Companies that don't require resumes | Hacker News Reader

Companies that don't require resumes

squidoo.com

14 pointsAlex39179 comments

Here's my opinion:

If you are a superstar, have saved the whales from extinction, created an entire family of programming languages, invented self-replicating nanorobots or something similar you don't need a CV. Potential employers will look at the name and think "we've got to have that guy - no matter what" And your biggest problem will probably be to stave off the hordes of headhunters.

Unfortunately I don't fall into the above category, and I think that if I send an application to a potential employer that basically says "I couldn't be bothered to put together a resume so I just provided a few links for you to see how cool I am" my chances of getting the job don't exactly increase.

Besides many employers, especially large companies, have procedures they follow. For instance sending a CV around to a group of people you will potentially be working with, storing your CV in their internal database in case they have another job where you fit better, etc. Links to stuff you have done just doesn't comply to the procedure that many companies follow.

Even when you're approached by a company, there is usually someone inside acting as your advocate (trying to bring you onboard and convince others why you matter). They'll need a resume to help with that, even if it isn't really a deciding factor.

Any company looking for funding will also need to demonstrate its value/potential to investors. Part of this is demonstrating/documenting team competence.

There exist companies that cherrypick a select group of superstars, therefore no one should do what 99.9% of all companies want you to do, even though there's only room, by definition, for a small group of superstars.

Not a superstar badass? Starve. OK? Starve, Web 2.0 style. God we are so AWESOME.

Same goes for RescueTime - once we start hiring (soon?) I'm sure I won't bother reading resumes anyway. I never have, really. They're generally boring, bloated, uninteresting piles of hackitude that people use to get past recruiter/screeners. I generally 1) google the person 2) ask them what they did that they're most proud of, and 3) a bunch of other stuff that depends on the person/job. I also prefer people I've worked with before, or who have come highly recommended from trusted friends.

I added RescueTime to the lens with a note that says hiring soon. If you want it changed/deleted just let me know.

Friendfeed

"Formal resumes unnecessary (but they won't hurt, either)" http://friendfeed.com/about/jobs

Thanks, added it to the list.

I started making a list in response to mixmax's comment on Seth's original post: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=139066

I'm sure there are a lot that I'm missing though, so hopefully others can provide more examples.

(The lens also has a short essay I wrote about the value of a college degree for finding a job.)

There are none, stop being lazy and make one.

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