Product vs Service Companies

A much debated topic in the software industry

Product companies: Build once and sell to many

Service companies: Build a new one each time depending on customer

That’s it!

I have seen quite a few posts jumping to conclusions without proper justifications ([1 — I can think of a counterexample for each of the points in this one], [2], [3 — although slightly better]) about work cultures and candidates based in either of these settings. This only speaks more about them than the subjects of discussion.

Regarding judging candidates from either workplaces, interviews are great opportunities to get to know if a candidate is a good fit for your role, irrespective of where they have worked previously. Understanding the kind of work rather than what firm one has worked at would go a much longer way in identifying the right candidate.