|
A Django Unchained-powered website.
|
#
?
Sep 16, 2013 14:49
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 15, 2024 19:22 |
|
|
wolffenstein posted:A Django-powered website. I already have a site they asked me to build before my first interview, I was trying to think of something I could write just using python. It was a little vague in that they said I may be asked to present some of my "recent project work", and my home-projects code is a little sparse if I'm honest. Mostly because I struggle to think of good ideas. Thinking about it, now might be the time to write my Elo team matchmaking module. NtotheTC fucked around with this message at 15:25 on Sep 16, 2013 |
|
#
?
Sep 16, 2013 15:02
|
|
|
kitten smoothie posted:As has been said here before, any Bay company worth its salt will fly you in for interviews at their expense, and will pay your relocation expenses to move you there. It isn't as difficult as you think to get set up out there. not all will, especially for junior positions. but in this crazy modern world what with your skypes and your githubs and whatnot, geography really should not be anywhere near the issue it once was.
|
|
#
?
Sep 16, 2013 15:33
|
|
|
Zero The Hero posted:I re-imagined my resume a while back, I've been meaning to get your guys' opinions. Just noticed something else: don't list your github profile if the only thing on it is 1 empty readme file.
|
|
#
?
Sep 16, 2013 16:00
|
|
|
astr0man posted:Just noticed something else: don't list your github profile if the only thing on it is 1 empty readme file. But it proves that he knows what Github is and how to sign up for an account!
|
|
#
?
Sep 16, 2013 16:06
|
|
|
I just got hired for a junior position in San Diego while living in Pittsburgh. There are plenty of companies that will pay for your relocation, even small ones.
|
|
|
#
?
Sep 16, 2013 16:13
|
|
|
Don Mega posted:I just got hired for a junior position in San Diego while living in Pittsburgh. There are plenty of companies that will pay for your relocation, even small ones. And don't be the dumb guy that doesn't negotiate for relocation expenses like me. If not for a gracious loan by my brother in law my family would not have survived the transitional month from PA to TX and the job switch. Total flub on my part.
|
|
#
?
Sep 16, 2013 17:37
|
|
|
Regarding the whole "create a demo web site" thing, how does one come up with a bunch of content to build it around?
|
|
#
?
Sep 16, 2013 17:59
|
|
|
Gazpacho posted:Regarding the whole "create a demo web site" thing, how does one come up with a bunch of content to build it around? Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet. Just to clarify: A 'demo' website can have mock content. If you're building a website with real content then it's less of a demo website and more of an actual website.
|
|
#
?
Sep 16, 2013 18:52
|
|
|
So if I'm self-learning languages like Python and Java, at what point can I call myself "good enough to be hireable"? How will I know that I'm experienced enough for a real job?
|
|
#
?
Sep 16, 2013 18:58
|
|
|
Pollyanna posted:So if I'm self-learning languages like Python and Java, at what point can I call myself "good enough to be hireable"? How will I know that I'm experienced enough for a real job? Deciding that is their job.
|
|
#
?
Sep 16, 2013 19:14
|
|
|
It's discussed so frequently that maybe the OP would benefit from a list of "showcase project" suggestions for people learning to program that want to demonstrate their skills or bridge the gap between education and employment. Possibly with subsections for a different language or technology?
|
|
#
?
Sep 16, 2013 19:20
|
|
|
Bolton Hairy-Bore posted:Okay. Thanks for the tips on dealing with recruiters the right way. Makes sense. If I can, I usually apply through the employer's site after being notified about the job by the recruiter. A lot of job openings are not listed, especially temporary ones like covering someone's maternity leave or last-stretch work to ship a project that is behind schedule. It's up to recruiters to fill these.
|
|
#
?
Sep 16, 2013 19:24
|
|
|
Pollyanna posted:So if I'm self-learning languages like Python and Java, at what point can I call myself "good enough to be hireable"? How will I know that I'm experienced enough for a real job? When you feel confident enough to apply for jobs. As Bongo Bill said, it's not your main job to decide if you're good enough, especially for junior/entry positions. Obviously some knowledge will help you pass the phone screen/interview but there's too many variables to really tell. Do the developers like you? Do they think you're smart enough to learn their base? Are you going to struggle too much to be worth the investment? And so on.
|
|
#
?
Sep 16, 2013 19:37
|
|
|
When companies ask "what interests you," what are they really asking? At least with one place I'm looking into, whenever they ask I feel like they want me to say I'm really passionate about some particular technology and then go on and on about it. I can't really say that because I've only been working 2 years and I just don't know what my ultimately favorite area will be. What would be a good way to say that my main interest is just learning how to be a good developer and that I'm still figuring out which technologies are my favorites?
|
|
#
?
Sep 16, 2013 21:30
|
|
|
How is it that so many of you have zero ideas for showcase projects? Programming lets you do almost anything you want. You seriously don't have any ideas along the lines of "Hey wouldn't this be neat?" or "I always wondered how X worked" percolating all the time? One really shouldn't have to come here and ask "What can I work on to showcase my programming abilities" because the answer is pretty much anything. If you have any sort of interests or hobbies at all it shouldn't be that hard to find something to work on.
|
|
#
?
Sep 16, 2013 21:33
|
|
|
I like getting paid how do I make a project get me paid. 
|
|
#
?
Sep 16, 2013 21:34
|
|
|
It's hard to come up with projects because you feel like you have to make something original in order to stand out. But just making something of substance is all you need. Pick an existing website/application/game and make your own clone of it. I wrote a simple clone of LiveJournal as a personal project and I got asked a bunch of questions about it when I was interviewing. No one asked "why didn't you do something cooler/something else?" everyone wanted to know why I chose the database that I did and how I managed validating user accounts and what libraries I used and what the biggest challenge was etc etc. Just think about what software/web sites you use and spin off something like that.
|
|
#
?
Sep 16, 2013 22:16
|
|
|
For web stuff, here are some basic projects: Simple: Build a URL shortener like bit.ly. That should show that you know how to get a website running, that you know how a portion of the web works (redirects), and how to make a super simple database. Medium: Build an image hosting site with users/accounts. Allow public/private settings on photos, sharing links for private photos (that can expire or have limited number of views). Use this to learn (or show that you know) web security best practices. These two shouldn't take a junior programmer who knows the basics of a web framework more than a few hours, a day at max, but they can cover a large portion of web related topics depending on how deep you want to go (user accounts, HTTP interaction, web file storage/transfer, security, database interaction/design, caching headers).
|
|
#
?
Sep 16, 2013 23:10
|
|
|
How hard is it to clue together some API to come up with something new if you're looking for a web dev. gig? Make a website with a backend that shows Yelp reviews on a map with the ability to filter by restaurant types or something. Make one that shows the radius restaurants are willing to deliver to so I can see what I can order from my house, etc.. There's so many minor ideas that could be done in a weekend. Who cares if it's been done or if it's useless. You're showing you can write a wrapper around a database, know how to use APIs, know how to use the framework in question and can utilize libraries. Bonus points if it's a single page app in Angular/Backbone/Ember with a full set of unit tests (same on back-end). Prepare to get hired.
|
|
#
?
Sep 16, 2013 23:16
|
|
|
Kids these days with their Wordpresses and Jekylls and whatnot. Don't even know how to make their own blog engine. 
|
|
#
?
Sep 16, 2013 23:58
|
|
|
Yeah, there are tons of APIs. Build me a button that gives me pictures of cats. Tell me how much of a sperg I am in video games. Build a dictionary. Or look up your own data to hit here, http://www.programmableweb.com/apis/directory. It is really, really, really loving easy to build web apps that actually do real things if you just look at all the random data people are handing out for free.
|
|
#
?
Sep 17, 2013 02:51
|
|
|
Bolton Hairy-Bore posted:I have dodged, to varying degrees of success or awkwardness, every salary requirements question by recruiters, HR, and hiring managers for jobs I care about thus far. But I fear that dodging on money with recruiters/HR will just get my resume tossed away, and I'll never get to talk with the hiring manager. In the situation where HR is very firm about me providing a salary requirement, I've been thinking about breaking the Never Name a Number First Rule and compromising my $$$ just to get to the next stage. It's somewhat beside the point, but I have been naming a salary on applications to companies I totally don't want to work for (long commute, lovely company, don't like the sound of the job description, etc.) with the idea that it will increase the chances of getting a practice interview out of them. It's not optimal to name a number first, but it's not the worst as long as you don't pick a number that's too low. Figure out what the going rate for programmers with your skills is in the area (Glassdoor is helpful here), and think about cost of living in the area, where you are in your career, etc. Then with this information in mind, think of the lowest number that they could name that you would instantly accept with no reservations. Multiply that number by 1.4, start from there, and be willing to negotiate. The thing to keep in mind is that the downside of saying a number that's less than they'd be willing to offer is very high if you take the job, and the downside of naming a number that's too high is small (worst case scenario, they think you're messing with them and walk away, and you go get a job somewhere else). So aim high.
|
|
#
?
Sep 17, 2013 07:14
|
|
|
Ithaqua posted:But it proves that he knows what Github is and how to sign up for an account! Lol. It's a template. I don't have anything on my github to list yet, but I will eventually. rrrrrrrrrrrt posted:How is it that so many of you have zero ideas for showcase projects? Programming lets you do almost anything you want. You seriously don't have any ideas along the lines of "Hey wouldn't this be neat?" or "I always wondered how X worked" percolating all the time? One really shouldn't have to come here and ask "What can I work on to showcase my programming abilities" because the answer is pretty much anything. If you have any sort of interests or hobbies at all it shouldn't be that hard to find something to work on. I think the problem most of us have is that there is a vast chasm between what we think of when we say "Hey, wouldn't this be neat?" and what companies are actually interested in and willing to pay for.
|
|
#
?
Sep 17, 2013 14:13
|
|
|
Zero The Hero posted:I think the problem most of us have is that there is a vast chasm between what we think of when we say "Hey, wouldn't this be neat?" and what companies are actually interested in and willing to pay for. Use the technologies they will be looking for, in an application that they won't. My current 'heh, neat' project is a scraper/retweeter for our local police log pages, as they didn't have a twitter feed. I have a job on the side that alerts me when things go down within a certain radius of my house (I do a lat/long geolocate on each address, and check it versus my fixed lat/long). Also, I log all the calls to SQL for analysis and data nerding, heatmaps, whatever. It's built with extra care to make sure that I don't miss any dispatches, doesn't double-dispatch, doesn't double-tweet. Nobody's going to want this app, but by building it I show I know what scraping, SQL, twitter APIs, job queues are.
|
|
#
?
Sep 17, 2013 14:47
|
|
|
HondaCivet posted:When companies ask "what interests you," what are they really asking? At least with one place I'm looking into, whenever they ask I feel like they want me to say I'm really passionate about some particular technology and then go on and on about it. I can't really say that because I've only been working 2 years and I just don't know what my ultimately favorite area will be. What would be a good way to say that my main interest is just learning how to be a good developer and that I'm still figuring out which technologies are my favorites? The way you phrase that question doesn't necessarily imply you already have to be familiar with it. On your list of stuff you want to learn, what's near the top? Just as valid an answer. For all you know they're branching out of their regular technologies and are looking for someone that wants to dive in and do the research on something new.
|
|
#
?
Sep 17, 2013 14:52
|
|
|
Bolton Hairy-Bore posted:But I fear that dodging on money with recruiters/HR will just get my resume tossed away, and I'll never get to talk with the hiring manager. In the situation where HR is very firm about me providing a salary requirement, I've been thinking about breaking the Never Name a Number First Rule and compromising my $$$ just to get to the next stage. Don't do this. It's a negotiation. Overstate a bit and be willing to lower. Safe and Secure! posted:My solution to this is to move somewhere that has so many jobs that you could ignore all companies that do that and still have tons of jobs to apply to. Why is it unacceptable for an employer to ask how much he has to pay you?
|
|
#
?
Sep 17, 2013 14:58
|
|
|
I'm working on a Python script that pulls historical data for a given stock symbol and runs technical analysis on it (SMA, RSI, etc). What kind of features should I add to it to make it more impressive? Real-time output? A GUI?
|
|
#
?
Sep 17, 2013 15:30
|
|
|
HondaCivet posted:When companies ask "what interests you," what are they really asking? Some interviewers do ask about interests in a way that amounts to fishing for compliments: "Are you passionate about [our niche technology]?" Those are just poor interviewers.
|
|
#
?
Sep 17, 2013 18:29
|
|
|
when somebody asks me what interests me i usually say baking, bouldering, and hiking.
|
|
#
?
Sep 18, 2013 05:57
|
|
|
Yeah, I figure they already know you're interested in software or you wouldn't have anything relevant on your resume in the first place.
|
|
#
?
Sep 18, 2013 06:11
|
|
|
FamDav posted:when somebody asks me what interests me i usually say baking, bouldering, and hiking. I could try it but I'm not sure how well it would go over.  At least it sounds like it's not a common question so I guess I shouldn't worry about it too much.
|
|
#
?
Sep 18, 2013 09:11
|
|
|
Safe and Secure! posted:Yeah, I figure they already know you're interested in software or you wouldn't have anything relevant on your resume in the first place.
|
|
#
?
Sep 18, 2013 17:38
|
|
|
Zero The Hero posted:Lol. It's a template. I don't have anything on my github to list yet, but I will eventually. My point still stands. It's fine if your github is empty, just don't list it on your resume until there is something there.
|
|
#
?
Sep 18, 2013 18:19
|
|
|
Made it to the second round of interviews, and the next one is going to involve coding under screen-sharing alongside a handful of other candidates. Clearly this is going to be a test to see how we perform under pressure, but what are good general strategies to keep in mind during group interviews?
|
|
#
?
Sep 18, 2013 22:30
|
|
|
Bongo Bill posted:and the next one is going to involve coding under screen-sharing alongside a handful of other candidates. This is the dumbest poo poo I've ever heard.
|
|
#
?
Sep 18, 2013 23:17
|
|
|
Bongo Bill posted:Made it to the second round of interviews, and the next one is going to involve coding under screen-sharing alongside a handful of other candidates. Clearly this is going to be a test to see how we perform under pressure, but what are good general strategies to keep in mind during group interviews? I'm interested in hearing a report about what actually occurs here, because I'm picturing them setting you all up and having you race to implement quick sort or something. Bonus if they do poo poo like randomly switch keyboards to dvorak and rotate your screen image.
|
|
#
?
Sep 18, 2013 23:34
|
|
|
I think I'm giving the wrong impression. It's more like just a regular remote group interview, but with some sort of screencasting set up to use instead of a whiteboard (as nobody's in the same room).
|
|
#
?
Sep 18, 2013 23:56
|
|
|
Hey I am gonna be applying for internships next summer and was wondering If anyone could look over my resume. https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B3YY4EXFwNCwLWV4SVlGZnByZWM Also should I include descriptions of projects I did for my courses? I.e statistical machine translator for my NLP course, ray tracer for computer graphics, a compiler for compilers course, fancy grammar parser for linguistics. They're all fourth year/graduate courses so they're decent. I was thinking of putting them on my github and include a link to that as well. Thanks,
|
|
#
?
Sep 19, 2013 00:23
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 15, 2024 19:22 |
|
|
Do all that. Take out the additional experience. Add more to the technical skills section (you obviously know HTML and PHP too), then move it to the top. Your resume format is pretty close to mine.
|
|
#
?
Sep 19, 2013 00:40
|
|