Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

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

news.ycombinator.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

21–30 of 157 posts

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

#21

Post by Jenk »

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, where at best it's because they were paid to do it and any fun or whatever altruism is a byproduct.

There are lashings upon lashings of caveats and nuance of course. For a senior role I will still be looking for interpersonal skills not just technical achievement. Part of being a senior is managing yourself, selling your ideas/concerns, mentoring and managing peers, and to some extent managing your managers.

FWIW your side projects are great examples and I'd would be impressed.

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

#22

Post by sillysaurusx »

The best way to get a job is not to need it.

Not needing it is conveyed in a thousand ways. Personally, I think being your authentic self is the most important aspect. If you’re proud of your work, list it! Side project or not, it’s still your work and is a reflection of the kind of work you can do for them.

I don’t think senior vs junior is particularly relevant. People care about your work history, but as long as your projects are listed under “other” then there shouldn’t be any confusion.

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

#24

Post by slumpt_ »

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…

Generally only reading your last few jobs and educational background. Side project is fine to see but it’s not going to be the differentiator. If you’re getting an interview you’re getting an interview.

Side projects help junior candidates without relevant job experience most.

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

#25

Post by dmuth »

Oh god yes!

When I'm interviewing someone, especially for a senior position, I want to make sure that they know what they say they know on their resume. Having code up on GitHub, or an actual working side project is a great way to show those things off.

Even code that doesn't look great, but shows that some level of effort was made to learn a new technology is okay. If anything, it then gives me a jumping off point in the interview to ask the candidate about that project, why it's in that state, why certain decisions were made, etc.

I am seriously having a difficult time thinking of downsides in listing a personal project, so I say go for it.

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

#26

Post by yakshaving_jgt »

As an employer, I'm keen to see people show side projects that they follow through with.

It's one thing having the technical skills to be able to write code and build a product. It's another thing entirely to have the focus and discipline to actually get all the work done. The side projects you listed look as though substantial effort went in to them. You said you're proud, and you ought to be. They certainly should impress any potential employer!

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

#27

Post by giantg2 »

lumost wrote: post #20
giantg2 wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I wonder how I would fair in your evaluation of what I'm like if I have Android apps for ballistic energy calculations and a calculator for determining the alcohol needed for a party.

This isn't part of the evaluation, but it's a useful item to include for conversation starters. Whether these are useful conversation starters in a particular company is up to your judgement. If you are interviewing for an Alcohol friendly company then the calculator might be a fun side project that shows you know Android development. Raytheon would probably love the ballistic energy calculator. If your interviewing…

Most people chuckle when I demo the alcohol calculator. They especially like the drunkenness slider to select how drunk your guest are expected to get. I make sure to give them the background that it was an idea that I started in college. The ballistic one is extremely simple, but that was my first ever Android app and I chose it for that reason (didn't do a regular calculator because there are sooo many of them out there already).

I might as well add the link. https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.blogspot.t...

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

#28

Post by rsyring »

To hiring folks: find better ways to evaluate candidates than a resume. Preferably an evidenced based assessment that measures actual skills for the job and not the esoteric witchcraft required to discern what _you_ think is important in a resume.

The only thing I look for in a resume is number of years doing development and a very rough assessment that the experience there fits with what we asked for in the job description. Beyond that, we have questionnaires that ask the specific questions we care about and real world work simulations that attempt to measure fit for the position.

To the OP: the better teams shouldn't care too much about something like this. But, I'd say add it. It shows you like programming enough to tinker. That's a positive signal to me. But, I'd never dock a candidate if they said they don't do side projects because they have other ways they'd like to use their time outside work.

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

#29

Post by ku-man »

victorvscn wrote: post #17
giantg2 wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"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." Most managers at my company view side projects positively. One of the main reasons is that it shows the person has a creative mind and is at least a little passionate about technology/coding and learni…

I'm not even an engineer but I have some HR training as a Psychologist and this resonates with me.

Nowadays everybody can be an engineer, e.g.: growth engineer, GIS engineer, user interface engineer, game engineer, legal engineer... you could be an 'human interaction' engineer

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

#30

Post by throwaway_2047 »

To me it is a huge plus. There are a lot to tell by looking at the side projects. At earlier stage start-ups, where interview process is not that rigid, it helps interviewer (at least for me) to gauge many aspect at once. Candidates love talking about their own project than anything. For me side project is a shortcut to peek into applicant's mind
Post reply on HN