[throwaway662184]

The product itself used to be my #1 priority when searching for a developer job. Dating apps? No thanks. Smart doorbells? Yeah ok...

But then that changed when I brought on a senior engineer on my team that was worse than mediocre. I can't do anything about it because he plays office politics better than he can write code.

Because of this experience, my number one priority with my job hunt is finding a small, talented team to work with. Compensation and the product itself fight for second place.

It's advice I don't think most people have the privilege of exercising, there are bills to pay, but you really ought to not work with anyone you can't invision yourself working with for the rest of your life (or maybe a decade or two at the least).

[throwaway662184]

To add some more practical advice, I would search for employers that have good internship programs. I think it's ideal to learn from both students/new grads and senior engineers with proven experience. The most enjoyable learning experience I had on the job was when I had a recent CS grad on my team.