Software Engineer Resume or Github Profile: Which Is More Important?
A Github profile might be just as important as a software engineer resume. Anyone looking to hire a programmer will be diving into your online presence, including your Github profile, looking to get an idea of your skills and background before your next job interview.
Consider this checklist to build your Github profile and software engineer resume before your job search.
1. Pin and order your best repositories on your Github profile.
Github makes it easy to pin your best repositories at the top of your profile. Make sure your Github profile doesn’t have broken piles of code from a student project three years ago. Show only what you want a potential employer to see.
Apart from pinning your best six repositories, you should also rank-order your best work. Most people might only look at your first one or two repositories, so make sure those are your best.
2. Add a profile picture, username and bio to your Github profile.
Fill out your Github profiles. It takes no more than three minutes. If you have an embarrassing username, change it. Update your default avatar with a professional photo of yourself.
Don’t leave your Github profile blank. The more information you can fill in, the more you’ll stand out as a memorable candidate. Keep your profile relevant and complete with your skills.
3. Create a readme file for each of your pinned projects.
Hiring managers or recruiters will click into the repositories listed on your Github profile. Add a good readme file for each of your pinned projects so that people can understand your repository at a glance.
Create a readme file for each of your pinned projects on Github so that you can answer these questions:
- Why does the project exist? What does the project do for its users?
- Are there any dependencies for your repository? Does someone need to install anything?
- How can someone else run the tests?
- How can someone contribute to the project?
After creating your readme file, clean up the code in the repository. Organize the files in your project. Clean up the code and make it readable. You might want to add some linting rules or automated tests.
Remember: You want to impress any hiring manager reviewing your Github profile and repository.
4. Add a readme file for your Github profile.
You can now add a markdown-styled introduction to your Github profile. It’s an excellent opportunity to write a more detailed bio with additional links to your software engineer resume, LinkedIn profile and top projects.
Keep the readme file on your Github profile short. The readme file will push down your pinned repositories, and that’s where you want to keep your reader’s attention.
Add a readme file to your profile by creating a repository with the same name as your Github username. Use the default readme in that repository.
5. Have an active heatmap on your Github profile.
Use your personal Github profile for all your coding work, including your professional work. Github makes it easy to join and leave organizations, so there’s no reason to have multiple accounts or job or company-specific accounts. Besides the convenience, your contribution heatmap will look amazing because of all your completed work.
Even if you don’t have a job, keep track of your projects in Git and Github. The Github profile’s heatmap can show potential employers and hiring managers that you are active with your craft. Nobody wants to hire someone who might be out of practice.
6. Hide any embarrassing repositories on your Github profile.
It is free to hide private repositories on your Github profile. There is no excuse to hide any old code or code you don’t plan to continue maintaining. This is a helpful feature if you don’t have the time to clean up your code yet. It also helps to keep your Github profile tidy.
7. Work on a mix of projects to have varied contributions.
Many junior software engineers make the mistake of only working on applications. Stand out from other candidates by showing your skills across many types of projects. Libraries and packages designed to be useful to other software engineers are great.
It can also be good to make small but meaningful contributions to medium or large-sized existing open-source projects.
8. Get some stars for your Github profile.
Stars on a Github profile are endorsements for your work. If you maintain a project with a few hundred stars, a hiring manager probably won’t need to dive deep into your repositories and code to know you’re a skilled software engineer. They’ll know you have testimonials from hundreds of software engineers who have already approved your work.
The bottom line
Your Github profile doesn’t have to be perfect, but you should have a Github profile and share it with potential employers. Many software engineers and developers aren’t present online, and if you put in a bit of effort, it could go a long way for your job prospects. You might think of it as a good alternative or complement your software engineer resume.
This article was written by Lane Wagner for HackerNoon and was lightly edited and published with permission.