Ask HN: How do I show a company that I'm worth hiring?

1 points by ThoroughlyR 13 years ago | 5 comments

I want to start applying to companies looking to hiring junior developers, but I don't seem to meet the requirements for any of them.

I don't have a college degree. I don't have an amazing GitHub account. I'm not the best programmer in the world. I'm certainly not a "rock star" or a "ninja".

What I DO offer is passion and the ability to learn quickly. What else do I need to convince a company to hiring me?

kevinconroy 13 years ago |

Here's one out of my personal playbook on both sides of the hiring process: Find a company that has an API and build something with it. Make a mashup, augment a feature that they have, or build a missing feature. This shows them that you are passionate about their company, have the ability to execute, and can deliver value.

Find a company that you want to work for that doesn't have an API? Build one for them. Scrap their website, grab some basic data, and show them that you can build a rudimentary API that gives customers access to build on top of what they want. Or build out a cool feature that they're lacking.

More than programmers, companies are looking for people who can help them improve their business. If you can bring passion, execution, and vision together you'll always find a job you want.

Also, we're hiring: http://www.globalgiving.org/aboutus/jobs/software-engineer-f...

ThoroughlyR 13 years ago | |

I tried to have a look at your API, but it won't load. :) Just sayin.

EDIT: Nevermind, it loaded.

ryanmolden 13 years ago |

Where do you live? One often overlooked avenue is to get contacts in the local tech community via meetups/OSS. Having an existing employee vouch for you is a big leg-up, but of course that person is putting their reputation on the line, so they have to really know your talent / passion / dedication first. Probably not what you want to hear as it doesn't help find a job today, but having people that can vouch for your skills, long term, is invaluable and takes time to build up, so starting ASAP is a good idea. One of the open secrets in the tech world is that most job qualifications are a bit overboard and can be waived entirely for a good candidate. Just realize not ticking any of the skill boxes AND not having an inside recommendation is a hard thing to overcome, so you need to attack one angle or the other.

ThoroughlyR 13 years ago | |

I'm from Jacksonville, FL. Unfortunately, there isn't a huge software community here -- at least not that I can find.

ryanmolden 13 years ago | | |

http://www.quora.com/What-is-the-Miami-FL-startup-scene-like...

Now, obviously Miami is a long ways away, but at the very least looking into some of the links in the Quora response may lead to interesting things. Or

http://jacksonville.startupweekend.org/

Alternatively you could find an OSS project that fits in your wheelhouse and could be something you could get into. Most projects have lots of 'grunt' work that needs to be done, it isn't glamorous or really challenging, normally, but it can get you familiarity with the codebase (necessary for more interesting changes) and it can get you into 'the scene' so you can get to know other project members, get CR's from them (very helpful for learning, though can be scary for beginners...or even experts :)), pointers to jobs opportunities, etc..