Comment by timrosenblatt | Hacker News Reader

Comment by timrosenblatt | Hacker News Reader

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Wow, that's one big paragraph. :)

It's going to depend heavily on the companies you're applying to.

Do you have a Github account? That might help. Also if you've got a really healthy Stack Overflow account or similar, it might help change the course of your interview.

There was a thread the other day about this -- https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8200562 -- where the OP is trying to avoid onsite interviews, so clearly they're out there.

On another level: you should know that there's no universal consensus on how to hire developers. If you keep talking to different companies, you'll find someone that's a good fit for you in your current situation.

Keep at it, and don't get frustrated.

Hah.. sorry about the long paragraph. I edited it so it's now two whopping paragraphs :) And thanks for the link, that's really useful!

An active github/stackoverflow account would definitely have helped me, but it seems like, those things just gets you to the first step of getting a phone interview. You will still have to go through the entire process. But yeah, I do just have to keep at it.

One other idea that comes to mind:

If you're talking about a company that's been around a while and has a big HR department, they're going to have a well-defined interview process, and you'll be playing by their rules.

A smaller company or a startup is more likely to be flexible, and you may be able to suggest that they give you a sample project to start. They may prefer this, as they don't have to pull an engineer off an active project to spend time interviewing you. Everyone is different, so if they don't like the suggestion, you may have to work with them.

I saw from another commenter that you are practicing your skills at working with someone. The time and energy you invest in your people skills will pay off in a lot of ways over the course of your career (and in your personal life), so it might help to think of this as an opportunity.

FWIW Here's my company's project (bottom of the page) http://cloudspace.com/hiring/

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