[jamesli]

When I was open to new job opportunities, I immediately turned it down if the job description included words like rock starts, ninjas, etc. I am not against the mindset. It is just not a good fit to my personality.

I want to work on products that I consider meaningful and work with good and serious engineers. It is nice to hang out with colleagues, have drinks, saying jokes, etc. I am a big fan of classic rock. But calling engineers as rock stars, ninjas, etc, or engineers labeling themselves as such personalities, really convey a somewhat negative impression to me.

[kharasoft]

I think another over-abused phrase is "smart and gets things done". Thanks for regurgitating Spolsky in your ad. Tell me do you have individual offices for your engineers? No...it's the standard cube farm? Then you don't get to quote Spolsky.

[cosecant]

Job descriptions just shouldn't have "rock star" or "ninja" unless they are hired on their ability to perform music in front of an audience or on their katana wielding skills.

[Steko]

Rock Star: that guy who shows up late and worked on a hit project 15 years ago that he's always bringing up.

Ninja: that guy who's never at his desk and never says anything in meetings.

[jleader]

You forgot to mention "brings his katana to meetings" (the sword, not the Suzuki motorcycle).

It's kind of "friend-of-a-friend", but I had a boss who told me about working with a developer who actually did that, I think at a game company in the late 80s.

[Steko]

By any chance was it puts on sunglasses John Romero?

YEAHHH!

[trotsky]

wow, i never knew i was a rock star

[excuse-me]

The more useful data is that any ad that uses such language doesn't actually employ any ninjas or rockstars.

At best it has an HR person who never managed to stop being 17years old, typically it's a bunch of trend following losers, at worst it's a bunch of creeps who think they can under-pay and over-work you in return for having a pinball table in the corner.