This job advertisement by mobile app developer Sugar looking for a lead software engineer starts off the same as most start-up job advertisements.

It describes the company as an exciting and Google-esque organisation bound for greatness.

It is looking for candidates with the usual traits start-ups desire such as "ambitious, intense and entrepreneurial ... action-oriented and willing to risk making mistakes".

Oh and there's overtime and pizza as well.

But their attempt to sound quirky and exciting went downhill fairly quickly.

You sense something is amiss when you start to read things like 'you dream of doing epic truly shit with your life. You recoil at the thought of having 1.15 kids, balloting for a flat, saving up for a Toyota and waiting to withdraw your CPF savings at 65 (or 70, or 80, or 120).'

And then you reach the part of the job description about people they do not want:

Who We Don't Want:

You are a shallow social climber whose dream is to work for Goldman Sachs because it "looks good on your CV". You went to an Ivy League university because it would "look good on your CV". But you couldn't get into Goldman Sachs (or Citibank, or HSBC) because you actually have no passion for finance, just like how you want to buy that Louis Vuitton bag (because it will "look good on your social CV") despite having no passion for design and craftsmanship. Guess what? If you were rejected by Goldman Sachs, you will be rejected by us too. For exactly the same reasons. Advice: try applying for a government job.

You are afraid of failing because failing bruises your delicate and fragile ego. When you do fail, you take steps to cover up your mistakes, and try to push blame onto others. You would rather be passive and remain a passenger, because passengers don't get blamed when the car crashes. When your boss asks you why you haven't sorted out an issue with a client, you reply with: "I sent them an e-mail but they haven't replied yet". Advice: go to law school.

You are a social misfit. You like technology only because you can't relate to real people. You spend your weekends playing DOTA and in your sleep you dream about your hero reaching Level 38. At school, you were always the last to get picked on any project or sports team. Having a conversation with you is about as interesting as watching paint dry. Advice: go seek help from a mental health professional.

Since when do introverts who are bad at sports and have a love for video games need help from mental health professionals?

And it is wrong to apply yourself academically and study in an Ivy league university?

So government jobs are for people with no passion (finance, design and craftsmanship)?

It's probably true that some people buy LV bags because of the branding and not for the craftsmanship. In life, there are things that are true, but you need not spell it out so plainly. If you are performing stand-up comedy or satire, you have a free pass.

But this is a job advertisement. On the Internet.

Top photo from Sugar Facebook page

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