It doesn’t take much public creativity to stand out as a job candidate • Hacker News Board

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

#201

Post by gavinhoward » Wed, Jul 26, 2023, 1:54 PM UTC

pcthrowaway wrote: post #131

flir wrote: post #113

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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…

I know this, by the way.

But it's a good thing that companies find this out because I'm not a good fit for a sterile work environment.

My original post was not asking why; it was refuting the article that said it was a good thing in its face.

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

#202

Post by gavinhoward » Wed, Jul 26, 2023, 1:56 PM UTC

kelnos wrote: post #78

gavinhoward wrote: post #6

Unlike another top poster, this doesn't ring true for me. I have a blog with 170-ish posts. About half are technical. Three or four have gone viral on HN. The other half are personal, but I live in a place where people generally share the same values, so those other posts shouldn't be a problem. I've got a personal project. It's used in production and ships as part of the base install with FreeBSD and Mac OSX. It dem…

I'm sure you'll get pissed at this, but assuming hiring managers see your blog and Gitea instance, here are some of my guesses as to why they don't want to hire you: * You call BLM a "terrorist organization". * You explicitly object to the idea that the phenomenon of police killings of black people is rooted in white supremacy. * You give off serious antivaxxer vibes, and refuse to wear a mask during a global pandemi…

Oh, I know.

My post was not wondering why I wasn't getting hired; it was a refutation of the article saying that blogs were all good.

Sometimes you can stand out in a bad way (in other people's minds).

I'm okay with this because I'm not a good fit for sterile office work.

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

#203

Post by gavinhoward » Wed, Jul 26, 2023, 1:59 PM UTC

prawn wrote: post #193

gavinhoward wrote: post #189

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You didn't read far enough. My campaign has been terminated and will stay terminated. I lost the motivation to continue.

I can appreciate that plans and motivations change, but I read that page about intent and the update at the bottom was about getting a letter from Romney. FYI, I'd found the campaign content from the Gab link, which didn't have the campaign-termination announcement. "If I lose, I will run for Senate of the United States against Mitt Romney in 2024. I will not go away." "And if I lose, I will then run for President of…

Oh, yes, I'd better post it to Gab.

Let's just say that there was an external reason why I lost motivation that I could tell a potential employer, and they would understand. I won't repeat it on HN though.

In reality, I know why I'm not getting a job. I'll not a good fit for sterile office work. And that's okay for both me and companies; their are right to avoid hiring me.

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

#204

Post by emptysongglass » Wed, Jul 26, 2023, 2:00 PM UTC

gavinhoward wrote: post #195

emptysongglass wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What does that actually mean? The fact you're using language like, "cog in the machine" is already telling me a lot about why companies don't want to hire you. If you told us exactly where the process breaks down for you and why with illustrative examples, we might be able to help you identify where it's going wrong for you. But tip 1, companies hire people who are positive about how they can contribute and work with…

There might be people outside of the conference targeting attendees.

Let me be completely clear with you: you are the danger to others when you bring a concealed firearm to a conference.

There might be people outside of the conference targeting attendees? That is the talk of someone who walks around life haunted by fear.

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

#205

Post by gavinhoward » Wed, Jul 26, 2023, 2:00 PM UTC

mellosouls wrote: post #94

gavinhoward wrote: post #6

Unlike another top poster, this doesn't ring true for me. I have a blog with 170-ish posts. About half are technical. Three or four have gone viral on HN. The other half are personal, but I live in a place where people generally share the same values, so those other posts shouldn't be a problem. I've got a personal project. It's used in production and ships as part of the base install with FreeBSD and Mac OSX. It dem…

The other half are personal, but I live in a place where people generally share the same values, so those other posts shouldn't be a problem. I read a couple of the posts; I can't comment on the demographics or beliefs of the people recruiting in the location you are looking, but I suspect they are not as uniform as you imply - and even those who share them may not share also your penchant for mixing the professional…

Oh I know. My post was never wondering why I don't fit. I know.

I was just refuting the article.

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

#206

Post by gavinhoward » Wed, Jul 26, 2023, 2:02 PM UTC

okeuro49 wrote: post #29

gavinhoward wrote: post #6

Unlike another top poster, this doesn't ring true for me. I have a blog with 170-ish posts. About half are technical. Three or four have gone viral on HN. The other half are personal, but I live in a place where people generally share the same values, so those other posts shouldn't be a problem. I've got a personal project. It's used in production and ships as part of the base install with FreeBSD and Mac OSX. It dem…

Your blog post: > Got another programming job. Got fired for "performance." I think the reason wasn’t good, but I also have a hard time building a theory of mind, which means I can’t read code written by others. If you can't read code written by others, that's going to be a big concern for companies that require you to read and modify other people's code. Perhaps you need to be a contractor, not an employee.

Oh I know why I can't get a job. I was just refuting the article.

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

#207

Post by BeetleB » Wed, Jul 26, 2023, 2:11 PM UTC

_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…

Tip: Work for an established company - preferably a non-Internet oriented one. Perhaps a traditional engineering company (you know, the type that actually manufactures something physical). Definitely not a startup. Or one that is not in tech (e.g. bank, hospital, etc).

They typically will not work you that hard, and no one checks your blog or Github.

Of course, there are downsides to this approach as well...

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

#208

Post by swader999 » Wed, Jul 26, 2023, 2:12 PM UTC

_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…

Been on a lot of hiring teams over the years. Hiring managers are especially wary of self promoters. If it's a genuine contribution, side project, or meaningful community involvement, that's great and it counts a lot. But the idea that this status doesn't take much to achieve can backfire if you try to game it.

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

#209

Post by bugglebeetle » Wed, Jul 26, 2023, 2:12 PM UTC

honzabe wrote: post #170

_sojh wrote: post #126

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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…

I hear something like that from other Americans as well and do not doubt that what you are saying is true, but why is it like that? Isn't the unemployment rate in the US low (around 3.5%) right now? I live in a country where the unemployment rate is pretty low (2.5%) and the situation is kind of the reverse of what you are describing. Companies are trying to entice potential employees, not the other way around. Give…

Unemployment being low in the US is not so directly correlated with how workers are treated because there are so few labor protections in place and those that do exist are rarely enforced.

For a tech industry example, what Elon Musk did with layoffs and worker treatment at Twitter in his relentless efforts to demonstrate his incompetence would be illegal in most of Europe and quickly face the ire of unions and regulators. In the US, by contrast, his behavior was seen as aspirational by a number of other tech CEOs, who quickly followed suit to demonstrate that they were just as “smart” and “tough” as Musk.

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

#210

Post by joezydeco » Wed, Jul 26, 2023, 2:14 PM UTC

Are you an embedded developer? Bring a show-and-tell to your next interview. Bring an example of something you've worked on. Doesn't have to be in a finished case. In fact, a raw PCB can be more effective.

Make sure 1) the product has already been released to the public and 2) the hardware isn't stolen. Rig up a small power supply and find a way to light it up.

Being able to drop that in front of an interviewer and explain the entire system front-to-back is a massive advantage over people that have listed random "projects" in their resume but don't have much more to say about it. Be honest about your contributions, don't give away anything proprietary, but be proud of the project and show some enthusiasm when you talk about it.

That alone will get you 80% of the way to the job.

I also keep a binder with a single page for every project I've done. Just a photograph and maybe 3-4 lines of text. Keep that off to the side. When an interviewer asks about a technology or idea that matches even a little you whip that book out and point to the page. Now you're showing and telling again. Super easy to put together and maintain over your career.