For software engineering in the UK, they actually look at where you went to school?

I’ve done probably a couple hundred interviews (me as the interviewer) in SF and outside of the “oh you went to MIT? Cool” it was still onward with the live coding session. No one got a free pass.

I’ve definitely seen people from MIT, Stanford, get passed up on.

I’ve seen boot-campers hired, hearing impaired, white/black/Asian/Indian. For any of them, not a clue where they originally went to school.

1) Having a public project will get you an interview.

2) Being able to discuss design decisions surrounding that code will earn you points.

3) Being able to make changes, refactor on the fly, will win you a job.

3a) Some places will have you code an algorithm - also a way to win the job.