3 ms·

it will be an irrelevant question, but do you think that contributing to an open source is becoming a standard thing now?

by pictur 7y ago

pgeorgi 7y ago
Depends on the field you're trying to enter: If the entire stack is open source based (most of devops that isn't Windows, for example), it certainly gives you lots more opportunities if you can show that you know what you're talking about, and if your name rings a bell with people in that space. For developing line of business java/.net applications (which is a _huge_ field) open source contributions don't matter on the resume and might even be a net negative.
Rotdhizon 7y ago
I've seen the advice of "contribute to an open source project then throw it on your resume" many times over the years. Usually it's geared towards people with minimal credentials who need something to make their resume look better. Granted this could not be the situation OP is in at all.
onion2k 7y ago
In the past decade I've seen a few hundred resumes for developer candidates and I haven't seen one mention open source contributions yet. A few have had forks of open source projects in their Github accounts but with no indication that they've ever PR'd anything upstream. There could be many differeny reasons for that (geography, programming language, industry, etc) but it certainly seems to indicate its not all that common.
- imedadel 7y ago
  Suppose that I want to mention my open-source contributions in my resume. How/where should I mention that?
  - shoo 7y ago
    No need to overthink it. You could add a very short section at the end with a brief list of bullet points of the project name, a few words explaining what you did, and a link to the PR. Different people will consume your resume in different ways. Automated resume-digesting systems and recruiters might get excited and tag your profile with keywords associated with those open source projects. Or they might not know what to do with the information and throw it away. Similarly for HR. Flesh and blood engineers screening your resume may get excited if they read that far. But once you've made it past the resume screening stage, it'll likely be completely irrelevant, except in the unlikely case that you're being hired for a gig specifically based on your experience with one or more of your contributions.
  - tempguy9999 7y ago
    If it's a significant contribution then the answer is, right at the top and loudly. It is something tech-knowledgeable companies would be interested in, and tech-naive recruiters will notice even if they can't judge it (I used to work for a recruitment company so heard lots of conversations).
codingdave 7y ago
Not in the slightest. Most developers are not participating in the startup ecosystem. They are working in enterprise organizations, or smaller "lifestyle" companies. They do their work, then go home, and do the rest of their life. Coding isn't their hobby, it is their job. This is a good thing for both sides - people who really do have the passion to code all the time have an advantage at getting better jobs, more pay. And those who don't have better work/life balance. Neither choice is wrong, they just have different consequences. But because both choices exist, open source participation will not be a standard thing.
em-bee 7y ago
i certainly hope not. because it's inherently unfair. not everyone can afford to work on FOSS in their free time. this hits especially women who are still most often made responsible for housework and childcare, but it also hits others who maybe have to care for someone or value family life over their career.

it will be an irrelevant question, but do you think that contributing to an open source is becoming a standard thing now?

by pictur 7y ago

it will be an irrelevant question, but do you think that contributing to an open source is becoming a standard thing now?

pgeorgi 7y ago

Depends on the field you're trying to enter: If the entire stack is open source based (most of devops that isn't Windows, for example), it certainly gives you lots more opportunities if you can show that you know what you're talking about, and if your name rings a bell with people in that space. For developing line of business java/.net applications (which is a _huge_ field) open source contributions don't matter on the resume and might even be a net negative.

Rotdhizon 7y ago

I've seen the advice of "contribute to an open source project then throw it on your resume" many times over the years. Usually it's geared towards people with minimal credentials who need something to make their resume look better. Granted this could not be the situation OP is in at all.

onion2k 7y ago

In the past decade I've seen a few hundred resumes for developer candidates and I haven't seen one mention open source contributions yet. A few have had forks of open source projects in their Github accounts but with no indication that they've ever PR'd anything upstream. There could be many differeny reasons for that (geography, programming language, industry, etc) but it certainly seems to indicate its not all that common.

imedadel 7y ago
Suppose that I want to mention my open-source contributions in my resume. How/where should I mention that?
- shoo 7y ago
  No need to overthink it. You could add a very short section at the end with a brief list of bullet points of the project name, a few words explaining what you did, and a link to the PR. Different people will consume your resume in different ways. Automated resume-digesting systems and recruiters might get excited and tag your profile with keywords associated with those open source projects. Or they might not know what to do with the information and throw it away. Similarly for HR. Flesh and blood engineers screening your resume may get excited if they read that far. But once you've made it past the resume screening stage, it'll likely be completely irrelevant, except in the unlikely case that you're being hired for a gig specifically based on your experience with one or more of your contributions.
- tempguy9999 7y ago
  If it's a significant contribution then the answer is, right at the top and loudly. It is something tech-knowledgeable companies would be interested in, and tech-naive recruiters will notice even if they can't judge it (I used to work for a recruitment company so heard lots of conversations).

codingdave 7y ago

Not in the slightest. Most developers are not participating in the startup ecosystem. They are working in enterprise organizations, or smaller "lifestyle" companies. They do their work, then go home, and do the rest of their life. Coding isn't their hobby, it is their job. This is a good thing for both sides - people who really do have the passion to code all the time have an advantage at getting better jobs, more pay. And those who don't have better work/life balance. Neither choice is wrong, they just have different consequences. But because both choices exist, open source participation will not be a standard thing.

em-bee 7y ago

i certainly hope not. because it's inherently unfair. not everyone can afford to work on FOSS in their free time. this hits especially women who are still most often made responsible for housework and childcare, but it also hits others who maybe have to care for someone or value family life over their career.