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How to get a job as a self taught programmer?

2 points by bobobojer ↗ HN
Hi I've spent the last few years learning to program. I've gotten jobs on elance and recently my first contract gig for $35 an hour.

I've produced some web apps and each is much more complex than the last.

My question is what is the minimum requirements... or what are some minimum specific things that hiring people are looking for... to get a job at a startup or bigger co.?

1 comment

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bryanh
As they say, simply sending résumés is a chumps game. So, working on things that only look good in that context is probably wrong.

Instead, if you have a few cool apps under your belt, email the founders of startups you might want to work for and say you are looking for a full time position as freelancing is not fun for you anymore. Offer your apps as evidence that you "get shit done". Startups are much more approachable and all they care about is getting shit done.

Big co's are much more formulaic, they have HR departments. They get a list that guides their hires and they try to find the best fit for each through a process of elimination (read: sifting through hundreds of résumés). You need to stand out somehow, and offering a résumé alone won't cut it. Call the HR department and talk to someone, try to find out who your bossman would be and try to talk to them. Show interest and be conversational. Basically, beat the résumé filter.

It may feel a little sleezy as you cold contact people, but like anything, you can approach it gracefully, just don't be a dick about it. Keep it short and professional.