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How do you manage GitHub contributions across multiple accounts?

2 points by Virgil2604 ↗ HN
My two last companies required engineers to create a GitHub account to get repo access. An unwanted side effect was developing large gaps of no activity in my GitHub. While I often recall that tweet which jokingly stated something along the lines of “my GitHub activity is blank because my code makes money”, I wonder: how do you all deal with this, does it bother you at all?

2 comments

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cebert
I wouldn’t worry about it too much.

I help with interviews frequently at my current employer. I and other interviewers don’t put much weight on GitHub activity during interviews. Some candidates eagerly share their GitHub profiles, but often the activity is made up of forks or minor cosmetic changes. If you’re active in the open-source community or have significant technical achievements, those are definitely worth highlighting, as they help build a public reputation.

As you’ve mentioned many employers don’t allow their employees contributions to be public or visible. Being employed and not having activity shouldn’t be a negative hiring symbol.

For most candidates, GitHub activity isn’t a crucial factor. Interviewers typically don’t have time to dive deeply into a candidate’s GitHub profile, especially when managing multiple interviews. It’s more important to focus on what directly showcases your skills and experience.