$340 / month
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Dan is a Principal Software Developer and freelance software engineer, technology consultant, and coach based in Seattle. He spent 15 years as a software engineer, much of that time at Amazon and AWS through the Principal and Staff levels. As an AWS Bar Raiser, he took part in more than 1,000 hiring panels. He helps software engineers prepare for technical and behavioral interviews, strengthen job search materials, and plan career growth in Big Tech.
Based on 27 verified mentee reviews
Hi there! 👋
My name is Dan, and I'm a freelance software engineer, technology consultant, and coach/mentor based in Seattle, Washington, USA.
I spent 15 years working as a professional software engineer (most of it for Amazon and AWS, up to the Principal / Staff level), then in 2022 I decided to strike out on my own with a one-man consulting firm. In addition to my mentoring/coaching, I work part-time on other software projects that interest me, and the rest of the time is spent with my family and hobbies.
During my time at Amazon/AWS, I participated in over 1,000 hiring panels as a "Bar Raiser". This special role meant that not only was I interviewing each candidate, but I did all the pre-interview planning (topics for each interviewer to cover), led the hiring panel discussion, guided the group to a hire/no-hire decision, and ultimately I could "veto" a candidate if I felt they were not right for Amazon in the long-term.
As a Bar Raiser, I also conducted "behavioral interviews" in addition to technical interviews within my own expertise (software engineering), meaning I was talking to each candidate, diving into their past experience, and evaluating how well they fit Amazon's "leadership principles" in a broad way. This meant I interviewed a broad range of candidates in addition to SDEs, such as SDE-Ts, QA Engineers, Technical Program Managers, Engineering Managers, Product Managers, and many others, from entry-level up to Principal / Staff (L4-L7).
I now leverage this unique experience to do a lot of "interview coaching" on the other side of the hiring desk, helping candidates to prepare for technical and behavioral interviews.
I offer both monthly mentorships as well as one-off sessions, and I'm happy to do whichever one fits your needs best.
Feel free to send me an inquiry if you have any questions!
5 out of 5 stars
Dan has been an amazing mentor. Over the past year, he provided valuable guidance and clarity as I navigated my move to a new country, eventually found a role, and settled into it. He has the ability to help you gauge situations and see them through different angles. I was able to prioritize the right things during my time searching for a new role in Canada because of Dan's suggestions. He also helped me navigate my new work environment. I was new to the US/NA market at that time and didn't understand the work culture here fully. With Dan's mentorship, I've learned how to make an impact in my team. I was also able to work through a lot of beliefs about my abilities as a Software Engineer. I was able to identify the ones that have held me back and change them. I look forward to working with him in the future as I grow in my role and move towards a Staff Engineer or Engineering Manager role.
Standard Plan • 1 year
5 out of 5 stars
Dan is the reason why I was able to get my confidence back after hitting set backs in my first job and his advice and experience have been essential in figuring out what I need to do to succeed in my career.
Standard Plan • 7 months
5 out of 5 stars
Working with Dan has been incredibly helpful. We focused on behavioral interview stories, and he really helped me level up how I approach them. He has a lot of firsthand experience interviewing candidates himself, and that perspective made his advice especially valuable. He gave me extremely practical guidance on how to structure stories in a way that feels clear, compelling, and authentic. He was great at spotting weak points in my examples and helping me turn them into stronger stories that better highlighted my impact. Beyond that, Dan was thoughtful, encouraging, and easy to talk to throughout the process. I left our sessions feeling much more confident about behavioural interviews. I’d definitely recommend him to anyone preparing for interviews.
Standard Plan • 2 months
I'm a software developer, consultant, and technical interview coach, with 15+ years full-stack software experience up to the Principal/Staff level …
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Hi there! I'm a freelance software engineer and coach/mentor based in Seattle, Washington, USA
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You tell Dan your goals. They see exactly what you want to work on before session one.
You meet within days. Dan reviews your application and books your first session, usually within a day or two.
You leave with a plan. Concrete next steps and a weekly rhythm from your very first week.
Dan Ford
Principal Software Developer at None
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