Job Ad Vocabulary Every Developer Should Know

A brand-new codebase with no existing code or constraints. You get to make the architecture decisions from scratch. Often used as a selling point in job ads because it sounds exciting.

The opposite of greenfield: an existing codebase you have to work within. You inherit decisions, dependencies, and tech debt. Most real jobs are brownfield, even when the ad doesn't say so.

Older code that is still in production and often hard to change. "Working with legacy code" in an ad usually means you'll spend time understanding and refactoring code someone else wrote years ago.

Monorepo: a single repository that holds many projects or services. Polyrepo: each project lives in its own repository. The ad telling you which one is in use signals the size and complexity of the engineering setup.

Front-end means the UI side (browser, mobile). Back-end means servers, APIs, and databases. Full-stack means both. "Full-stack" in a small company often translates to "you'll do whatever is needed."

An engineer who builds and ships, as opposed to a manager who leads people. Most senior engineers stay on the IC track: senior, staff, principal. "IC role" in an ad means no people management.

A senior IC who guides the technical direction of a team. Still hands-on with code most of the time. Usually a senior or staff engineer with extra responsibility, not a separate job level.

Levels above senior on the IC track. Staff engineers influence one or two teams; principals shape entire orgs or company-wide systems. Job ads at these levels emphasize scope, ambiguity, and cross-team impact.

Manages a team of engineers: hiring, performance, career growth, planning. Most EMs do little to no coding. "Player-coach" or "hybrid EM" means they still ship some code, but it is fading in larger companies.

Remote: you work from anywhere. Hybrid: a mix, often two to three days a week in the office. On-site (or in-office): expected at a physical office every working day. Always check the time-zone requirement, not just the label.

A team where members live and work in multiple cities or countries. Implies remote-friendly tooling and async communication. Different from "remote" — a remote employee can still be on a co-located team.

A culture where writing things down beats jumping on calls. Decisions happen in documents and threads instead of meetings. A signal that the company takes distributed work seriously.

Full-time and permanent ("perm") usually mean an employee role with benefits. Contract means a fixed-term engagement, often through an agency, with higher hourly rate but no benefits or job security.

The company will help you get a work visa to relocate. "No sponsorship available" means they will only hire candidates who already have the right to work in the country. Check this before applying internationally.

The fixed cash amount you earn per year, before bonus, equity, or benefits. The number recruiters usually quote first.

Total expected yearly earnings if you hit 100% of your targets. Common in sales-adjacent roles. "OTE $200k" usually breaks down into a lower base plus variable commission, not a $200k guaranteed salary.

Company shares granted to you over time. They are not yours until they vest. Public-company RSUs are easy to value and sell; private-company RSUs depend on a future liquidity event.

Vesting is the schedule on which equity becomes yours, often four years. Cliff is the minimum time you must stay before any equity vests, usually one year. Leave before the cliff and you walk away with zero shares.

An extra grant of shares given after your initial grant starts vesting, so your total comp doesn't drop off a cliff in year four or five. Worth asking about in any role with significant equity.

Must-haves are non-negotiable requirements; nice-to-haves are bonus skills. In practice, most companies will still consider you if you cover the must-haves and a couple of nice-to-haves — do not self-reject.

Active, direct experience writing code or operating the system, as opposed to having watched someone else do it. "5 years of hands-on Python" is stricter than "5 years of exposure to Python."

"Proficient" implies real working knowledge — you can build something from scratch in it. "Familiarity" is much weaker — you have used it enough to be productive with help. The wording is a clue to how strict the requirement really is.

Code for: we run standups, sprints, and retros, and you should be comfortable with iterative delivery. Almost every modern tech company will claim this — the implementation varies wildly.

CI/CD is automated test and deploy pipelines. DevOps means engineers also operate what they build. Observability covers logs, metrics, and traces so you can debug in production. Listed when the team owns its own infrastructure.

The first call with a recruiter. They confirm your background, salary expectations, and visa status. Not yet a technical interview — it is a filter to make sure the basics line up before involving engineers.

A coding project you complete on your own time, then submit and walk through with the team. Common at small companies. Pros: less stressful than live coding. Cons: can eat a weekend.

Questions about how you have handled situations: conflict, ambiguity, leadership, failure. Answers are expected in STAR format (Situation, Task, Action, Result). Almost always present at senior+ levels.

The final round: four to six back-to-back interviews in a single day, covering coding, system design, behavioral, and team fit. Called "onsite" even when done remotely.

How the company decides which title and salary band to offer you. Down-levelling means they offer you a step below what you applied for. Usually a signal that one of your interviews scored borderline.