300 karma · joined February 10, 2011
2. Just because the above fact is true does not mean they will hire just anyone, degree or not. Having a CS degree is great, but that doesn't make you or anyone else a great programmer. People have graduated from CS with a high GPA no less and still can't program worth squat.
3. Not talking about large companies, startups in particular, look for more than just raw programming skills. They look for culture fit, are you a passionate hacker, fast learner with great potential for more than just writing code, etc... At the end of the day, there are TOO MANY FACTORS to consider beyond just the simple fact that you have a CS degree to determine whether or not you fit the position in which these companies are hiring for.
My best advice here is find out what you may not be seeing and keep trying. You will eventually find that programming position but you first must understand what it is you may not be seeing that's preventing you from landing that job.
Where are you located and what type of position you are looking for?
This is something I've been trying to look for, for awhile now, especially late nights (not so much during the day for more obvious reasons but it does have some use during the day in some cases).
Few things to note. Since you have location and neighborhood set already, I would probably get rid of the request for location upon arriving. This will annoy a lot of people and you're only serving up SF to begin with, that doesn't seem like there is a need for that even if it maybe useful later.
The second is if you're planning to expand to other cities, why choose opennowSF (emphasis on the SF) in the domain name. Why not go with a more generic name to begin with rather than rebrand later?
The design isn't bad but I would maybe rethink the blue font for the results and have alternating background color for each result so its not blended so badly. I like that it displays how long before the business closes but I'd also like the business hours for the entire week listed so I can get a quick overview.
Also if the website has an online menu or website, include that. Not exactly sure if I'd use the share feature which btw I didn't even know was meant for sharing X restaurant was open till I clicked on it. First impression was I thought it was the twitter or facebook page for the restaurant. Also maybe have a simple sorting system such as sort by name (alphabetically) or by remaining business hours, etc.
Hope these help.
On a more serious note, I agree a large part is due to how much you're willing to pay. But even then, and don't get me wrong, there are lots of applicants. The problem isn't finding people willing to go for the job or paying out market rate. It's finding people that are a fit. As they say, good talent almost never look for a job. And that's where the issue comes in...
Paid internships of course are treated differently. Again, depends on the area.
2. A list of projects you've worked on in the past. Interactive and ones people can play around with are better.
3. Definitely link to Github.
I am not sure I would call Steve Jobs a social entrepreneur the way most people define the words "social entrepreneur". He certainly doesn't make huge donations or contributions to many non-profits, but does his work impact millions of people and drive innovation greatly? Yes. Even if its not the kind of work that solves problems relating to global warming or poverty, it has it's own kind of impact. Does all that work vastly help improve technology as well as the quality of life in some way? I think most would agree that the answer is a definite hell yes regardless of what they think the definition of the word social entrepreneur is.
I may not be doing something like Sal Khan with the Khan Academy or anything like Bill Gates with his foundation, so in that sense I'm not a social entrepreneur, but I'd like to believe that what I am doing (or trying to do) does have impact in people's lives and help make some people's lives better albeit not to the extent of Steve Jobs or the greater social good. I don't believe I'm just aiming at some profit number and blindly ignoring my fellow man either. I think that solving a problem and making someone's life better is still a social impact, albeit not in the way people would think of a social entrepreneur, but that's fine by me.
That said, I view the definition of what constitutes an "entrepreneur" does not matter whether they are doing something noble or not. An entrepreneur to me is anyone taking the risk to run their own business. That is the general definition in the vaguest (is that even a word?) sense. A startup entrepreneur or a social entrepreneur are specific types of entrepreneurs. Nothing more, nothing less. Of course this is all personal opinion.
In hindsight, natural settings of meeting someone who have similar interests to you either through friends, work, college, etc... is much easier to find compatibility as cofounders than actively hunting down strangers at meetups hoping to find a cofounder that will work well with you. I believe PG or someone else mentioned something about how if the only reason you guys are together is to work on this startup idea and nothing else, there's really nothing holding you together and there is a higher risk of failure (not in those exact words).
The other problem you'll be facing too is that you're trying to sell your dream to someone else which is harder than joining someone else on their dream. Most people from what I've seen wants to work on their ideas rather than the ideas of others. Of course there are those that do join on with someone else's idea but for the most part, people you run into at cofounder type events are mostly biz guys looking for a technical guy to execute on their idea. It's really hard to find a compatible "friend" you can call a cofounder outside of just your startup dreams.
2. I'm still curious regardless of what the point is, who's the host?
2. The best source for recruiting people are face to face interactions and personal recommendations from people you actually know. Outside of this, you're taking a wild stab in the dark.
3. I don't see any solid value proposition that you're providing that any other given person seeking a cofounder hasn't already provided aka low wage + equity. What's new?! Worse, you're not even a US Citizen and the Startup VISA movement hasn't actually happened so in order for you to get your green card status, you may need to come here to work on a sponsorship first. That leaves a lot of iffy rooms for anyone wanting to jump on board.
I'm sure I left out a bunch of other stuff I could be ranting about but if you want to find talented people, get your butt overhere and do it in person.
The only background information I do have is from talking to an immigration attorney myself for when I tried to hire someone from NZ two years ago. Things may have changed since. That said, each case may also differ greatly.
As far as I'm aware, you can try to apply for a HB-1 VISA which will allow you to work in the US if a company sponsors you for that VISA and the requirement is you must have a degree that applies to the position in which you were hired for until you can apply for and receive your Green Card status (separately), which can take up to 5 years. I didn't hear anything about a PhD requirement. I believe a bachelors is sufficient but you might want to double check on that.
Your toughest challenge will be finding a job relating to your degree and a company willing to sponsor you for the whole nine yards.