How to Effectively Use a GitHub as a Job Seeker

There’s a perceived disconnect between programmers and recruiters about GitHub profiles. It’s commonly asked for developer jobs that candidates include a GitHub profile with an application. Will your page contents get you past screeners and land a job interview? Narratives run the gamut between “absolutely yes!” and “nobody actually cares” about your GitHub page. What is going on with this?

The quick explanation is that programmers and recruiters look at GitHub differently--even if the recruiters are tech savvy. If you’re a candidate seeking job opportunities you’ll want to present your page in a way that makes sense to your target audience, which is in this case is anyone from hiring managers to recruiters to HR.

Not everyone uses GitHub in a career-forward capacity, but you can. Just like keeping a programming blog is a great presentation tool, a GitHub page presents a similar opportunity. It’s another place to put your best foot forward. While it isn’t built to be a job-seeking tool per se, it is wise to manage it as deliberately as you might a LinkedIn page. Just as any social platform, GitHub has unique ins and outs to consider.

Make your GitHub content accessible

Typically GitHub isn’t the first place decision-makers look to fill roles in programming. Rather, it’s a handy tool for fine-matching skills and verifying that a candidate possesses them. If you’re using GitHub for advancement, you will want to present your projects and account activity in a way that’s clear and accessible.

Don’t expect anyone to decode your code or read through your libraries. Nobody has the patience for that. Instead, make sure that every repository you work on has the Description field filled in. Here (and in the Readme file) you want to talk about the features you wrote into the project. Demonstrate business acumen buy articulating your role in the Git in one or two sentences that capture how you helped along the project. Think of Description as the headline, on which you’ll elaborate further in the Readme.

Present deliberately for the job you want

What kind of job do you want? This might be a harder question than you might think, and if you don’t know, you can not proceed with the necessary purpose. But once you figure out the work you want, you’re running downhill after that.

Usually your desired work is tied to a specific language or framework preference. If JavaScript is your thing, stick to JS with your GitHub activity. A more experienced programmer might be able to show specialization in server-side or front-end development work across several types of code.  Since recruiters look to match granular skills with GitHub, you’ll get the most mileage when you stay narrow in your focus.

The types of projects you choose speak to the type of work you’re willing to take. For example, if your profile has a good representation of open-source projects, it gives a sense that you’d might work for a non-profit or public sector agency.

Make yourself look as credible as you actually are

Basically, this means avoiding the giveaways of a rookie or a slouch. First and foremost, make sure your page shows a pattern of habitual posting. Anything that suggests sporadic or inconsistent work habits is not a good look. Keep in mind that your account activity is one of the first things people see on your account.

Believe it or not, some programmers carry bad attitudes into open source projects. Makes sure your communications are always clear, professional, and courteous. Team-mindedness is something hiring managers want to see. Surely not the opposite.

Use the search function to check on similar candidates

The purpose here is twofold. In doing so, you’re researching the competition, and putting yourself in the shoes of the decision maker from the search perspective. Giving your profile a little SEO love helps with on-site recruitment--which is not the primary use for GitHub in this context, but as the platform evolves into ubiquity, happens more often especially in the earlier stages of the game. A simple exercise like putting yourself in the shoes of a hirer scanning profiles will only benefit your overall look on the platform.