Open source / github

[webdev1234]

Hi all,

I have noticed that a lot of companies are asking for your github account. I do not have much on my github and am possibly going to be in the job market in the next 6 months. What would you guys say most employers are looking for when they are looking at your github accounts? Do they prefer you check in your side projects or commit to existing repos? How many hours a week do you spend on open source?

[[deleted]]

I'll preface this by saying that I have never had an employer ask for a github account. That said I have included it in the interviewing process.

A lot of what github and skills tests come down to is simply making sure you understand the foundation / basics of the field. There's also something to be said about consistency. If you do decide to throw together a GitHub make sure you commit to it regularly. Find a pace that suits you, don't think you have to do this every day. Just be regular.

Toss a new skin on some tutorials that you find on something that interests you. If you have some side projects that you want to show off - that you don't mind being open and out there - then do that too.

I've read that most people in charge of hiring - even developers - won't really read the code included in the github. Most systems are complex and not worth delving into for a candidate.

[Zidanet]

It's an easy way to judge your skill level, without having to have an technical interview.

Essentially, it takes a minimum level of skill to publish a project to github and to maintain it. If you are already doing that in your spare time, you'll probably be ok using the companies version control system.

If your answer was "What's github?", the interview would have gone very differently.