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Ask HN: Where can I find small companies to work for part-time?

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Re: Ask HN: Where can I find small companies to work for part-time?

#131

Post by robswc »

itsmemattchung wrote: post #52

There's plenty of part-time work out there: launch your own LLC and multiplex between clients. Source: I launched my own software consulting business back in July 2022 and I work with a handful of customers "part-time" (e.g. project based work, 10 hours a week).

Yet another person that has to ask about this, lol.

I like to do a lot of different things. I'm currently building basic web-apps for clients part-time and love it. Get to work on 2-3 different projects every month, since its usually coming down to basic CRUD apps.

I could build these apps in my sleep but finding the ppl that need them (or a good client) seems like a full time job.

Re: Ask HN: Where can I find small companies to work for part-time?

#132

Post by pyuser583 »

sph wrote: post #51

I'm in the same position, and I am once again asking for "talent management" to become a thing. I am a software engineer, I am willing to pay a recruiter/manager some percent of my revenue to keep sending work my way and find new quality clients. Yes, I would pay a recruiter to keep around so that I do not have to spend time sending resumes and searching job boards whenever a contract dries up. Right now I am looking…

I read an article (decade ago?) about talent agents for software engineers. It was a thing, for a bit at least.

Re: Ask HN: Where can I find small companies to work for part-time?

#133

Post by 0xEFF »

SoftTalker wrote: post #93
hallway_monitor wrote: post #83

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My feeling is in line with the sibling, The feeling I've gotten from working with contractors is that it's common for agencies to take about 40%. Seems pretty brutal for everyone except the agency.

Important to know if the "contractors" were employees of the agency, or subcontractors. Early in my career I worked for a consulting firm as an employee, and I never found out exactly what I was billed at but I'm guessing it was around double what I was paid. We worked on site at our client's office, and people there called us "contractors," but we were employees of the consuting firm. We had benefits, training, over…

The risk is greater with independent contractors subcontracting through an agency. The agency has less control for the same reputation risk with respect to the subcontractor.

Re: Ask HN: Where can I find small companies to work for part-time?

#134

Post by hmillison »

bgibbons wrote: post #79
asn0 wrote: post #26

I've used a recruiting company https://www.facet.net/ that also handles contract work, and works with a lot of startups. They can add you to a mailing list to send you opportunities that match your criteria.

I'm one of the founders here. Yes, we work with hundreds of startups and large FN 500 companies. Happy to answer any questions. That's why we created Facet - trying to eliminate recruiter spam and create a better experience for engineering, product, or design contractors. Dev founded - dev run.

I was really excited to try out Facet at the start of the year, but I was disappointed to see that most of the opportunities were for full time work and there isn't a lot of contract work advertised!

Re: Ask HN: Where can I find small companies to work for part-time?

#135

Post by scruple »

newaccount74 wrote: post #117
joshuahutt wrote: post #112

Earlier quoted context omitted.

One thing I realized after doing some studying is that your approach is limited by the concepts and tools you're familiar with. As I learned more about data structures and algorithms and as I practiced using them and evaluating the complexity of my implementations, I felt a lot more clarity and confidence about solving problems and structuring my code efficiently.

Yes! I doubt companies grill you about binary trees because they expect you to actually implement any of the algorithms in your day to day work. They want to know if you have studied the fundamentals, so you at least have a chance of understanding whatever you are going to be copy-pasting from Stack Overflow.

But I did study the fundamentals. It just happened to be almost 2 decades ago and I haven't used 95% of it since entering the industry. How could it possibly be relevant?

I've gone the route of avoiding typical interviews altogether by leaning into my network for opportunities.

There are plenty of places where I think I'd like to work, where I'd be very motivated, and where I'd make an impact to the organization, but I'll never bother because their interview style is bad.

> have a chance of understanding whatever you are going to be copy-pasting from Stack Overflow.

And, frankly, I avoid all of this because what you've said here is exactly the sort of place where I don't want to work.

Re: Ask HN: Where can I find small companies to work for part-time?

#136

Post by sandeep1998 »

a_techwriter_00 wrote: post #128
corrral wrote: post #114

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Soft skills I don’t mind; grown up interviews I don’t mind. BINGO. I'm good at the job and good at normal interviews. I more-or-less enjoy both, even. I like talking to clients, and I'm good at it. I can sell myself. And I can do the work. Specifically software developer interviews practically make me hyperventilate and break out in hives. Fuck that. A pop quiz over a huge potential space, probably over something I…

Hear hear. I left software engineering as a discipline because I hated the interview process.

I am in similar position, are you a 'tech writer' now?

Re: Ask HN: Where can I find small companies to work for part-time?

#137

Post by tluyben2 »

newaccount74 wrote: post #117
joshuahutt wrote: post #112

Earlier quoted context omitted.

One thing I realized after doing some studying is that your approach is limited by the concepts and tools you're familiar with. As I learned more about data structures and algorithms and as I practiced using them and evaluating the complexity of my implementations, I felt a lot more clarity and confidence about solving problems and structuring my code efficiently.

Yes! I doubt companies grill you about binary trees because they expect you to actually implement any of the algorithms in your day to day work. They want to know if you have studied the fundamentals, so you at least have a chance of understanding whatever you are going to be copy-pasting from Stack Overflow.

But a degree(s) and portfolio shows that already (it is what they are for; when I show my EE degree, they don’t ask me to solder together a computer from this here 74LSxx series box; no, they just hire me; why is software hiring so nasty?); if you are a junior, your degree will show what fresh knowledge you have and the question is if you are a talented dev or not. If you are a senior it shows that you understand the fundamentals (your degree) and you can execute (your portfolio) (and actually that shows you know the fundamentals too).

So what’s the 6 week interview for? To recognise talent? Sure I can see that in a junior a bit (but I doubt you find out more in the all those interviews than a 15 minute chat, at least that’s my experience; you will actually need to hire and try them on a project in the team to know their feel for it all) but in a senior that’s the portfolio again.

To me it feels that we are starting in a position where the interviewer assumes I lied about everything I sent in and this all is to prove myself (again and again). I am not in kindergarten; I have decades of experience in huge project; good luck finding a stooge who likes abusive relations.

Re: Ask HN: Where can I find small companies to work for part-time?

#138

Post by piinecone »

I have this problem too so my friend and I started working on this:

https://polyfill.work

You can pick “part-time” availability and “small” or “medium” company size (whatever looks good) and you’ll only hear about part-time jobs at small companies.

Re: Ask HN: Where can I find small companies to work for part-time?

#139

Post by firstplacelast »

busterarm wrote: post #34

If you dislike going through interviews, I'm not sure that freelance work or going into business for yourself (which is the normal model for this kind of thing) is really the right answer. When you're freelancing you're essentially interviewing for your job every single minute you're in front of or have an active project with the client. Soft skills and doing work that has nothing to do with engineering is even more…

Maybe it’s because I have better soft skills, but I’ve had a much easier time getting freelancing gigs than full-time employment. I’ve only had a handful of freelancing gigs and only on the side, but no one has ever made me do a code test or acted like I needed to “prove” my lack of mental deficiency.

In interviews for full-time employment, this has rarely been the case.

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