Show HN: Workshape.io – A talent matching service for developers in Startups • Hacker News Board

Re: Show HN: Workshape.io – A talent matching service for developers in Startups

#41

Post by resetti » Mon, Nov 24, 2014, 4:26 PM UTC

OpenDrapery wrote: post #37

GordyMD wrote: post #2

Hi there I'm Gordon and I am a software engineer! I have worked in the startup space for the 4 past years in London and San Francisco. Over this time I, like many others, have experienced the way in which the world of tech recruiting works. I have grown frustrated by the number of times I have been contacted about roles not suited to me and how recruiters regularly pitch me roles based on technologies I used in previ…

Still focusing on just the tools? Why is no one talking about the people? I feel that the biggest factor in whether I'll like a job or not is whether or not I enjoy the people. Is there anyone there I can learn from? Anyone I find entertaining/interesting? Will I fit into the dynamic? We all feel great when we are in the presence of a group of people that feels like the perfect mix of personalities. Where each person…

I think you've nailed it.

The reason these products don't focus on people is that people are hard. Hiring is one the hardest things out there, with often warped incentives on both ends re: honesty. Building a product/service to solve this dilemma in a way that satisfies all parties is probably even harder, and then on top of that you need a business model for pulling dollars out of the matching process.

It's much easier to just build a product that matches technology stacks, and it's not immediately obvious that it's the wrong approach.

Re: Show HN: Workshape.io – A talent matching service for developers in Startups

#42

Post by ehurrell » Mon, Nov 24, 2014, 4:27 PM UTC

huntermeyer wrote: post #33

ehurrell wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I strongly agree with this, I push a lot of toy projects to GitHub, and some of the more interesting work I've done can't/won't end up there (I designed the algorithms behind an advanced analytics startup, but can't share the code since the startup failed because I don't own the rights, for example).

What if you were looking for a job, how would you demonstrate or prove your skills? What would be a good way to share the most interesting work you've done (since you can't just post a Github link)?

I usually combine sharing what I can with showing my credentials (I've a PhD and can share the work I did for that, which I don't put on GitHub because it doesn't feel like the place for it), as well as share anecdotes and get others to vouch for my ability. I've found actual credentials are the best help, but your mileage may vary.

Re: Show HN: Workshape.io – A talent matching service for developers in Startups

#43

Post by GordyMD » Mon, Nov 24, 2014, 4:38 PM UTC

OpenDrapery wrote: post #37

GordyMD wrote: post #2

Hi there I'm Gordon and I am a software engineer! I have worked in the startup space for the 4 past years in London and San Francisco. Over this time I, like many others, have experienced the way in which the world of tech recruiting works. I have grown frustrated by the number of times I have been contacted about roles not suited to me and how recruiters regularly pitch me roles based on technologies I used in previ…

Still focusing on just the tools? Why is no one talking about the people? I feel that the biggest factor in whether I'll like a job or not is whether or not I enjoy the people. Is there anyone there I can learn from? Anyone I find entertaining/interesting? Will I fit into the dynamic? We all feel great when we are in the presence of a group of people that feels like the perfect mix of personalities. Where each person…

Totally agree. This is the direction we are going to head in. We will display existing team members and also how you may compliment/overlap one another.

Re: Show HN: Workshape.io – A talent matching service for developers in Startups

#44

Post by jtheory » Mon, Nov 24, 2014, 4:38 PM UTC

huntermeyer wrote: post #33

ehurrell wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I strongly agree with this, I push a lot of toy projects to GitHub, and some of the more interesting work I've done can't/won't end up there (I designed the algorithms behind an advanced analytics startup, but can't share the code since the startup failed because I don't own the rights, for example).

What if you were looking for a job, how would you demonstrate or prove your skills? What would be a good way to share the most interesting work you've done (since you can't just post a Github link)?

That the most common case, though, not the exception. You make a CV that highlights your accomplishments, and you make sure you're prepared to dive into technical details during discussions. The hiring company tries to put your through your paces, somehow or other. It's imperfect, but the GitHub profile approach is going to weed out a lot of candidates who you probably ought not to weed out.

By far the most interesting work I'm doing is for my current employer; and it's not OSS (and wouldn't make sense to open source).

In theory, I could cut back on my work-work, and spend more time on side projects; but I have a family, and other interests as well. I'd rather have good overlap between "interesting work" and "work I'm paid for" than sacrifice my time with my kids or my guitar so I can work on interesting technical problems I'm not paid to work on.

For some people this could work out well -- e.g., maybe the crucial and awesome component of your company's infrastructure that you're building can be open-sourced! -- but for lots of other people life simply won't line up that way, and building something serious (but a personal project) on GitHub in your spare time means you don't have spare time for anything else in life... I wouldn't demand that of myself, or of anyone I was hiring.

Re: Show HN: Workshape.io – A talent matching service for developers in Startups

#45

Post by softdev12 » Mon, Nov 24, 2014, 4:48 PM UTC

kornakiewicz wrote: post #9

No matches so far (I got more on tinder, lol), but extremaly useful, well done. Altough it would be nice if one could also explore offers that don fit him perfectly, especially when there's no others. It always good to know what market needs.

the match aspect made me think of tinder, too

Re: Show HN: Workshape.io – A talent matching service for developers in Startups

#46

Post by jtheory » Mon, Nov 24, 2014, 4:49 PM UTC

500and4 wrote: post #12

Nice idea and really well executed. I run http://www.zonino.co.uk with a couple of other chaps and we think similarly about the need to bypass recruiters. Get in touch if you'd like to have a chat about the wild London startup scene!

Re: Show HN: Workshape.io – A talent matching service for developers in Startups

#47

Post by GordyMD » Mon, Nov 24, 2014, 5:06 PM UTC

rob_mccann wrote: post #6

GordyMD wrote: post #2

Hi there I'm Gordon and I am a software engineer! I have worked in the startup space for the 4 past years in London and San Francisco. Over this time I, like many others, have experienced the way in which the world of tech recruiting works. I have grown frustrated by the number of times I have been contacted about roles not suited to me and how recruiters regularly pitch me roles based on technologies I used in previ…

I'm having some trouble logging in. First time I got redirected back from Github (to http://www.workshape.io/api/0/session/connect/github/callbac... ), I got {}, second time I tried, I got { name: "RqlDriverError", msg: "Object field 'id' may not be undefined", message: "Object field 'id' may not be undefined" }

I've looked into the error with a few users and no recreations as yet. Please can you try signing up again now please and report back on whether it works. Many thanks.

Re: Show HN: Workshape.io – A talent matching service for developers in Startups

#48

Post by juhq » Mon, Nov 24, 2014, 5:09 PM UTC

This seems really interesting, unfortunately nobody seem to be looking for a starlord willing to take over the universe.

How would this work for companies looking for candidates? I saw no search or nothing. Companies signup a different kind of account?

Do you have plans to integrate topcoder, hackerrank etc? Will you be emailing users when you add new stuff? I regularly signup to services to test out them, but then immediately forget them as I get no reminders of new stuff or reminders about the existence of said service.

Re: Show HN: Workshape.io – A talent matching service for developers in Startups

#49

Post by jeffasinger » Mon, Nov 24, 2014, 5:18 PM UTC

gedrap wrote: post #21

resetti wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Caveat: haven't tried the site yet. Matching based on what you want to work on sounds dreamy for developers, and a like a disaster for startup employers. Startups are defined by change, and a critical thing you want to hire for is flexibility and tolerance for technology schleps. This seems like the opposite of what you're selecting for in developers. If you want to make things more pleasant for engineers, perhaps yo…

Agree. When you are running an early stage startup, you don't have much cash to burn and let people fiddle with what they want to try. You want to get something done, fast. And that's where the experienced folks come to help you. It's different in larger companies, where you can afford more time for learning and self-discoveries. Source: I worked for a startup where 3 out of 4 devs had 1 year of experience combined.…

The problem with the tech job market right now isn't typically:

"I'm a hiring manager and I get so many responses from good people that I don't know which to choose"

It's more like:

"I'm a hiring manager and I can't find any people who are interested in our position".

This is more of a solution to the second problem.

Re: Show HN: Workshape.io – A talent matching service for developers in Startups

#50

Post by GordyMD » Mon, Nov 24, 2014, 5:57 PM UTC

juhq wrote: post #48

This seems really interesting, unfortunately nobody seem to be looking for a starlord willing to take over the universe. How would this work for companies looking for candidates? I saw no search or nothing. Companies signup a different kind of account? Do you have plans to integrate topcoder, hackerrank etc? Will you be emailing users when you add new stuff? I regularly signup to services to test out them, but then i…

Hi.

Company sign ups are curated, there is no public sign up form presently.

We will inform users of future developments periodically.