A verifiable track record that is very hard to fake.
This includes:
1. Open source contributions to high-profile / major repositories (with code-review in the open with core maintainers).
2. Side projects that are production-grade with customers and recurring revenue.
3. Given presentations at conferences.
At least 2 out of 3 of those. Years of experience is an additional plus.
But those still using keyword matching, ATS scores, leetcode don't have a clue on how to hire or who to hire as all of that can be faked, gamed and cheated by LLMs in 2026.
Instead of hiring builders, they continue to optimize for people studying for interviews and at the end of the day, I only care if you know how to make money and I prefer the former; builders over those who just study for the interview.
These are valid points and it's pity that none of the hiring systems are designed for these high intent signals.
Simple filters like
1. open-source in repos with stars > 100.
2. regularly write blogs on core hard topics
3. Attend or give presentations on hard topics
would solve 90% of hiring process.
Rather keyword matching, ATS scores, leetcode are just vanity metrics.
Do you know any tool that solves for these high intent signals?
with all due respect, doctors not only perform surgeries, they also spend time reading, publishing journals outside work, upgrade themselves with new researchers.
My doctor uncle, has a home library with 5000+ medical books. He says "Learning is a live long process."
Successful professionals harmonize work and personal time.
Same goes for engineers.
Yet I have been a “successful” professional and have worked for everything from startups to BigTech without creating yet another React TODO app and putting it on GitHub
My idea of successfully harmonizing my work and personal time is turning off my computer after work and spending my time doing everything else. In a former life during the first 15 years as an adult as a part time fitness instructor in the morning and evening and runner training and running races with friends.
In my current life post Covid, grown (step)kids and remote work, it’s doing the “digital nomad” thing off an on. This year we will spend a total of over four months away from home and two of those out of the country. One year we spend 9.5 months away from home.
Absolutely no one would accuse me as being someone - who has been spending a decade leading cloud + app dev projects and the last two every project I’ve touch has embedded an LLM in the production implementation - of not being current with technology.
I absolutely despise the idea that anyone thinks that people should spend time outside of work pecking at a computer. When I get off work, I don’t think about anything related to code until the next morning.
I have never done a line of code without getting paid for it in 30 years
Yes. I agree. People loved coding and software development, became hobby down the line plus paid them good. If people didn't cared about this industry, then it would have neve would have become this big economy
This includes:
1. Open source contributions to high-profile / major repositories (with code-review in the open with core maintainers).
2. Side projects that are production-grade with customers and recurring revenue.
3. Given presentations at conferences.
At least 2 out of 3 of those. Years of experience is an additional plus.
But those still using keyword matching, ATS scores, leetcode don't have a clue on how to hire or who to hire as all of that can be faked, gamed and cheated by LLMs in 2026.
Instead of hiring builders, they continue to optimize for people studying for interviews and at the end of the day, I only care if you know how to make money and I prefer the former; builders over those who just study for the interview.