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Just skip to "6. Contributing to Open-Source" - it's the easiest way to prove that you can work on an existing codebase, that you think and communicate clearly,

Just skip to "6. Contributing to Open-Source" - it's the easiest way to prove that you can work on an existing codebase, that you think and communicate clearly, and that you know how to write code.

onion2k 5y ago
I've never known a company mention any open source work I've done, and no one I know has ever mentioned it being a factor when they were hired either. Annecdata of course, but I don't believe open source is a strong signal for most hiring managers (in web dev, obvs, its probably different if you're being hired as a Linux kernel dev or something).
- bastardoperator 5y ago
  If I see git repos or mentions on a resume, I check. You don't have to be a genius committer either, but trying to make things better in your projects or projects you use, I see that as a huge plus. It also gives me a clear indication that you understand how to make change, work with others and present ideas.
  - somethoughts 5y ago
    I agree - the times where I've been tasked with finding new team members - definitely open source repos were huge plus and first order filter - perhaps even before resume. That said I don't think I ever mentioned that to the candidates or to the team members that ended up joining. Nor did they ever get to skip the rest of the interview process.
  - belval 5y ago
    +1, I'll take one or two half-decent GitHub repos over well-know school/High GPA/Cool projects listed on your resume. By half-decent I mean: - Does it have a README that explains the project? - Does the code seem generally well-organized (not talking about linting) - Is it just copied from somewhere else? - Is it a cookie-cutter style project from one of your classes? I don't expect a commit in the Linux kernel or TensorFlow, just a small project that confirms that the candidate is not just listing all the technologies he heard of on his resume with no actual exposure. I know it's hard to get good projects, but that's exactly the point, I want to see some code because I know what you'll be doing at work is write code. Before I get pitchforked to death: this is not a make or break kind of signal, but if I have 20 new grads resume to pick from that's usually my approach.
  - Tyr42 5y ago
    Funny story, one time I had a candidate link their github, but they didn't have any public repos! I don't know why they'd put that there unless people aren't checking and get just, "Ohh a github link, nice".

Just skip to "6. Contributing to Open-Source" - it's the easiest way to prove that you can work on an existing codebase, that you think and communicate clearly, and that you know how to write code.

onion2k 5y ago

I've never known a company mention any open source work I've done, and no one I know has ever mentioned it being a factor when they were hired either. Annecdata of course, but I don't believe open source is a strong signal for most hiring managers (in web dev, obvs, its probably different if you're being hired as a Linux kernel dev or something).

bastardoperator 5y ago
If I see git repos or mentions on a resume, I check. You don't have to be a genius committer either, but trying to make things better in your projects or projects you use, I see that as a huge plus. It also gives me a clear indication that you understand how to make change, work with others and present ideas.
- somethoughts 5y ago
  I agree - the times where I've been tasked with finding new team members - definitely open source repos were huge plus and first order filter - perhaps even before resume. That said I don't think I ever mentioned that to the candidates or to the team members that ended up joining. Nor did they ever get to skip the rest of the interview process.
- belval 5y ago
  +1, I'll take one or two half-decent GitHub repos over well-know school/High GPA/Cool projects listed on your resume. By half-decent I mean: - Does it have a README that explains the project? - Does the code seem generally well-organized (not talking about linting) - Is it just copied from somewhere else? - Is it a cookie-cutter style project from one of your classes? I don't expect a commit in the Linux kernel or TensorFlow, just a small project that confirms that the candidate is not just listing all the technologies he heard of on his resume with no actual exposure. I know it's hard to get good projects, but that's exactly the point, I want to see some code because I know what you'll be doing at work is write code. Before I get pitchforked to death: this is not a make or break kind of signal, but if I have 20 new grads resume to pick from that's usually my approach.
- Tyr42 5y ago
  Funny story, one time I had a candidate link their github, but they didn't have any public repos! I don't know why they'd put that there unless people aren't checking and get just, "Ohh a github link, nice".