4 ms·

That's silly. I don't even have a GitHub account. All my professional life ( 20+) I've been writing code or building solutions for private companies, all the c

by ccozan 12y ago

That's silly. I don't even have a GitHub account. All my professional life ( 20+) I've been writing code or building solutions for private companies, all the cool stuff I programmed lies in a private repository. And for the reference, I am always sending nicely PDF-formatted, very relevant, but succinct, CV and not a "poorly formatted, badly designed Microsoft Word template filled with irrelevant information you’ve carefully curated to make you look like the best programmer ever". What's wrong with this guy??

lukeholder 12y ago
I assume he wants to validate the amount of hours he has carefully put into maintaining his public image on github. I get that as an employer checking github and seeing the odd pull request or repo might be a signal that this person at least understands version control and the benefits of open source software - but i'm sure as hell still gonna read his resume and do a coding exercise/interview together.
peteretep 12y ago
I don't agree with this guy, and I spend a lot of my time hiring developers. However: if you don't have open-source code, I tend to assume you don't do much programming in your free time. And if you don't program in your free time, how are you going to become a really strong developer? How will you get exposed to a range of technologies outside what your employer uses, and a range of problems outside your work domain? At the very least, upload your working from that time you worked through SICP or your experiments with Haskell or the AngularJS page you made for your husband's dog grooming business or whatever. Job-seekers: when your CV arrives, I will use it to find you on LinkedIn. From LinkedIn, I want to see your CPAN/RubyGems/npm/whatever link and your Github link. I want to see a bunch of endorsements from coworkers and open-source collaborators. Show me your Slideshare account from that time you gave a killer talk on ... whatever. Maybe you spend a bunch of time on StackOverflow or PerlMonks or maybe you wrote and published a killer Ruby tutorial in Brazilian or whatever. Show me you love programming.
- ccozan 12y ago
  C'mon. I assume you are relatively young. But, here are the obvious answers: 1. I have tons of free time. But I am spending it with my kids and family or reading books. Sometimes I am going out with some old buddies. 2. You have no idea what level of technology or engineering I am using at my work. I could be programming microcontrollers or writing risk calculation for a bank. Both require same skill: attention, read documentation well, invent the solution, implement it and maintain it. That is a "strong" developer. 3. You better do following when I am seeking a job at your gig: invite me for a in person interview, tell me the story of your company, tell me the current pains, I tell you what can I do for you, how long I need and how much it costs you. If it matches then we have a deal.
  - nrzuk 12y ago
    ^ This covers my exact thoughts! I have next to no public repo's available simply because I don't have the time to maintain an open source project, my free time is spent away from the computer attempting to enjoy life! In answer to How will you get exposed to a range of technologies outside what your employer uses, and a range of problems outside your work domain? Get thrown in at the deep end, put my headphones on and work it out. Hasn't failed me yet!
- Infinitesimus 12y ago
  Interesting perspective, thanks. How about those who love programming, but really spend their free time working on projects which are private (either for their company or some other private group). You probably won't find that stuff in a public repository. I think this is where the CV comes in, you can mention such other projects without revealing the source code. eg. If I am working on growing a startup in my free time and say, have this awesome idea and worry about someone just copying and pasting my code, I probably won't make it a public repository. Also, lets not assume that everyone has the same priorities. Someone might love programming from 7am - 6pm but when they go home, their focus is on family and friends. I fear that this "show me your github account" culture could eventually undermine the importance of having a balanced life outside the world of software engineering/general programming
- 12y ago

by ccozan 12y ago

lukeholder 12y ago

I assume he wants to validate the amount of hours he has carefully put into maintaining his public image on github. I get that as an employer checking github and seeing the odd pull request or repo might be a signal that this person at least understands version control and the benefits of open source software - but i'm sure as hell still gonna read his resume and do a coding exercise/interview together.

peteretep 12y ago

I don't agree with this guy, and I spend a lot of my time hiring developers. However: if you don't have open-source code, I tend to assume you don't do much programming in your free time. And if you don't program in your free time, how are you going to become a really strong developer? How will you get exposed to a range of technologies outside what your employer uses, and a range of problems outside your work domain? At the very least, upload your working from that time you worked through SICP or your experiments with Haskell or the AngularJS page you made for your husband's dog grooming business or whatever. Job-seekers: when your CV arrives, I will use it to find you on LinkedIn. From LinkedIn, I want to see your CPAN/RubyGems/npm/whatever link and your Github link. I want to see a bunch of endorsements from coworkers and open-source collaborators. Show me your Slideshare account from that time you gave a killer talk on ... whatever. Maybe you spend a bunch of time on StackOverflow or PerlMonks or maybe you wrote and published a killer Ruby tutorial in Brazilian or whatever. Show me you love programming.

ccozan 12y ago
C'mon. I assume you are relatively young. But, here are the obvious answers: 1. I have tons of free time. But I am spending it with my kids and family or reading books. Sometimes I am going out with some old buddies. 2. You have no idea what level of technology or engineering I am using at my work. I could be programming microcontrollers or writing risk calculation for a bank. Both require same skill: attention, read documentation well, invent the solution, implement it and maintain it. That is a "strong" developer. 3. You better do following when I am seeking a job at your gig: invite me for a in person interview, tell me the story of your company, tell me the current pains, I tell you what can I do for you, how long I need and how much it costs you. If it matches then we have a deal.
- nrzuk 12y ago
  ^ This covers my exact thoughts! I have next to no public repo's available simply because I don't have the time to maintain an open source project, my free time is spent away from the computer attempting to enjoy life! In answer to How will you get exposed to a range of technologies outside what your employer uses, and a range of problems outside your work domain? Get thrown in at the deep end, put my headphones on and work it out. Hasn't failed me yet!
Infinitesimus 12y ago
Interesting perspective, thanks. How about those who love programming, but really spend their free time working on projects which are private (either for their company or some other private group). You probably won't find that stuff in a public repository. I think this is where the CV comes in, you can mention such other projects without revealing the source code. eg. If I am working on growing a startup in my free time and say, have this awesome idea and worry about someone just copying and pasting my code, I probably won't make it a public repository. Also, lets not assume that everyone has the same priorities. Someone might love programming from 7am - 6pm but when they go home, their focus is on family and friends. I fear that this "show me your github account" culture could eventually undermine the importance of having a balanced life outside the world of software engineering/general programming
12y ago