Ask HN: How to get back in employment market after working on side projects?

You wouldn't hesitate to claim the years working on these interesting projects as valuable years and part of your career growth and progression.We tend to downplay things we do or build ourselves, as if the very fact that another person (a boss) tells us to do something makes it immediately more valuable than if we choose to do that something ourselves.It doesn't. The app you built because you chose to has just as much value as the app you built because someone paying you a monthly check told you to build it.Wrap your 'side projects' inside a business and claim the credit for all that work.We tend to downplay things we do or build ourselves, as if the very fact that another person (a boss) tells us to do something makes it immediately more valuable than if we choose to do that something ourselves.It doesn't. The only reason we don’t do that, is because it would be disrespectful to the applicants, but the interviews are as much an opportunity for them to figure out if they want to work with us once they’ve met us, as it is for us to do the same.Hiring people once you move past a certain skill level is much more about finding a common fit, so that you can continue having the good culture that you have already established.It’s not that I think you are wrong to look at github though. If it was too clean or too good, I’d personally be suspicious why they’d work for us.Hiring people once you move past a certain skill level is much more about finding a common fit, so that you can continue having the good culture that you have already established.It’s not that I think you are wrong to look at github though. If you applied to a job I have, I’d mostly interview you like a normal person, and then I’d say “If you’ve on your own for 9 years, are you sure you really want a normal job? So why can he just be honest and say so?I mean, it is a valid concern, if a person who was on his own for a long time, can fit back in into a coporation, and it needs some convincing that he actually can - but telling people to fake motivation, when all they actually want is the money - just increases company bullshit.I mean, you can find a million fake answers, "I want the challenge", "I want to improve myself in difficult situations", blabla, - but this is exactly the kind of bullshit I am only willing to put up with, if I need the money. So why can he just be honest and say so?I mean, it is a valid concern, if a person who was on his own for a long time, can fit back in into a coporation, and it needs some convincing that he actually can - but telling people to fake motivation, when all they actually want is the money - just increases company bullshit.I mean, it is a valid concern, if a person who was on his own for a long time, can fit back in into a coporation, and it needs some convincing that he actually can - but telling people to fake motivation, when all they actually want is the money - just increases company bullshit. But I'd start by saying OP is fuckedIt's a good market so you'll find somethingEventuallyYou're obviously smart because you could chill for a few years(Or you got an inheritance)The general genre of reading you are looking for is "why entrepreneurs can't get hired" -- something like that.I would be honest-ish about the moneyYou, like 99% of people with 9 to 5s, need a job because you need money and/or healthcareThat is impolite to talk about often but it could actually workThere is a bit more honesty going on right now because of pandemic traumaI'd look to pick up a contract by answering some of the 8 trillion spam emails you're gettingPerm jobs are going to be like fuck this guyImoIt's a good market so you'll find somethingEventuallyYou're obviously smart because you could chill for a few years(Or you got an inheritance)The general genre of reading you are looking for is "why entrepreneurs can't get hired" -- something like that.I would be honest-ish about the moneyYou, like 99% of people with 9 to 5s, need a job because you need money and/or healthcareThat is impolite to talk about often but it could actually workThere is a bit more honesty going on right now because of pandemic traumaI'd look to pick up a contract by answering some of the 8 trillion spam emails you're gettingPerm jobs are going to be like fuck this guyImoEventuallyYou're obviously smart because you could chill for a few years(Or you got an inheritance)The general genre of reading you are looking for is "why entrepreneurs can't get hired" -- something like that.I would be honest-ish about the moneyYou, like 99% of people with 9 to 5s, need a job because you need money and/or healthcareThat is impolite to talk about often but it could actually workThere is a bit more honesty going on right now because of pandemic traumaI'd look to pick up a contract by answering some of the 8 trillion spam emails you're gettingPerm jobs are going to be like fuck this guyImoYou're obviously smart because you could chill for a few years(Or you got an inheritance)The general genre of reading you are looking for is "why entrepreneurs can't get hired" -- something like that.I would be honest-ish about the moneyYou, like 99% of people with 9 to 5s, need a job because you need money and/or healthcareThat is impolite to talk about often but it could actually workThere is a bit more honesty going on right now because of pandemic traumaI'd look to pick up a contract by answering some of the 8 trillion spam emails you're gettingPerm jobs are going to be like fuck this guyImo(Or you got an inheritance)The general genre of reading you are looking for is "why entrepreneurs can't get hired" -- something like that.I would be honest-ish about the moneyYou, like 99% of people with 9 to 5s, need a job because you need money and/or healthcareThat is impolite to talk about often but it could actually workThere is a bit more honesty going on right now because of pandemic traumaI'd look to pick up a contract by answering some of the 8 trillion spam emails you're gettingPerm jobs are going to be like fuck this guyImoThe general genre of reading you are looking for is "why entrepreneurs can't get hired" -- something like that.I would be honest-ish about the moneyYou, like 99% of people with 9 to 5s, need a job because you need money and/or healthcareThat is impolite to talk about often but it could actually workThere is a bit more honesty going on right now because of pandemic traumaI'd look to pick up a contract by answering some of the 8 trillion spam emails you're gettingPerm jobs are going to be like fuck this guyImoI would be honest-ish about the moneyYou, like 99% of people with 9 to 5s, need a job because you need money and/or healthcareThat is impolite to talk about often but it could actually workThere is a bit more honesty going on right now because of pandemic traumaI'd look to pick up a contract by answering some of the 8 trillion spam emails you're gettingPerm jobs are going to be like fuck this guyImoYou, like 99% of people with 9 to 5s, need a job because you need money and/or healthcareThat is impolite to talk about often but it could actually workThere is a bit more honesty going on right now because of pandemic traumaI'd look to pick up a contract by answering some of the 8 trillion spam emails you're gettingPerm jobs are going to be like fuck this guyImoThat is impolite to talk about often but it could actually workThere is a bit more honesty going on right now because of pandemic traumaI'd look to pick up a contract by answering some of the 8 trillion spam emails you're gettingPerm jobs are going to be like fuck this guyImoThere is a bit more honesty going on right now because of pandemic traumaI'd look to pick up a contract by answering some of the 8 trillion spam emails you're gettingPerm jobs are going to be like fuck this guyImoI'd look to pick up a contract by answering some of the 8 trillion spam emails you're gettingPerm jobs are going to be like fuck this guyImoPerm jobs are going to be like fuck this guyImoImo Don't start off by talking about stuff that makes people say, "fuck this guy."Another commenter mentioned leetcoding, which is essential.It's really concerning you're focusing on remote work. Don't start off by talking about stuff that makes people say, "fuck this guy."It's really concerning you're focusing on remote work. Make it part of the narrative by explaining its role in your life, and how it characterizes you as a person ("I took a year off to care for sick parents") or how it served as growth ("I wanted to get more experience with X").From experience, early in my career I took time off because I wanted to get better at understanding, structuring, and maintaining code test suites. These aren't just times where I wasn't working, they are times deliberately devoted to something in my life, and they actually help the job hunt rather than hinder it.Employment gaps are typically a concern if:1. Make it part of the narrative by explaining its role in your life, and how it characterizes you as a person ("I took a year off to care for sick parents") or how it served as growth ("I wanted to get more experience with X").From experience, early in my career I took time off because I wanted to get better at understanding, structuring, and maintaining code test suites. Make it part of the narrative by explaining its role in your life, and how it characterizes you as a person ("I took a year off to care for sick parents") or how it served as growth ("I wanted to get more experience with X").From experience, early in my career I took time off because I wanted to get better at understanding, structuring, and maintaining code test suites. These aren't just times where I wasn't working, they are times deliberately devoted to something in my life, and they actually help the job hunt rather than hinder it.Employment gaps that served a purpose in someone's life are just as valuable as an employment history. Make it part of the narrative by explaining its role in your life, and how it characterizes you as a person ("I took a year off to care for sick parents") or how it served as growth ("I wanted to get more experience with X").From experience, early in my career I took time off because I wanted to get better at understanding, structuring, and maintaining code test suites. These aren't just times where I wasn't working, they are times deliberately devoted to something in my life, and they actually help the job hunt rather than hinder it.From experience, early in my career I took time off because I wanted to get better at understanding, structuring, and maintaining code test suites. We often talked about how I always was working on different projects.I have been IC at this company for 4 years now with minimal supervision delivering apps. I love seeing side projects, both because- it shows you have entrepreneurial skills (care about and able to think about more than just code)- as well as the technical side (shows you’re able to build from scratch, probably work across the stack, etc.)Show off as much as you can:- leave the websites up even if the business isn’t viable. Personally I prefer to hire ICs who have a little management experience because they tend to be better employees as well as are more likely to be someone who can eventually lead/manage with us as well.Overall: the biggest thing is you want to show that you have been doing good technical work over the last few years versus just some unemployable person who had “projects”.I’m hiring frontend/React and backend/Python engineers: phil@close.com- it shows you have entrepreneurial skills (care about and able to think about more than just code)- as well as the technical side (shows you’re able to build from scratch, probably work across the stack, etc.)Show off as much as you can:- leave the websites up even if the business isn’t viable. Personally I prefer to hire ICs who have a little management experience because they tend to be better employees as well as are more likely to be someone who can eventually lead/manage with us as well.Overall: the biggest thing is you want to show that you have been doing good technical work over the last few years versus just some unemployable person who had “projects”.I’m hiring frontend/React and backend/Python engineers: phil@close.com- as well as the technical side (shows you’re able to build from scratch, probably work across the stack, etc.)Show off as much as you can:- leave the websites up even if the business isn’t viable. Personally I prefer to hire ICs who have a little management experience because they tend to be better employees as well as are more likely to be someone who can eventually lead/manage with us as well.Overall: the biggest thing is you want to show that you have been doing good technical work over the last few years versus just some unemployable person who had “projects”.I’m hiring frontend/React and backend/Python engineers: phil@close.comShow off as much as you can:- leave the websites up even if the business isn’t viable. Personally I prefer to hire ICs who have a little management experience because they tend to be better employees as well as are more likely to be someone who can eventually lead/manage with us as well.Overall: the biggest thing is you want to show that you have been doing good technical work over the last few years versus just some unemployable person who had “projects”.I’m hiring frontend/React and backend/Python engineers: phil@close.com- leave the websites up even if the business isn’t viable. Personally I prefer to hire ICs who have a little management experience because they tend to be better employees as well as are more likely to be someone who can eventually lead/manage with us as well.Overall: the biggest thing is you want to show that you have been doing good technical work over the last few years versus just some unemployable person who had “projects”.I’m hiring frontend/React and backend/Python engineers: phil@close.com- open source what you can. Personally I prefer to hire ICs who have a little management experience because they tend to be better employees as well as are more likely to be someone who can eventually lead/manage with us as well.Overall: the biggest thing is you want to show that you have been doing good technical work over the last few years versus just some unemployable person who had “projects”.I’m hiring frontend/React and backend/Python engineers: phil@close.comTry to foster great references. Personally I prefer to hire ICs who have a little management experience because they tend to be better employees as well as are more likely to be someone who can eventually lead/manage with us as well.Overall: the biggest thing is you want to show that you have been doing good technical work over the last few years versus just some unemployable person who had “projects”.I’m hiring frontend/React and backend/Python engineers: phil@close.comUnless you had a lot of management experience, I suggest trying to find a job as an IC. Personally I prefer to hire ICs who have a little management experience because they tend to be better employees as well as are more likely to be someone who can eventually lead/manage with us as well.Overall: the biggest thing is you want to show that you have been doing good technical work over the last few years versus just some unemployable person who had “projects”.I’m hiring frontend/React and backend/Python engineers: phil@close.comOverall: the biggest thing is you want to show that you have been doing good technical work over the last few years versus just some unemployable person who had “projects”.I’m hiring frontend/React and backend/Python engineers: phil@close.comI’m hiring frontend/React and backend/Python engineers: phil@close.com - "there is no reason to spend the time looking at what people have done on GitHub"- "Employers don’t really care [about a github link]"- "None of that extracurricular stuff matters"There are literally hiring managers in the thread saying that they like seeing Github links, and have hired founders of one-person companies. Most programmers don't work at FAANG.- "Employers don’t really care [about a github link]"- "None of that extracurricular stuff matters"There are literally hiring managers in the thread saying that they like seeing Github links, and have hired founders of one-person companies. Most programmers don't work at FAANG.- "None of that extracurricular stuff matters"There are literally hiring managers in the thread saying that they like seeing Github links, and have hired founders of one-person companies. Most programmers don't work at FAANG.There are literally hiring managers in the thread saying that they like seeing Github links, and have hired founders of one-person companies. A gap where you worked on technical projects that didn’t work out business-wise will make for interesting interview slots (in a good and memorable way for the interviewers).Three months ago may have been 2% better, but from a macro perspective, this is likely the best time in history to be looking for remote work.Three months ago may have been 2% better, but from a macro perspective, this is likely the best time in history to be looking for remote work. Technical project management, business analyst someone who can understand what deployment to a kubernetes cluster means and the importance of a well structured support pipeline - is etremely valuable.There must be a reason you are under-selling yourself but good luck.If you want to be another coder in a seat, go for leetcode and apply to 200+ companies. Technical project management, business analyst someone who can understand what deployment to a kubernetes cluster means and the importance of a well structured support pipeline - is etremely valuable.There must be a reason you are under-selling yourself but good luck.If you are serious about a job then you must position yourself as someone who can help, and that won't neccesarily mean "coder".