were mostly coasting.
      Feb 20
  • The Chamberlain Group
    Tohm51

    The Chamberlain Group

    Tohm51
    The con is it takes more than 1 year to level back up and her experience from an outside perspective reads like a down level and she isn’t competent at the senior level
    Feb 20 1
    • New / Design
      Rick-009

      New Design

       Rick-009
      OP
      In my opinion, she is a Sr. Level, but I can be biased.
      Feb 20
  • A senior design position at a startup doesn’t mean it’ll translate to companies that have established design orgs with their own rituals, processes and expectations.

    Seniors rarely exist with 4yoe in big companies.
    Feb 20 0