Make it Easy for Me to Hire You: LinkedIn, Failures, GitHub, and Side-hustles
I don't hire robots, so please show me evidence that you are not one. I want to work with people who understand that experimentation and failure are a part of learning, so bring that evidence in your profile!
tldr; I don't hire robots. I want to work with people who understand that experimentation and failure are a part of learning–so put that in your profile!
There are many benefits to being a hiring manager, but a focused attention is not one of them. There are multiple context-switches throughout the day. It is important that everyone make the hiring process as efficient as possible. If both sides (and maybe recruiter in the middle) do that then everyone wins.
Begin with a solid LinkedIn profile
Like it or not LinkedIn has largely replaced the CV/Resume (at least for the way I prefer to hire). I rarely consider candidates who do not have one. The only thing worse than not having a LinkedIn profile is to have one that does not tell the right story.
Many developer profiles fail here:
- Out of date with current work history, projects, etc.
- Sparse on tech stacks, impact, and personality
- If switching careers (eg - marketing to tech), then you should really accentuate side-hustles, Git Repos (even if beginner stuff), or other evidence that you are really into this new career choice.
A good LinkedIn profile:
- Provides qualifications in a complete and fleshed out LinkedIn profile
- Shows the work history with tech stack and impact
- Highlights Side projects (in your about me)
- Links to GitHub or other public code (in your about me)
- Hacker News or Twitter handle (in about me)? I'm curious if you share thoughts in public spaces
- links to sites/apps that you have worked on
- Blog, YouTube channel (even if unrelated to work), podcast
Doing these above will almost guarantee a call from me. Making it easy for me to see what you are about puts you at the front of the line. You might even be surprised to learn that some hiring managers can create a position for you if the pitch is right.
Really want my attention? Share some code and side projects
Side projects, failed business ventures, whatever you put on GitHub is really interesting to me.
That you tried these things shows evidence of fearlessness.
That you put it out there for the internet to see shows some humility.
It shows risk taking, forethought, and execution.
That is what I'm hiring for.
Do not shy away from failure. That is where the best stories are!
Every failure we have is an opportunity to learn. I always enjoy meeting candidates who were co-founders in failed startups because there are hard-fought lessons there. They bring those lessons as part of their DNA into the team.
It shows a willingness to try, regardless if it came from bravery, foolishness, or naiveté. (Usually a mix of all three)
You stand out when you can own failure. It makes you unique in a sea of candidates. It is an excellent filter on organizations and hiring managers who would view that as a negative.
Call Gary Vee – show me the Side Hustles
I am not so foolish or egotistic to think that this job would be your only meal ticket in life. If you have a side hustle then please tell me! Again, it makes you unique and your insights gained from that business can only better inform your daily work with me.
It does not matter:
- You can side-hustle website
- Christmas Trees (True story--I know a guy who does this)
- selling e-books
- pro-gamer (again, true story there)
- Blogging
- Youtube Channel
Who knows, if your side-hustle is a fit maybe the company becomes your next client.
What am I not looking for?
ALL CAPS, but you need to see it.
I DON'T CARE ABOUT EDUCATION, CERTIFICATES, or UNIVERSITY DEGREES.
I DON'T CARE ABOUT HACKERRANK, KAGGLES, OR OTHER CODING CONTESTS.
I DON'T CARE ABOUT YOUR CODING SCHOOL.
I want to see how your real work experience and the stories that came out of it.
Conclusion
I only want to provide a deeper insight into what this hiring manager looks for when recruiting. It is only prescriptive in what I look for.
Show me evidence of curiousity, fearlessness, and a can-do attitude.
In summary:
- Strong LinkedIn game.
- Code up on Github (experimentation and side-projects)
- Failures! Talk aboutt them
- Side-hustles
Reach out to me on LinkedIn!
If you made it this far then please say "Hi" and connect with me on LinkedIn. If you want some feedback on your profile then I am happy to do so.