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It doesn’t take much public creativity to stand out as a job candidate

simonwillison.net

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Re: It doesn’t take much public creativity to stand out as a job candidate

#131

Post by pcthrowaway »

flir wrote: post #113
Cthulhu_ wrote: post #81

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah, even if I were to agree with the standpoints, they all say "I do not work well with other people and I am an angry person", which is a disqualifier for most jobs.

Dude's getting eviscerated for his opinions, but you're right, it's the attitude that's the red flag. I'd avoid hiring his political polar opposite too, if they were this petty/angry about it. I wonder if he's going to listen to the advice and present as more milquetoast when using his real name, or double down.

Even discounting finding his opinions objectionable (which, in my opinion, any reasonable person would), I'd pass on someone who posts this kind of content purely because they're a ticking time bomb. I don't want them to piss off a big client or explode because of a work disagreement while they're packing heat. I wouldn't want to hire them knowing that I might have to fear for my life even a little if I need to fire them one day.

I mean I have some pretty fringe beliefs too (mainly on the strongly anti-capitalist, progressive side of things). I'm not stupid enough to post those ideas publicly because they're far more likely to hurt my chances of employment than to help them.

Re: It doesn’t take much public creativity to stand out as a job candidate

#132

Post by Vespasian »

marcus_holmes wrote: post #60
LouisSayers wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Also worked in Aus - Melbourne and Sydney, as well as London. I have zero blogs, and I don't contribute towards open source. My github has random bits of code, a few coding exercises from other companies. What I do have though is a decent CV. When people say you need this or that, what they're actually saying is you need to show somehow that you're technically capable. There are other ways of doing that than just hav…

Agree. Also in Aus. HR doesn't give a shit about creativity. They need to see the TLA's on the CV that the tech nerds said they needed for the role. Also, is it me, or is this ridiculous? Accountants don't need to do any open-source accounting to prove their bona fides. Lawyers don't need to side-hustle some public defense cases to get respect. Civil Engineers don't build some free bridges to get hired. The employer…

I do have private code that I'm working on in my freetime that is not public and most likely never will be.

Most of it is an incomplete mess, intentionally over/under engineered or created to learn a new tech / development philosophy. It served it's purpose and is not going to get "finished".

Other projects are personal and are tailored to my specific needs making liberal use of hardcoded assumptions.

None of it is a good representation of my professional work 99% of which is not open sourced.

Re: It doesn’t take much public creativity to stand out as a job candidate

#133

Post by Ygor »

intellectronica wrote: post #33

100%. Especially in a tough, competitive job market like today's, having a credible portfolio of work, published content, and external validation makes a huge difference. It can take a good candidate to the top of the list, and when that list is a few dozen great applications, that's critical. As a hiring manager I weigh a candidate's public presence at 10~15% of my initial decision, even more if it's exceptionally i…

Not necessarily disagreeing with this approach - but an interesting other side to this that should be considered: what about candidates who look great on their public profiles - real achievements and credible expertise - because they focus more on their public profile than their main job?

Completely anecdotal and probably another extreme of the coin - but I'm curious if folks have some experience with this and how to spot this case.

Re: It doesn’t take much public creativity to stand out as a job candidate

#134

Post by tgv »

intellectronica wrote: post #33

100%. Especially in a tough, competitive job market like today's, having a credible portfolio of work, published content, and external validation makes a huge difference. It can take a good candidate to the top of the list, and when that list is a few dozen great applications, that's critical. As a hiring manager I weigh a candidate's public presence at 10~15% of my initial decision, even more if it's exceptionally i…

What credible, impressive, publically available work did you do to become a hiring manager?

Re: It doesn’t take much public creativity to stand out as a job candidate

#135

Post by wiseowise »

tr888 wrote: post #101

It shouldn't take any. This hiring attitude discriminates against (not an exclusive list) parents, people with caring responsibilities, and those that find "public creativity" difficult due to personality traits or medical issues. It cements the "tech bro" culture. It stifles diversity. Just hire people that can do the job you're paying them for. I don't ask my plumber to show me their blog posts.

Nobody asks you to put any blog posts online, but complaining that someone gets more recognition for extra work they do to promote themselves is kind of obtuse.

Do you also complain about fit people having bigger chances to find a partner than people who don’t work out because of their situation?

Re: It doesn’t take much public creativity to stand out as a job candidate

#136

Post by [deleted] »

sph wrote: post #65
ahartmetz wrote: post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It could be when they see that https://git.gavinhoward.com/gavin/petty-tyrant-businesses

While I disagree with the stance and tone of that repo, I appreciate that someone stops being a corporate lackey even on their personal websites; we've all become sterile, pleasant representations of the ideal worker just hoping for someone to have the decency to pay us for our programming ability and talent. Maybe be a little careful with the conspiracy theories, but I am quite done with the corporate-friendly perso…

[deleted]

Re: It doesn’t take much public creativity to stand out as a job candidate

#137

Post by wiseowise »

fnimick wrote: post #128
fardo wrote: post #111

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I don't ask my plumber to show me their blog posts. Yes, but you probably read his reviews online, compared his quotes with competitors in the space to pick one with a good reputation, and otherwise sought signals of competence. Blog posts are the very same thing, quickly verifiable, albeit potentially wrong, signals of skill and competence. > Just hire people that can do the job you're paying them for Speaking blu…

I didn't know being a plumber that gets good reviews involves putting in a substantial amount of unpaid work.

All things equal, I’d rather hire plumber who has a blogpost where they tinker with some plumbing systems.

Re: It doesn’t take much public creativity to stand out as a job candidate

#138

Post by wiseowise »

klrtyc wrote: post #61

If each of one's blog posts is upvoted to the top at HN for unknown reasons, that may be true. If you are in the right clique and do minor work in an open source project, that may also be true, as long as you go along with the correct politics. So in that sense the title is correct and describes the sad world we live in.

How is that sad?

Re: It doesn’t take much public creativity to stand out as a job candidate

#139

Post by WJW »

_sojh wrote: post #126
intellectronica wrote: post #33

100%. Especially in a tough, competitive job market like today's, having a credible portfolio of work, published content, and external validation makes a huge difference. It can take a good candidate to the top of the list, and when that list is a few dozen great applications, that's critical. As a hiring manager I weigh a candidate's public presence at 10~15% of my initial decision, even more if it's exceptionally i…

This may be the uncommon opinion, but hell no. Companies already want us working an amount of hours well beyond what our salaries should cover, being on-call, and often working well into the night for deadlines, and sometimes the entire night into the next work day when incidents arise. Then, when we need a job, we need to custom write a compelling “cover letter” that sucks the dick of some corporate entity in order…

Tbh I don't think that is the uncommon opinion at all. In fact I agree with it myself. But it seems obvious that the more people share this opinion, the easier it will be to stand out if you do just a little bit extra.

Re: It doesn’t take much public creativity to stand out as a job candidate

#140

Post by flir »

dvt wrote: post #102
prawn wrote: post #96

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Is it possible that employers could think that your political aspirations may outweigh your commitment to working consistently for them into the future? Links from your site: https://gavinhoward.com/2020/06/i-am-running-for-office/ https://gab.com/gavinhoward

An employer cannot retaliate if you're running for office or have whatever political beliefs you may have. This is from the California Labor Code, but if I remember correctly, every State has this protection in place: > Labor Code section 1101 prohibits an employer from preventing employees from engaging or participating in politics or preventing employees from becoming candidates for public office.

Safest never to make him an employee, then.
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