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Ask HN: for senior positions is it advisable to list side projects on your CV?

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Re: Ask HN: for senior positions is it advisable to list side projects on your CV?

#121

Post by sime2009 »

PragmaticPulp wrote: post #4
xcambar wrote: post #3

You want your side projects to help you get the job. They must demonstrate as achievements instead of hobbies. For this reason, I'd default to no, don't list side projects, unless you make it a strong argument for the position you're applying to. Are you a major contributor to a tech used in company? Have you written a book about it? Did you grow a community? Have you reached significant traction or revenue? Any yes…

> Other than that, your side project will be seen as a hobby and not an achievement, and will be disregarded. I think you’ve misunderstood the purpose of a side project for engineers. They’re supposed to be hobby projects that demonstrate the developer’s abilities as well as their commitment to following through on projects. The OP’s projects are perfect for listing as completed side projects on a Senior Engineer res…

> I think you’ve misunderstood the purpose of a side project for engineers. They’re supposed to be hobby projects that demonstrate the developer’s abilities as well as their commitment to following through on projects.

I don't agree. A side-project might demonstrate those things, but most of the time, as an interviewer, I'm interested in a candidate's side-project because it shows curiosity and interest. It says something about their character.

Re: Ask HN: for senior positions is it advisable to list side projects on your CV?

#122

Post by dcolkitt »

shard wrote: post #42
Jenk wrote: post #21

I always ask candidates if they have anything to show off. I am _always_ more interested in what people do as a side project than I am of what they have done professionally. Hyperbole time but I think it conveys the message: People do side projects for better reaons than they do professionally. At worst it's because they want to quickly learn/achieve something for their next job. Compared to professional experience,…

I think it depends on just how senior this position is. Senior developer, sure. VP of engineering, no. Team lead, maybe. If you list side projects, it needs to scale with your position. A VP's side project would scale up to a viable business of its own, which then is no longer a side project but a work experience entry in the CV.

I disagree. Even if I was hiring a VP of Engineering, I think it’s be cool to know that he had a silly little side project.

The more senior you get, the more the biggest hiring risk becomes sociopathy rather than incompetence. Most VPs of Engineering are basically decent at the skills required for their job. But a lot are duplicitous or machiavellian and aren’t going deploy those skills in a way that’s aligned with the broader organization.

Having a stupid little side project, one that has no tangible business or career upside, is a marker of sincerity. It shows that the person has genuine interests outside raw ambition.

Re: Ask HN: for senior positions is it advisable to list side projects on your CV?

#123

Post by blacktriangle »

In the interviewing I've done, it's never about side project vs line of work. What I'm looking for is proof of competence. It could be a side project, it could be your work, it doesn't matter. However if you're side project is what you're looking to get hired on, it had better look and feel professional.

I think the bigger issue is to put your best foot forward and not dilute your message. If hopupon and audiobook mate are your strongest work, emphasize those. If your employement history is stronger, emphasize that.

Re: Ask HN: for senior positions is it advisable to list side projects on your CV?

#124

Post by dnautics »

I list my side projects, i am pretty sure it helped me get my (senior) job. I am a fairly non-trad pathway in a niche language, so, keep that in mind. Also, listing side projects is probably more of a value-add if the code is open-sourced and interviewing engineers are likely to be curious (a good quality in a company you might want to work for) and likely to check up on the code quality you have in your repos. Otherwise, I would probably pass on listing them.

I wouldn't want a gig that obsessed about my owning my time so much they don't want me to have a side project, so that's a pretty good ultrafilter.

If you do have open-source side projects that you want to show off, don't forget to "pin them" to the top of your github/gitlab/sourcehut (if that's an option on the other services).

Re: Ask HN: for senior positions is it advisable to list side projects on your CV?

#126

Post by dfranke »

You should list your side projects if they've been influential in some significant way, e.g., if they've developed a large user base, become a dependency of some other noteworthy project, or changed how other people approach similar problems. If you're merely proud of the code, then don't list them directly; instead, pin those repos on your GitHub profile and link to it from your résumé.

Re: Ask HN: for senior positions is it advisable to list side projects on your CV?

#127

Post by groby_b »

Personally? I don't care about side projects. What I do care about is "have you worked on a hard problem that fascinated you, and can you explain to me what that problem was, why it was difficult, and why you liked working on it".

I want to know what you care about, and if you can explain well. Side projects make great examples of that, but most people encounter one or two interesting things in their jobs once they're seniors, too.

In short, run side projects if you have fun running them. Run side projects if they help you learn something. Don't run them for the sake of your CV. (And don't take your cues on behavior from a fictional dysfunctional ad agency if you can ;)

Re: Ask HN: for senior positions is it advisable to list side projects on your CV?

#128

Post by mathattack »

It depends on technical vs general management, and what it shows.

On the technical side, starting or leading a side project can show the right things. Just coding perhaps not.

For general or sales management, things like chairing the fundraising committee for the local symphony can look good. But not mandatory.

In both cases it should show interest but not distraction.

Re: Ask HN: for senior positions is it advisable to list side projects on your CV?

#129

Post by sonthonax »

I put a section in my CV for open source contributions with a little summary of the patch. It's just a sentence with the Github link.

It's sometimes a good talking point for the question, 'describe a difficult technical challenge you solved'.

Re: Ask HN: for senior positions is it advisable to list side projects on your CV?

#130

Post by HeyLaughingBoy »

CapsAdmin wrote: post #111
Osiris wrote: post #56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I am not an ideas guy. Give me a project and I'll build it. Ask me what I'd like to build and I'll have no idea. In 15 years I've had 1 side project. I'm a staff engineer.

I'm a side projects type guy, but maybe one downside of having active side projects is that it might interfere with work? As in stealing mental capacity and wanting to go home to work on your current side project This has happened to me sometimes. It depends on how much time you spend on side projects I guess. It also helps for me to have a fixed work schedule.

Depends on what you prioritize. Sometimes I feel like work gets in the way of my side projects.
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