Ask HN: Landing a job by solving sample tasks?

[throwaway683]

I'm posting this from a throwaway account for obvious reasons.

I've heard about software developers applying to a job posting, then getting a sample task to solve and if they (the company) were happy with the outcome, they hired the developer. How common is this in the real world? Is this usually done before the interview?

The reason I'm asking is because I'm looking for a remote (or freelancing) junior front-end developer position and I have no real coding-related job experience to show on the resume. I've built a lot of small personal projects during the past 10 years, that are now mostly lost, and I feel solving a few coding tasks is the only way to show my skills.

How would you approach a potential employer if you were me? Obviously, sending in the resume won't convince them to interview me and building an impressive Github profile will take a lot of time.

[pattu777]

Seems like you have decent web development experience. I also agree that building an impressive Github profile will take a lot of time. You can always try on freelancing sites . If not, I do have one more suggestion.

1. Look for startups from Angellist or Crunchbase. Pick a couple of them based on your skills. Filter by remote working option. Also checkout https://remoteok.io/.

2. Once you have a couple of companies sorted, check out their blog and see if they have any public APIs available or not.

3. Build something with their public API. It doesn't have to be awesome. A simple working app is also fine.

4. Directly contact the company via Linkedin with your resume and show them the app you have built.

Overall the entire process won't take more than a couple of weeks. Clearing the tech interview is another thing. But I am sure you can get an interview with this approach. Hope it helps.

[throwaway683]

Thank you for the advice! This sounds like a great idea and I will definitelly give it a try. Also, thanks for remoteok link.

On a side note: Freelancing sites were my first plan and I created an account on Upwork but it seems like it's impossible to earn anything there. Every front-end job has at least 30 proposals, mostly from Indians and Eastern Europeans willing to work almost for free. And it's also a chicken and egg situation: you can't get a job with no positive feedback, but you also can't get rated without getting a job.

[pattu777]

Yeah I can relate to that. Even I thought of doing some freelance stuff while I was in college, but you can't compete against people with $5-$10 per hour rates.

Also there are a couple of companies which are trying to simplify the hiring(interview, visa etc.) process.

1. https://underdog.io/

2. https://triplebyte.com/

I haven't used their service before. But sometimes ago I read their blog and it sounded interesting.

[_em_]

commenting here so that i can trace back this thread

[csorrell]

Landing the first junior development position can be hard, especially for remote positions. Just know that it is possible, and be persistent. Think of your resume as a marketing device and not just something that lists relevant work experience. When I was starting out I made it the point of my resume to highlight my skills as a fast and eager learner above everything else.

When you get to the interview stage, continue to sell yourself as someone who can figure out how to do the things you don't yet know how to do, because that is really the most important thing that employers are looking for when you don't have previous work experience in the field. People will hire you when they believe that you are able to meet their expectations, you just have to convince them that you can.

I agree that building a solid Github profile can take a lot of time, but in my experience having something is far better than having nothing. After I added a handful of simple programming exercises I had done (mostly from weekly school assignments) to my profile, I started getting a heck of a lot more call backs from potential employers. As a junior developer, just having a profile puts you ahead of most of the competition. How well built out it is doesn't matter as much at this stage.

As for sample programming tasks, it's pretty common. Not every company does this, but it's something you should expect. Less than half but more than a quarter of the companies I was applying for at a junior level were asking for this. They shouldn't ask you to complete a task before the initial interview though. If they do, I would pass.

Good luck.

[jwb119]

https://triplebyte.com/