Note that, once again, there is no actual data backing up this assertion.
We like to say that github does this and it seems reasonable, but that is not the same as actually showing it to be the case.
Here's the null hypothesis: nobody hires on the basis of the code you put up on github. You will find that hardly anybody even reads that code, even when you give them the link. It is meaningless unless you are already a big name for other reasons.
If you want to maintain that github is a certificate or something, the burden is on you to provide sufficient cause to reject the null hypothesis.
There is no data backing it up but i think it goes without saying that companies that care about the quality of their staff would look at the work of the people they hire. The prospects work would play a major role in the hiring process if it was available. I know for a fact that 37 signals asks for applicants sample project. I completely agree with the writer.
There is one problem with the Github account as a "certificate". It requires a significant amount of work on the part of an employer to evaluate a Github account -- they have to get a technically adept person to spend an hour or two reading it before they really learn anything from it. It takes 30 seconds for an HR person with few specialized skills to understand whether one has a certification or not.
Many companies I've worked with in the past used to look at certificates they eventually migrated to the philosophy of no code sample no application because they had so many 'master's degree' computer science students who couldn't explain what polymorphism is.
Before you buy a pair of shoes u try it out right? You wouldn't blindly just buy it.
I'm delighted to see someone's github when they send me a resume or CV. I actually get to see real projects and while, yes, those might be "polished" works, I find that most devs actually don't seem to publish code that's significantly better than what they produce in the workplace.
Of course, if I see a github account with no activity at all, then yes, it's probably polished.
What does it mean to have a Github account, in the sense the article speaks of?
Is the idea that I should create an open source project and stick it on Github? Or perhaps find some open source project and start contributing to it?
Apologies for the super basic question -- I think I could piece together one myself, but I'd love to hear an answer from someone more experienced than myself.
I definitely mean having some sort of sample project, it can even be a bitbucket hosted project doesn't really matter just something the employer can see.
It can make your application stand out from the crowd.
We like to say that github does this and it seems reasonable, but that is not the same as actually showing it to be the case.
Here's the null hypothesis: nobody hires on the basis of the code you put up on github. You will find that hardly anybody even reads that code, even when you give them the link. It is meaningless unless you are already a big name for other reasons.
If you want to maintain that github is a certificate or something, the burden is on you to provide sufficient cause to reject the null hypothesis.